Valdarnese

Valdarnese is an Italian chicken associated with the Valdarno area of Tuscany. The name is often linked with white or light-colored farm fowl from the region, separate in discussion from the black Valdarno type. It belongs to Italy's local poultry heritage, where regional breeds were selected for table qualities, eggs, and adaptation to farm conditions rather than for extreme ornamental traits.

In a working flock, Valdarnese chickens need ordinary but consistent management: clean housing, dry footing, access to range where safe, and feed matched to growth and laying expectations. Breeders should be careful with naming because Valdarnese and Valdarno can be confused, and different sources may separate or connect them in different ways. The most useful breeding records note color, source line, mature weight, laying performance, and whether the birds are being maintained as a distinct Tuscan population.

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