The farm La Badiola - Caio Alto concentrates on poultry breeding with Valdarno chickens. These are beautiful, very sensitive, independent, wild; so it is difficult to look after them. This animal lives free in open spaces, infact indoors it is nervous and destressed. It is a rustic chicken; it is robust, very early in feathering and growth.
It is a good bird and loves to sleep on trees, that is a dangerous habit because it gets off before dawn, risking the assault of predators which exploit darkness and the first light of the dawn.
And only for her protection that the company accustomed to the use of professional cages provided by Ditta Venturi Predappio (FC), the Company entered into marginal areas, easy to move and good environmental impact.
Valdarno chickens are superior for their white and delicate meat, their small eggs with white shells, particularly suitable for children.
It is an elegant black animal with slightly curved beak, black legs, orange to dark red big eyes, big oval white soft smooth ears, white skin.
It feeds in large quantities of grass, rich in antioxidants, grain from organic farming, certified feed BIO, highly qualified, provided by Progeo. Very moving, running, flying, its meat is rich in iron, tasty and good as food.
The crest is bright red, big, developed, fleshy with 5-6 teeth, straight in the male, gracefully sloping into the female after the second tooth.
It can be bred in mild climates in central Italy only. Cages must be properly insulated, because its crest can freeze at low temperatures.
The standard was drafted by Cavalier Maggi in 1905. It was an excellent breeding, recognized and applauded even beyond the borders of Italy.
Today there are few breeders in Italy, because the price is very high for the quality of its flesh.
It is a rare breed which became extinct by the mid-20th century, but today there are some amateurs and scientists.
In France there is Bresse chickens that are very similar and registrated as PDO. Someone has written: “When Bresse chickens disappeared in French farmyards, lots of Valdarno chickens were exported”. This was one of many reasons why Tuscany actratted foreign investors.
ITALIANO