Robusta Lionata
The Robusta Lionata is an Italian dual-purpose chicken created in the twentieth century at the poultry experimental station in Rovigo, Veneto. Its name means tawny or lion-colored robust chicken, and the breed is generally associated with buff plumage, often with darker tail and neck markings, a substantial body, and a farm utility build. It was developed from crosses that included Buff Orpington and White America stock, with the goal of producing a rustic bird for meat and eggs rather than a high-speed industrial broiler.
On small farms, the Robusta Lionata is best treated as a slower-growing heavy chicken that benefits from outdoor access, good feed, and dry, roomy housing. Large birds need perches and nest boxes placed with weight and leg health in mind, and chicks should not be pushed like commercial broilers. The breed remains most relevant in Italian conservation and local-food settings, where keepers value its size, hardiness, and traditional appearance. Anyone buying stock should distinguish it from ordinary buff backyard crosses or generic meat hybrids.
Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White
