Diversity

About Pita Pinta Austuriana ChickensAbout Pita Pinta Austuriana Chickens




Pita Pinta Austuriana chickens, also known as Asturian Painted Hen , belongs to the Atlantic branch of domestic chickens and has common ancestry with other breeds in northern Spain, such as the Euskal Oiloa of the Basque Country. Their name comes from the Asturian language, in which pita means "hen" and pinta meaning "painted" or “mottled”.  

With the industrialization of egg production in Asturias in the 1950s and 1960s, the number of Pita Pinta Austuriana chickens dropped dramatically, almost to the point of extinction. They started to recover between 1980 and 1990. A breeders' association, the Asociación de Criadores de la Pita Pinta Asturiana, was founded in 2003; its 52 members have a total of 1842 birds. In 2005 the numbers of Pita Pinta Austuriana chickens started being recorded. By the end of 2013, there were a total of 2172 entries.  

Pita Pinta Austuriana chickens are compact and of medium weight, males weigh roughly4–4.5 kg and females weigh 2.5–3 kg. They have a single comb with 5 to 7 points; roosters have bigger combs than hens. Their earlobes take on a vibrant red and their eyes a deep orange. Typically for a Pita Pinta their ring size is 20 mm for cocks and 18 mm for hens.  

There are found in four colors: the Pinta Negra is a beautiful mottled black, the Pinta Roxa is mottled rust red. You can also see a white and a non- mottled black. In the Pinta Negra variety, the feathers are black, edged with white, giving the characteristic mottled look.