The Stara Zagora Red (, Starozagorska chervena kokoshka) is a Bulgarian
breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
of domestic
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
from the
oblast
An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...
of
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora (, ) is a city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of Stara Zagora Province. It is located in the Upper Thracian Plain, near the cities of Kazanlak, Plovdiv, and Sliven. Its population is 121,582 making it the sixth largest c ...
, in the central-southern part of the country. In the mid-20th century local chickens of Stara Zagora were
crossed with
Rhode Island Red
The Rhode Island Red is an American breed of domestic chicken. It is the state bird of Rhode Island. It was developed there and in Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century, by cross-breeding birds of Oriental origin such as the Malay wit ...
chickens.
History
The Stara Zagora Red breed was created in about 1970 by
cross-breeding
A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...
local hens of the region, of various colours, with
Rhode Island Red
The Rhode Island Red is an American breed of domestic chicken. It is the state bird of Rhode Island. It was developed there and in Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century, by cross-breeding birds of Oriental origin such as the Malay wit ...
cocks.
[ The red colour became fully established after the second generation. The initial results were published in 1969.][
Nowadays it is considered to be a rare breed. Its conservation status was listed as "critical" by the SAVE Foundation in 2009.]Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora (, ) is a city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of Stara Zagora Province. It is located in the Upper Thracian Plain, near the cities of Kazanlak, Plovdiv, and Sliven. Its population is 121,582 making it the sixth largest c ...
and a few Bulgarian breeders, members of the Bulgarian Poultry Breeders Association. In 2013 the total number for the breed reported to DAD-IS
DAD-IS is the acronym for the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System, a tool developed and maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a part of its programme for management of animal genetic resources for ...
was 360.[
]
Characteristics
The Stara Zagora Red is a medium-built bird with bright red feathering, a broad straight back, full breast and well-developed wattles and comb
A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...
.[ Cocks weigh about and hens Hens start laying at about 165 days, and lay 215–220 brown eggs per year, with a weight of ][
]
References
Further reading
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* {{cite book , title=Атлас и характеристика на продуктивните птици, last=Семерджиев, first=Валентин, year=2005 , publisher="Съюз на учените-Стара Загора", isbn=954-9329-25-9
External links
Starozagorska red hen
agrobiodiversity.net.
ELBARN - Starozagorska red hen
Chicken breeds originating in Bulgaria
Chicken breeds