The Romagnola is a traditional Italian

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of dual-purpose

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

from the

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

region. It was formerly widespread in central Italy, but in the late twentieth century came close to extinction. In early 2012 the population was recovering and the breed was awaiting official recognition by the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Avicole, the federation of Italian poultry associations.

History

The Romagnola is a traditional rustic dual-purpose chicken breed. It was once widespread in central Italy, particularly in the provinces of

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

, Forlì-Cesena and

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

in Emilia-Romagna. In the mid-twentieth century, selective breeding by the Stazione Sperimentale di Pollicoltura – or experimental chicken breeding centre – of

Rovigo Rovigo (, ; egl, Ruig) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. Geography Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, by rail southwest of Venice and south-southwest of P ...

, in the

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

, and the Ispettorato Provinciale dell'Agricoltura, or provincial inspectorate for agriculture, of

produced two well-defined colour varieties, a silver and a golden. Subsequently, the Romagnola declined, and was close to extinction when the provincial administration of the

Province of Parma The Province of Parma ( it, Provincia di Parma) is a province in the Emilia–Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 ''comuni''. It has an area of and a total population of around 450,000 ...

and the faculty of

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

of the

University of Parma The University of Parma ( it, Università degli Studi di Parma, UNIPR) is a public university in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is organised in nine departments. As of 2016 the University of Parma has about 26,000 students. History During the ...

began a joint recovery programme. A breeders' association, the Associazione Razze e Varietà Autoctone Romagnole, was formed in 2007 and a pilot production programme begun. In early 2012, the breed was awaiting recognition by the FIAV. Breed numbers remain low. A study published in 2007 used a figure of approximately 100 for the total breeding stock, of which approximately 30 were cocks.

Characteristics

The colour of the Romagnola is variable; the black-flecked silver and black-flecked golden colour varieties are most often seen. The skin is creamy white or pale yellow. The legs vary from yellow to very dark, which is preferred. The ear-lobes are creamy white, sometimes tinged with blue. The comb is single, with five or more points. Average weight is for cocks, for hens. The eggs are white and weigh about .

Uses

The Romagnola is a dual-purpose breed. Hens lay some 150 eggs per year. Young birds are hardy and fast-growing; the meat is well-flavoured.

References

{{Chicken breeds of Italy Chicken breeds Chicken breeds originating in Italy