Collo nudo italiana - Italian Naked-neck
Italian breeds of chickens

Origin and main characteristics

This breed is most of all reared in Veneto (Nord-East of Italy). It probably took origin in Africa and imported from there during the colonial age.
The Collo Nudo Italiana hens are excellent layers and the eggs are large and white (160-180 eggs a year, 58-62 g each). The meat is delicate and with thin skin. The subcutaneous and abdominal fat is nearly absent.
The Collo Nudo Italiana is very rustic and perfect for the outdoor rearing: poorly apt to industrial production.

Morphology

The Collo Nudo is reared not only in Italy but also in Romania (as Transylvanian Naked-neck), in German and in France, where the most famous breed is the Naked-neck from Forez, with its typical crest of feathers on the middle of the neck, which resemble a cravat.
The Collo Nudo Italiana has white earlobes, yellow skin and yellow shanks.
The character “naked-neck” is dominant on “neck with feathers”.
Pullets (male and female) 4 months old weights 1.4-1.6 kg.
Mean weight:
- Cock 2.9-3.3 kg;
- Hen 1.8-2.0 kg.

Collo Nudo Italiana Cock (photo Fracanzani - AERAV Ruggeri)