Catalana chickens: The best breed for the heat (that you can’t find anywhere… almost)</em>
Catalana chickens are a truly intriguing breed. They are perhaps the best chicken breed for homesteaders living in hot climates. They thrive in the heat, even in extreme heat. They are dual-purpose birds (i.e., used for both meat and eggs) and they are incredible foragers (and so reduce your feed bill).
What’s the catch? Well, they’re really, really rare in the U.S. They are here, but they’re hard to find. I’ll help you out with that, though, at the end of this article.
But before you commit to this rare and hardy breed, you’ll want to make sure these chickens are right for you. In this article, you’ll learn:
Everything you ever wanted to know about Catalana egg laying
Climate considerations for Catalana chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Catalana temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Have Catalana chickens?
Catalana Chicken Facts
Other Names: Buff Catalana; Catala del Prat Leonada; Prat
Category: Pet, eggs & meat
Origin: Spain
Egg laying ability: Good
Broodiness: Low
Meat production: Good
Cold tolerance: Poor-Moderate
Heat tolerance: Exceptional
Predator evasion: Exceptional
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Low
Temperament: Flighty, active
Aggression toward flock members: Low
Noise level: Unknown
Origin of Catalana Chickens
The full Spanish name for the Catalana chicken breed is Catalana del Prat Leonada. And this name describes their origin.
Catalana for Catalonia, the breed’s homeland, a region of Spain
Prat for El Prat de Llobregat, the farming district where the breed was developed, southwest of Barcelona, Spain
The Catalana breed was formed during the mid-late 1800s by mixing local Spanish birds (most likely, Castilian chickens) with Asian chickens over a long time period. The Asian chickens were some form of Cochin breed.
Although the chicken was officially recognized as a breed in America in the 1940s, the bird is exceedingly rare in the U.S. today. But the numbers are rising. The Livestock Conservancy once gave the Catalana breed a conservation status of “Critical,” but they have upgraded the status to “Watch” in recent years.
Despite being uncommon in the U.S., Catalana chickens are very popular in South America, where they tolerate the warm climates very well.
What do Catalana Chickens look like?
There is only one variety of Catalana chicken in the United States, the buff-colored Catalana. In Spain, a white variety is also found.
The Catalana chicken also comes in a bantam (i.e., miniature) size.
To see images of hens, roosters, and chicks, please check out this page from the Backyard Chickens forum.
And if you have Catalana photos that you would like to share for this article, please do so here.
Catalana feather colors and patterns
Catalana chickens are buff in color. They can range from a light tan buff color to a reddish gold buff color.
Roosters may have sickle feathers that shimmer green, and hackle, back, and saddle feathers with a reddish tint.
Both roosters and hens have black on their tails that may shimmer green.
What else is notable about the Catalana chicken’s appearance?
Catalana hens have medium-sized single combs, whereas roosters have large-sized single combs. The combs have six distinct points. These points are upright in roosters, but the front and rear points are shorter than the points in between them.
In hens, the first point in the comb (i.e., the front point) stands upright, and the remainder of the comb flops over to one side. However, some of the Catalana hens in the U.S. have upright combs.
The chickens also have medium-large wattles and bright white earlobes.
How big do Catalana chickens get?
Roosters: 8 lbs
Hens: 6 lbs
Bantam roosters: 32 oz
Bantam hens: 28 oz
Catalana chickens are larger than most of the Mediterranean breeds, which is one of the reasons why they can be used for meat.
Catalana chickens come in both a standard and a bantam (i.e., miniature) type.
What do Catalana chicks look like?
Catalana chicks are also buff in color. Sometimes they may have slightly darker lines along their backs in a chipmunk pattern.
Catalana chicks are especially hardy in comparison to other breeds.
Are you getting Sicilian Buttercup chicks?
Share your photos, week by week!
Catalana Chickens and Egg Laying
Egg color: White to light creamy pink
Egg size: Medium-large
Age of lay: Unknown
Eggs/week: 3-5
Eggs/year: 200-240
Broodiness: Do Catalana hens want to hatch their eggs?
Like most other Mediterranean breeds, Catalana chickens are not interested in sitting on eggs. They were bred to be productive, not broody.
Meat Production of Catalana Chickens
The Livestock Conservancy says that Catalana chickens “are noted for having very good carcasses and succulent meat.” The chickens have a market weight of 5-6.5 lbs.
Catalana Chickens: A hardy, heat-loving breed
How do Catalana chickens do in the heat?
Catalana chickens may be one of the best chickens out there for hot climates. They thrive even in extreme heat conditions. Of course, you will still want to make sure they have shade and plenty of water at all times.
How do Catalana chickens do in the cold?
Because these chickens are so hardy, they tend to survive very cold temperatures. However, their combs and wattles are prone to frostbite, so they are not recommended for cold climates (especially roosters).
If you live in a cold climate and you feel like you must have Catalanas, at least consider hanging Sweeter Heaters over your roosting bars. These radiant heaters are designed to keep chickens’ combs warm in cold winters, particularly during the night.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here. I hang Sweeter Heaters in all my coops, and I can’t recommend them enough.
Catalana chickens vs. predators
Catalana chickens are great at evading predators for four main reasons:
They are very alert, very vigilant
They are reactive, and so will flee at the slightest hint of danger (and let everybody know it)
They are great fliers, which can come in very handy as an escape method
Their buff coloring serves as camouflage in most environments
Catalana chickens: Born to forage
Catalana chickens were bred to be free-range birds that get a high percentage of their sustenance from foraging.
Catalana chickens: Can they handle confinement?
Catalana chickens do not do well in confinement. These are free-range birds. They need to have a good deal of space to thrive. I recommend them only for homesteaders or for people with very large yards.
Catalana chicken temperament: just what kind of birds are they?
Catalana chicken keepers most commonly describe their birds as flighty, spritely, independent, and active. One chicken-keeper said of his Catalanas, “I have been impressed with their style, smarts, and confidence. They are all business.”
These chickens don’t like to be handled. You may be able to tame them if you work with them from chicks onward, but you will be working against their natural instincts.
Catalana chicken health problems and life expectancy
Catalana chickens are very hardy and healthy birds. They can live 5-8 years or more years if they live in good conditions.
Breeds you may want instead of Catalana chickens
If you are unable to find Catalana chickens, you may be interested in Minorca, Blue Andalusian, Sicilian Buttercup, or Penedesenca chickens. These are other Mediterranean breeds that share many of the same qualities as Catalanas.
For more information on these breeds, check out my articles:
Minorca chickens: The perfect homestead chicken for warm climates
Blue Andalusian chickens: Beautiful birds for a big backyard
Penedesenca chickens: Backyard chickens that lay rare dark red-brown eggs