Ancient Italian
breed which took origin in Polverara, a village in the county of Padua. Since
1400, it’s known as “Padovana di Polverara”, “Schiatta di Polverara” or
“Schiatta”. According to some authors, the breed is the ancestor of Padovana.
On the contrary, some others assert that the Polverara came from the Padovana.
The breed has
nearly disappeared. It’s reared for its tasty meat and for the fair production
of eggs. Nowadays there is a project for the recover of the breed and it’s
included in the list of “traditional products” of Italian Department of
Agriculture and Forestry. Officially recognized in Italy.
Egg: minimum 50
g, whitish shell.
The trunk is well
shaped, of medium size. The head is big with a crest of straight feathers that
don’t cover the eyes, with small cerebral ernia. White earlobes, red small
wattles, red face.
Long neck and
neck hackles. Wings are near the body. The plumage is tight to the body, with
long and rounded feathers. The beak is strong and curved; near the nostrils
there are a small red excrescence.
The eyes are big, lively, coloured of orange-red-brown. The comb is red, with
small points, V-shaped. In the hen the points are very small. Beard and muff
not very developed so that the wattles and the earlobes are not completely
covered.
The back leans
towards the tail, which is erect with an angle of 65-70° in the cock and 50-55°
in the hen.
The breast is not very prominent, the abdomen is of medium size. The legs are
quite long and visible, the shanks are thin, without feathers. The skin is
white.
There are two
varieties: white and black. In the black one, the whole plumage is pure black
with shining petrol nuances in both sexes. The shanks are slate-grey with
greenish shades. The white variety, all the plumage is pure white, the shanks
are willow-green, the beak is horn-coloured. The down is white.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.