Catalana Chicken Breed – Everything You Need to Know

These golden birds are named for their color and are known as Catalana del Prat Leonada or Buff Catalana.

These golden chicken hail from the district of Catalonia which is near Barcelona in Spain where they are quite a common domestic chicken. They are prized not only for the beauty but their eggs and meat. They are a hardy dual-purpose breed but are a bit wary of and tend to be skittish around humans.

Country of Origin:	Spain
American Poultry Association:	Recognized as a breed of chicken in the United States
Chicken Category:	Large Breed
Chicken Class:	Mediterranean
Bantam Variety Available?	Yes – Single Comb Clean Legged Bantam Classification
Good Starter Chicken?	They are a low maintenance chicken to care for but can be a flight risk. They could make a good starter chicken if their wings are kept clipped.
PURPOSE ⇒	Eggs: They are very good egg layers. They lay large pinkish tinted or white eggs up to 220 per year They will lay consistently throughout winter and summer They start to lay eggs from around 16 to 20 weeks old. Related CHICKEN BREEDS THAT LAY BROWN, BLUE, GREEN, OLIVE, PINK OR DIFFERENT COLORS EGG Meat: They have succulent pinkish white meaty carcasses. Breeding: They can be bred but the hens are not very broody or good mothers as they tend to be loners. Foraging: They love to scratch about and are excellent foragers. Show Bird: Their skittish shy nature makes them a difficult show bird. Pets: They do not make good pets Other: Catalana, like most Mediterranean breeds, are excellent foragers.
Flyers?	They are excellent flyers and love to fly they can be considered a flight risk.
Noisy Birds?	They can be noisy
Interaction with other chickens:	They tend to be loners and do not really socialize well with other birds. They are mostly indifferent to other chickens.
Good with kids?	They are not the best chickens for or around children

HISTORY

The Catalana chicken was developed in the district of Catalonia in Spain. This chicken is a very domestic chicken prized for both its eggs and meat in Spain and South America.

The Catalana is a rare bird in North America but there are a few hatcheries that do breed and offer Catalana chickens for sale.

The heritage of the Catalana is not very clear but there are references to the breed being developed from an admixture of Asian stock and Castilian chickens (landrace fowls in the area of Catalonia). Catalana was developed over a long period of time during the late 19th century and was shown to the rest of the world in 1902 where they were favorably received at the World’s Fair which was held in Madrid, Spain.

The breed had been used successfully in Argentina, in the 1920’s in the commercial industry.

The Catalana was accepted into the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association in 1949 but has since only had a very limited following. Thus, the Catalana are listed on the American Conservation list as watch.

CHARACTERISTICS
IDENTIFICATION ⇒	Appearance/Body: Catalana has a distinct golden red plumage and black tail feathers that tend to have a greenish tint to them. They have red bay-colored eyes, large red single combs, white earlobes and slate blue clean legs. Color(s) Black-tailed Buff Related COLOR VARIETIES THAT ARE FOUND IN A LOT OF THE VARIOUS CHICKEN BREEDS Comb: They have a single comb Ave. Weight: Pullet/Hen 6 lbs. Cockerel/Rooster 7 lbs.
Life Expectancy:	The average lifespan is 8 years
Health:	They have no known health issues and are quite a hardy bird. The Catalana are known for their hot weather endurance.
Temperament:	A Shy, skittish and flighty bird that tends to be a bit of a loner.
Socialize Behavior?	They avoid other animals as much as possible
Known predators:	Most domestic animals leave them alone, but it is always best to keep an eye on dogs and cats. If hawks and or foxes are in your area it is always best to take precautions. Although they are not an easy target for most feathery predators. Check with local animal shelters, zoos, vets, animal control and or pet stores about common predators in your area.
Conservation Status:	These birds conservation status is recorded as “watch”. It is best to check on any special license or instructions that may be set up for owning these birds. This can be checked with your local or national conservation centers.

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
Garden Size:	They are happy in most garden sizes but do not do well in confinement they prefer to roam and forage about.
Ideal Climate:	They are very hardy birds that handle the cold and heat very well.
Ideal Coop:	The rule of thumb for any coop is 50 cm x 50 cm per hen/rooster in the coop. Ensure there is a good space for the nesting boxes and nightly roosting rails at least 1.5 inches wide. Good ventilation for air but not too drafty especially in winter. It is always a good idea to raise the coop off the ground to give the birds a dry place to roost and lay especially in wet weather.
Ideal Coop Run:	Catalana love to fly it is their favorite means of escape. It is best to completely cover coop run with chicken mesh to ensure the bird’s safety.
Ideal Flock Size:	They are quite happy foraging and roaming about on their own, but it is a good idea to have more than one chicken in the flock.
Special Instructions:	As they are a very flighty bird it is best to get their wings clipped on a regular basis to ensure your Catalana stay in your garden.
Accessories:	The following accessories are ideal for your coop: Nesting boxes Straw for the boxes and roosting area Roosting rails Perches Water troughs/bowls Food bowls/feeders Heating lamp(s) Animal carrier for transport purposes
You may Also Like:	45 FREE DIY CHICKEN COOP PLANS, TUTORIALS AND DESIGNS

WHERE TO FIND THESE BIRDS TO ADD TO YOUR FLOCK

Catalana is not a very popular chicken in North America so it is not seldom, if at all that a person will find these chicks at live poultry outlets and farms. However, there is a Hatchery in Iowa that has been known to breed and sell them. Welp Hatchery may be able to help with more information on other hatcheries/breeders throughout North America. They may also be able to help with any special instructions, requirements or care the breed may need. You can also check with local conservation centers for information on registered breeds in or around your area in the USA. If you plan on breeding your chickens, you will want to make sure that they are from a good bloodline. This may be a bit limited in the USA due to the small number of Catalana currently registered in North America.

CARING FOR THE BIRD(S)

Please click here for our full guide to “Taking care of chickens”. This is a comprehensive guide to owning chickens. It covers where to start from choosing your ideal flock, the coop that would best suit your garden, your bird and you to buying and bringing your bird(s) home.

GENERAL

Catalana is a low maintenance bird, except for maybe having their wings clipped regularly. These chickens are the greatest foragers and can take care of themselves. Although they are skittish around humans and do not like being handled they will still follow you around the garden curious to find out what you are up too.

GROOMING

If their wings are going to be clipped this will have to be done regularly as they grow back every time the chicken molts. It should be on the regular chicken things to checklist.
Keeping their feathers pest and excess oil free requires a good dust bath, setting one up in a nice shady spot for these ladies will be much appreciated by them. Although it may be a bit difficult a task to do with these skittish girls they do have to be checked for mites, lice and various other parasites at least once a week. Always get your birds de-wormed on a regular basis especially if they are around other animals or interacting with kids.

DIET AND NUTRITION

As this breed love to forage and cannot wait to be let out to do so it is imperative that they are fed their balanced diet of chicken pellets, grains, chicken mash or grain mix first thing in the morning before being let out. They need the nutrients that their regular food provides them with what they peck up during the day may not be balanced enough to keep them healthy.

For baby chickens, the best is always Chick Starter when they are under 8 weeks old.

Laying hens should get extra protein and calcium in their diets to ensure the quality of their eggs and to keep them in tip-top health.

Catalan do love getting table scraps in the form of vegetables and fruit. They find these scraps even better if they are served as ice-cubes on very hot days. Mealworms may be a way of getting them to co-operate for their weekly pest checkups.

Feeding your chickens correctly will give your organic garden a lot of nutritious fertilizer to make your vegetables or flowers grow.

Please see our comprehensive guide to “Feeding your chickens” for more information of the different types of chicken feed for chicks, hens, laying hens, roosters, etc. and where to buy the feed and approximate cost of the feed.

SOCIALIZING THE BIRD(S)

Catalana chickens may be skittish around humans but they have not been reported as aggressive birds. They can be loners that will shy away from their own breed let alone another breed, so it is important that any other breed you are thinking of adding to the flock will not bully your Catalana.

Always check on how well a breed will get on with your current flock before buying them as you do not want to upset your coop or stress your current flock.

If you want to introduce another breed with your Catalana, try a breed that has a gentle, yet curious and active nature that will compliment theirs.

As with any newcomer to the roost, you will have to quarantine the bird for 7 – 31 days to ensure it does not have any unwanted critters or disease that could spread to your current flock.

Even though they generally anti-social birds they still have a pecking order, so it is advisable to socialize newcomers slowly and determine when it is right to allow them to become a permanent part of the flock.

NOTES / SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

As they are registered as a “watch” conservation status they may need an extra license to own or keep in your garden. For advice on what the bird’s conservation status and orders are please check with your local conservation department.

For breeders, it is imperative that you always check your bird’s bloodlines and ensure you are buying your birds from a reputed breeder/farm. In order to sell birds of such stature, they have to be recorded and documented, always check with local animal breeding organizations for these records.

These legitimate documents are also required should you wish to show your bird(s) in various poultry shows/competition showings.

For information and advice on adopting rescued animals, you can visit or contact your local animal welfare center.