Penedesenca
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Wissenswertes
The Penedesenca's carnation comb is a completely unique anatomical structure found in no other chicken breed — a flat circular arrangement of up to a dozen fine points forming a ring, resembling a carnation flower from above. The gene controlling it is entirely distinct from all other known comb genes.
A rare Catalan breed from the Penedès wine region of Catalonia, best known for producing some of the darkest brown eggs of any breed — deep chocolate-brown shells that rival even the Marans. Penedesencas are immediately distinguished by their extraordinary carnation comb, a flat ring of multiple points resembling the petals of a carnation flower, found in no other breed in the world. An active, hardy Mediterranean layer, the Penedesenca was rescued from near-extinction in the 1980s by Catalan conservation breeders and is now recognised by both the EE Europastandard and the Société Centrale Avicole de France (SCAF).
🏷️ Rasse
Penedesenca
💭 Temperament
Active, alert, flighty, independent, excellent forager
📏 Größe
Medium (2.3-2.7 kg)
⏳ Lebenserwartung
5-8 years
🎨 Farben
Black (most common); also Wheaten, Partridge, Crele — all with the distinctive carnation comb
🌍 Herkunft
Spain — Penedès, Catalonia; ancient breed; conservation programme from 1980s
🏠 Lebensraum
Free-range; adapted to warm, dry Mediterranean conditions of Catalonia
🍽️ Ernährung
Layer pellets; excellent forager on Mediterranean scrubland and vineyard margins
🎯 Zweck
Egg
🥚 Eifarbe
Dark Brown
👑 Kammtyp
Carnation
🏅 EE-Klasse
Large Fowl