The white-faced black Spanish chicken is one of the oldest Mediterranean breeds, bred in Spain. At one time, this breed of chickens was also called “clown chickens”, “Seville chickens” and “clown chickens”.
This chicken breed has shiny black plumage and is close to the Castilian and Menorcan chicken breeds.
But they are an older breed than Menorca. Distributed worldwide, but rare in Spain. The Spanish brought the first birds to the Caribbean region and it is one of the oldest breeds in the United States.
During the colonial period, they were very popular in the South. The white-faced black Spanish hen was included in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Excellence in 1874.
Characteristics of a Black Spanish Chicken with a White Muzzle
The black-faced white Spanish hen has glossy black plumage. The most distinctive features of this breed of chicken are the large, low, white earlobes. Their earlobes are actually overdeveloped. This breed develops very slowly (it sometimes takes more than a year to reach full maturity).
Their white faces will become deeper and richer as they age and take up to a year to develop. White-faced black Spanish hens have a single medium-sized bright red comb with five well-defined ends. These tips are lowered on the sides in women and straight in men.
Their earrings are long, thin and bright red (in males they are white on the upper inner side). Their eyes are dark brown and their beak is black. They don’t have a comb. The lower legs and toes are dark grey.
Their skin color is white. On average, white Spanish roosters weigh about 2.5-3 kg, and hens about 2-2.5 kg. There is also a dwarf variety of this breed of chickens. Photo from Wikipedia.
Behaviour/Temperament
A black Spanish hen with a white face is a good laying hen. Chickens lay a large number of large white eggs. This breed is very active and noisy. They are considered fickle and don’t like to be picked up. They are good foragers but they also do well in captivity.
They do well in hot weather, but not so well in cold weather. It is a slow maturing breed and is not prone to reflection. They are mainly grown for egg production and ornamental purposes. See the full breed profile of the Black White Spanish Hen below.
| Breed name | Black spanish hen with white face |
| another name | Also known as ‘Clown Chickens“”Birds of Seville‘, as good as ‘Clown-headed chickens“ |
| Purpose of the breed | Eggs / Decoration |
| Broad temperament | Active, friendly, manageable, sometimes fickle, tolerates commuting well |
| Breed size | big |
| sullen instinct | Rarely |
| comb | A |
| climatic tolerance | warm climate |
| egg color | White |
| Egg size | big |
| Egg performance | medium |
| feathered feet | Not |
| scarcity | Available |
| Varieties | Only the black variety is recognized by the APA. |
Good
- Good looking with all black plumage.
- Hens are good laying hens
- large white eggs
- good collectors
- Friendly
- Suitable for free range
- Easy to handle
- Withstands containment well
- very active
- Can do well in hot climates
Wrong
- inconstant
- prone to frostbite
Is a white-faced black spanish chicken right for you?
White Faced Black Spanish Chicken is good for you if you are…….
- Want to raise beautiful hens with a unique look.
- I want to pick up some good diapers.
- You want to produce large eggs.
- Look for hens that are excellent foragers and good for free range.
- Prefer to keep birds that are active and hardy, friendly and easy to handle.
- We are looking for hens that tolerate the heat well.
- You want to raise chickens for ornamental purposes.
