Empordanesa Chicken

     The Empordanesa, or the Emprda, is a Chickens breed, which originated in Empordà, in the region of Catalonia, in Spain. It’s an old chicken breed indeed, although the first written documentation about them dates back to 1928.

     The Empordanesa distribution was limited to some country houses, and the bird was almost extinct. This breed wasn’t well defined until the Poultry Genetics Unit (IRTA) began its recovery program in 1982. The Empordanesa is closely related to the Penedesenca, and sometimes it’s considered the solid-colored Penedesenca (except the black color-variety).

     Empordanesas have large carnation combs (similar to a common single comb but has several lobes at the rear). They have also red earlobes, bright-yellow legs, and lay dark brown eggs.

     Empordanesa hens are good egg layers (around 180 eggs per year of weight 60 g per each), but they don’t usually go broody. The bird usually comes in the white, buff and red color-varieties.