Someone asked about "Italiana" chickens ... here's a link

Infomaniac, At the Hannover, Germany Poultry Show, the Italianer is one of the largest classes. These are not our Leghorns, but the breed that the Leghorn was developed from--in White, as layers. Shown as the American Leghorn, it is considered a separate breed and had a good entry in several varieties. The Italianer is larger, and the folder I brought from the show lists 13 varieties. They are spectacular birds and in varieties, some we do not see here, even in other breeds. I was particularly interested in one variety, especially,Blaurebhuhnfarbig, because I was breeding some Dutch Bantams in that Variety, from some MhMh genes that one of my Dutch Bantams had. This Dutch, sent to me in my first birds (1986) as an offspring of a Spangled OEGBantam, and a LB Dutch. That shook me, as I was just getting started with DUTCH Bantams. I was extremely leeery of starting out with an announced crossbred. And this actually led to my visits to Holland to find out what we should be doing. I used the cock only one breeding, because he had such a wonderful Dutch Bantam tail and clear white earlobes of excellent shape and texture. (his earlobes were not pure white nor his legs really blue at all.) I mated him with a BLB hen. Only now, do I know some of the genes that were present in these birds. Because the Mh gene RUINS the Hackle and Saddle color of the Light Browns for generations, and is dominant when introduced. I sold, as a flock, the breeding birds that I had worked with for 6 years, into the Red Shouldered Black, Red Shouldered Blue varieties--and several pullets of this same Italianer variety, I admired so much. No one in the Dutch Club was interested (as I am not interested in the Silver Fawn, Chocolate, Birchen, Lemon Blue, all OEGB varieties, etc. birds being developed into Dutch Bantams, because they rely totally on OEGBantams for the color and patterns,and it ruins the Dutch Type--almost indefinetly.) It is said 5-9 generations to get to "pure", whatever breed variety being produced, but with OEGBantam, the "type" is so stamped, that it is just not possible to get the color, feather texture and form, or body shape, truly Dutch--it remains a visible OEGBantam type! But the blue legs and white ear lobes are satisfaction enough for those working on the varieties. Those are not enough to make a bantam into a Dutch. The genetic study has so many parts, not just feather color, combs, but all the other characteristics that go in to "breed" or a bird to produce eggs or meat or ?? Fascinating--and room for the young people interested in Poultry to find a future passion and study! CJR