Tyrolean chicken

At the invitation of the Rapperswil Children's Zoo - which breeds Tyrolean chickens itself - the Swiss Breeders' Meeting will take place on Sunday, March 17, 2024. Anyone interested in helping with the breeding can register at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Customers of the Aignerhof in Passiria are visibly fascinated by Tyrolean chickens. They glue photos they have taken themselves onto paper and trace them to make them clear. The whole thing is then delivered to the Aignerhof. A truly successful and great form of publicity!

Sorry: Only accessible in German language

Sorry, currently only available in German

Two extraordinary cocks of the Fattoria Maso Tranquillo in Pieve Tesino (Photo Paolo Lazzaretti)

(Photo Paolo Lazzaretti)

Foto: Hape Grunenfelder, St.Gallen CH

With Decree No. 19536 from Oct 1, 2014, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali - MIPAAF) declared the Tyrolean chicken as an officially recognized chicken breed in Italy.

Our veterinarian Silvana Cerasa has again created a small work of art: an easter basket of Ciuta sheep wool of different color.

Photo: Rainer Diewald, A-Rietz

This message considers only the measures to take in the Germam speaking countries

Pathologe der AGES in Mödling (Foto Kronen Zeitung, APA/Roland Schlager)

This year, for the first time, breeding groups of cuckoo colored Tyroleans could be formed. In the autumn leave (as in the photo) they appear well camouflaged.

This event has entered in the history of Trento city becoming the spring event for excellence, for citizens, farmers and breeders. Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March 2016 in the pavilions of Trento Fiere in via Briamasco were welcomed more than 33,000 visitors. Thanks to the association Avicoltori Trentini we have been able to set up a proper space, among many other precious breeds, to present our Tyrolean chicken to the general public.

With now 374 Tyrolean chickens (318 breeding and 56 reserve animals) in 66 breeding groups in 4 countries, breeding has reached a level that care of the breeders had to be distributed over many shoulders. Interested breeders have therefore been trained over the summer and are now available as regional coordinators.

Across the whole laying period 2015, the laying performance of the Tyrolean chicken was recorded daily in a farm in Switzerland. 5 hens laid 969 eggs in this time, what corresponds to an average of 194 eggs per hen. The main laying period was from March to August. The hens were feeded with commercial organic feed (UFA Landi) without further additions. The animals had free run and access to meadows and undergrowth to take more agreeable food.

Winners are cuckoo and spotted animals, gold before silver
(winner always at left, second at right)

Also this year we only breed on order: There are only so many animals bred and raised as in autumn after the breeding value estimation can be issued.

Who wants to take in summer-autumn 2015 new breeding groups of Tyrolean chicken (rooster with 3-5 hens), or who needs to replace an old breeding group should pre-register as soon as possible with: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In order to perform the estimation of breeding values properly, breeding groups will only be delivered in the former area of distribution (see, map below).

As posted on May 20, we found - thanks to hints of interested colleagues - in a remote area of the South Tyrolean Sarn valley possible remnants of the old Tyrolean chickens.

In the further breeding there was now no splitting. As the photos show, all descendants have the same appearance. This is an indication that the animals found were not random crossbreds, but may actually be really last Tyrolean chicken. We will pursue the matter further!

The characterization of the tyrolean chickens has largely been completed (see breeding). However, we still want to record the laying and therefore we are looking for breeders who record the number of eggs of their group over a whole laying period, how they feed and what events have an influence on the performance. Breeders please contact:

• Kurt Kusstatscher, Bozen: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Hape Grunenfelder, St.Gallen: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Interested colleagues reported us last fall about particular chicken in a side valley of the South Tyrolean Sarn Valley. In a remote homestead on more than 1500 meters above sea level we came across a group of chickens that looked like the old Tyrolean chickens. According to the information received, these chickens have always been at the court. Whether there are actually remnants of the old Tyrolean, has yet to show.

This year, just as many animals can be reared as breeding places are available. We are looking for interested parties who either hatch hatching eggs, day-old chicks or take heat lamps weaned pups and raise up to 17 weeks of age (with compensation of costs). Interested parties who participate in the rearing, are preferred for the supply of breeding groups.

Breeding only on order: There are only so many animals bred and reared, as will be issued after the breeding value estimation in the fall. Orders must therefore take place before the hatching egg insert in the spring. Those who wish to participate in the project and take a breeding group, address oneself to the contact persons listed under Contacts.

The latest issue of Tirolerhuhn-News (in German language) is a summary of the events of the year 2013 with the extension of the "network for old alpine breeds" in the Italian-speaking area and the associated name change

With this issue the Tirolerhuhn-News say goodbye to the readers. The "News" will be replaced by the PPM-News of Pro Patrimonio Montano, which will appear bilingual German-Italian.

The stock has now risen to nearly 180 recorded breeding animals in a total of 30 breeding groups in 4 countries. Most animals are kept in color-mixed groups, but there are also pure white and pure black groups, jokingly called "snow-Tyrolean" or "chimney-Tyrolean". The appearance of the new Tyrolean was - apart from the color - from the beginning uniform, so that already a provisional breed standard could be formulated

In the third breeding year, the variety of colors among the New Tyroleans has been fully developed. All the color patterns of the original animals can be found in various combinations. This diversity is to be preserved and cultivated, but certain colors are to be strengthened for the Tyrolese. Since, of course, not all colors can be consolidated at the same time (there are almost a dozen!), A survey with all interested parties shall clarify, which would be preferred now or in the future:

• A colorful "Farm Mix" of all colors?
• Or very specific colors (see list in survey)

Here you can download the survey (only in German language): Umfrage.pdf

Tonight the Bayerische Rundfunk sent a TV show about old chicken breeds in the Alps (in German language!). In a 43-minute film the Sulmtaler, Altsteirer and Appenzeller Spitzhauben chicken are documented and the back-breeding project for Tyrolean chicken is shown in detail. Who wants to watch the program in full-length, finds it at the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/n4mwvhv

Just in time for Easter, the Tirolerhuhn-News Spring 2013 are now finished (unfortunately only available in German). It brings an experience report from the classroom, a historical perspective on the dissemination of pointed hood chickens in the central and eastern Alps, and other short messages. We are also pleased that the famous Children's Zoo Rapperswil (Switzerland) has taken a "kid friendly" breed group of New Tyrolean and wants to support the project of the Tyrolean chicken vigorously. With the following photo from South-Tyrol, we wish you all a Happy Easter!

In the now ending breeding year over a dozen breeding groups could be placed. Unfortunately it was not enough for all interested parties. The Working Group will therefore keep a waiting list and hopes to have more breeding groups available in autumn 2013. For further information, the contact persons are at your disposal.

On 8/9 December, a delegation of the Working Group Tyrolean chicken visited the "Fiera della Gallina Polverara", the festival in honor of Polverara-chicken at Polverara near Padua. Unfortunately, only a few of the barely a dozen remaining breeders of the Polverara breed presented their chickens.