Parco della fascia fluviale del Po - tratto Cuneese

Until a few decades ago every farm in Piedmont used to bred hens, ducks, geese, and rabbits: small farmyard animals which were eaten or sold to round off the poor earnings. As far as hens are concerned, there were two traditional breeds: Bionda Piemontese (also called Bionda di Cuneo, Bionda di Villanova, Rossa delle Crivelle, or Nostralina) and Bianca di Saluzzo (also known as Bianca di Cavour). Nowadays only a few pure specimens remain: they are bred in some holdings in the plain or by some breeders in the Provinces of Cuneo, Asti, and Turin.
Bionda Piemontese has a tawny plumage, high and black tail with metallic reflections, yellow beak and well-developed crest with 4-6 teeth. Even more rare, Bianca di Saluzzo is similar to Bionda, but is very white (including the tail).
Both of them grow at their best if bred with the extensive method (in the meadows, eating grass and corn) and both give very good meat.
Chicks and hens of the above-mentioned breeds are bred with promotional and didactic aims in Istituto Professionale per l'Agricoltura e l'Ambiente "Umberto I" in Verzuolo (CN).