Identikit and main features
The Blonde piedmontese hen is a medium sized hen, with a red crest with four or six teeth, erected in the cock and loppy in the female. The jowls are red, beak and skin are yellow. The plumage colour varies from the blonde to fallow deer colour. It is pearly white colour with a tail of the same colour which is kept raised and slightly open in the hen. The weight of adult hens varies from between 1,9 and 2,4 kg, while that of adult females are from between 1,7 and 2,2 kg.
Area of production
The breeding area overlaps with some of those of the Cuneo and Asti province.
History
The Blonde piedmontese hen is a local variety which has begun to spread from the last century. In 1800 over 50% of the farms production was involved in the poultry commerce. Hens were bred the farmhouses to nourish the families, but also to produce eggs and meats to sell at the local market. Between 1930 and 1950 the Istituto Zootecnico and Caseario for Piedmont decided to improve this type of breeding.
