White Faced Black Spanish chicken is one of the oldest Mediterranean breeds which originated in Spain. Once this chicken breed also known as ‘Clown Chickens’, ‘the Fowls of Seville’, and ‘Clown Faced Chickens’.
This chicken breed has glossy black plumage and is closely related to the Castilian and Minorca chicken breeds.
But they are an older breed than Minorcas. It is distributed throughout the world, but is rare in Spain. The Spaniards brought the first birds to the Caribbean region and it is among the oldest breeds in the United States.
During the Colonial period, they were very popular in the South. White Faced Black Spanish chicken was admitted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Characteristics of White Faced Black Spanish Chicken
White Faced Black Spanish chicken has glossy black plumage. The most distinguishing features of this chicken breed are their large, white, low hanging earlobes. Their earlobes are actually overdeveloped. This breed is very slow to develop (sometimes take over a year for getting full maturity).
Their white face will get deeper and richer with age, taking up to a full year to develop. White Faced Black Spanish chickens have medium size, bright red colored single comb with five well defined points. Those points are droop to the side in females and upright in males.
Their wattles are long, thin and are of bright red color (with white on the upper inside in males). Their eyes are dark brown in color and they have black beak. They have no crest. Their shanks and toes are of dark slate color.
Their skin color is white. On an average, White Faced Black Spanish roosters weight about 2.5-3 kg and hens weight about 2-2.5 kg. There is also a bantam variety available of this chicken breed. Photo from Wikipedia.
Behavior/Temperament
White Faced Black Spanish chicken is a good layer breed. Hens lay a good number of large size and white colored eggs. This breed is very active and noisy. They are considered as flighty and don’t like to be held. They are good foragers, but also do well in confinement.
They thrive in the heat but are not great in cold temperatures. They are slow maturing breed and do not tend to go broody. They are mainly raised for eggs production and for ornamental purpose. See full breed profile of White Faced Black Spanish chicken below.
| Breed Name | White Faced Black Spanish Chicken |
| Other Name | Also known as ‘Clown Chickens‘, ‘the Fowls of Seville‘, and ‘Clown Faced Chickens‘ |
| Breed Purpose | Eggs/Ornamental |
| Breed Temperament | Active, Friendly, Easily Handled, Sometimes Flighty, Bears Confinement Well |
| Breed Size | Large |
| Broodiness | Seldom |
| Comb | Single |
| Climate Tolerance | Hot Climates |
| Egg Color | White |
| Egg Size | Large |
| Egg Productivity | Medium |
| Feathered Legs | No |
| Rarity | Available |
| Varieties | Only Black Variety is Accepted by the APA. |
The Good
- Beautiful appearance with full black plumage
- Hens are good layers
- Large white eggs
- Good foragers
- Friendly
- Good for free range
- Easy to handle
- Bears confinement well
- Very active
- Can do well in hot climates
The Bad
- Flighty
- Prone to frostbite
Is White Faced Black Spanish Chicken Good for You?
White Faced Black Spanish chicken is good for you if you…….
- Want to raise beautiful chickens with unique appearance.
- Want to raise some good layers.
- Want to produce large size eggs.
- Are looking for some chickens which are great foragers and good for free range.
- Prefer raising some active and hardy birds which are friendly and very easy to handle.
- Are searching for some chickens which thrive in the heat.
- Want to raise some chickens for ornamental purpose.
