Курица Орловская ситцевая
The Orloff is a breed of chicken named by and after Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, a Russian Count who discovered this breed. He was not only one of Russia’s most capable statesmen, he was Prime Minister and was very interested in agriculture and developing new breeds of animals.
The Orloff breed was considered to a Russian indigenous breed then selected by Orlov, but instead it is now believed that the breed first came from Persia and moved into Eastern Europe and northern Asia around the 17th century.
The Orloff is a fairly tall chicken with an upright stance and an upright erect tail. It has a thick arched neck and a fierce looking face, probably due to its tiny wattles, dark curved beak and reddish face with eyes set slightly back. Orloffs are muffed and bearded, have yellow legs and a cushion comb. It can be found in three color varieties: Red, White and Spangled.
It is favored for meat production, though Orloffs are also noted for being hard fleshed.
At the end of the 18th and during the 19th century, the breed was widespread in Russia. Nowadays, after historical events as the two World Wars who contributed to see the reduction of the population, and successive social-economic changes such as the industrialization of poultry meat production, the Orloff is considered as a critically endangered breed.
