Branca (chicken)
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.png) Cock and hen | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Galinhas de Pescoço Pelado |
| Country of origin | Portugal |
| Distribution | Entre Douro e Minho |
| Use | dual-purpose, eggs and meat |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Comb type | single |
| Classification | |
| APA | no[4] |
| EE | no[5] |
| PCGB | no[6] |
| |
The Branca is a Portuguese breed of domestic chicken of Naked Neck type. It is found in only one colour variant, the pure white that gives it its name.
It is one of four recognised Portuguese chicken breeds, the others being the Amarela, the Pedrês Portuguesa and the Preta Lusitânica;[7] of the four, it is at the highest risk of extinction.
The Branca is a traditional rural breed of north-western Portugal.[3]: 201 It is reared mostly in the historic Entre Douro e Minho region, where chickens are kept on small family-run farms as a complement to other agricultural activities, providing eggs and meat principally for domestic use.[3]: 201
Of the four Portuguese chicken breeds, the Branca is at the highest risk of extinction: in 2016 the population consisted of 261 breeding hens and 217 cocks, held on 94 farms.[3]: 201 By 2024 the total population had risen to an estimated 7278–12820 birds, with a breeding stock of 3167 hens and 604 cocks distributed over 179 farms;[2][7] its conservation status was listed as "not at risk".[2]