Valdarnese
Gallus gallus domesticus
✨ Fait Amusant
The Valdarno was bred in the same landscape immortalised by Leonardo da Vinci in his background paintings — the broad Arno valley with its vineyards, olive groves, and hazy blue hills. The white Valdarnese chicken would have been a familiar sight to every farmer whose land appears in the distant backgrounds of Renaissance masterpieces.
A rare Italian dual-purpose breed from the Valdarno (Arno Valley) in Tuscany, the same region that produced the Leghorn. But unlike its world-famous white-egg-laying cousin, the Valdarnese is a larger, calmer bird developed for both meat and eggs on Tuscan small farms. The Valdarnese has white plumage, a single comb, clean legs, and yellow skin — traits deliberately selected for the Italian market where yellow-skinned chickens were preferred. It originated from crosses between local Tuscan chickens and imported white breeds in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The breed was once widespread in Tuscan farmyards but was virtually eliminated by the 1960s. A recovery programme by the University of Florence and Tuscan breeders has slowly rebuilt numbers. The Valdarnese is recognised by the EE Europastandard as a distinct Italian heritage breed.
🏷️ Race
Valdarnese
💭 Tempérament
Calm, docile, good forager, heat-tolerant, steady
📏 Taille
Large (2.7-3.6 kg)
⏳ Espérance de vie
5-8 years
🎨 Couleurs
White with yellow skin and legs
🌍 Origine
Italy — Valdarno, Tuscany; developed late 19th–early 20th century
🏠 Habitat
Free-range or enclosed run; well-adapted to Tuscan Mediterranean climate and olive groves
🍽️ Alimentation
Layer pellets; effective forager in Tuscan olive groves and vineyard margins
🎯 Usage
Dual Purpose
🥚 Couleur des œufs
White
👑 Type de crête
Single
🏅 Classe EE
Large Fowl