Whoever you are, welcome to the Pollaio
del Re, or the King's Hen-House. Hoping you'll appreciate and enjoy our work,
we'd like to share with you the main goals and purposes behind this web site.
The King's Hen House is about putting together a large historic, scientific, technical
and photographic archive which can be, at last, easily accessible by anyone; while,
at the same time, taking into account the breeders' point of view that stresses
the importance of offering correct and exhaustive information; turning this web
space into a meeting point to share personal experiences and ideas, and acquire
data concerning poultry at large. Having said this, we wish you a pleasant reading,
and invite you to express your opinion per e-mail
without hesitation. Constructive suggestions, ideas and criticism are welcome.
Staff del Pollaio
|
Founder,
Designer and Webmaster
: Hello, my name is Viviano Masconni.
I am a professional painter, and I've lived for years in the countryside of Tuscany,
and more precisely in the Maremma.
Since I was a child I always read Konrad
Lorenz's works and was fascinated by the population of hen houses at large; in
fact, to the date I still keep and breed poultry with great interest and passion.
Several years ago I was a FAI member, the former Italian fancy poultry breeders'
association, but due to my workload I was forced to discontinue my activities
within the management. Later on I became an A.T.A member, the association of poultry
breeders of Tuscany, where in the course of three years I met very capable people
such as Fabrizio Focardi and Marco Galeazzi from the Standard Committee, Gregorio
Savio, etc.
More recently I've been so lucky as
to meet Mr. Marino Morosini (a well-known breeder operating in Bergamo and Ferrara),
who gave me the chance to improve the quality of the specimens dwelling in my
own hen house and to meet more serious breeders, like Vittorio Bega, A. Manassero,
P. Ongaretto, M. Cabassi, V. Lisa, etc. to whom my esteem goes. Marino also helped
me broaden my knowledge of the various poultry breeds.
He is at present one
of the staff behind the web site, which I am very happy about, considering the
noticeable experience and expertise he brings with him.
In
the mean time, the wish to create a web site entirely dedicated to poultry keeping
was getting stronger and stronger. Initially, the idea was based on the fact that
the internet did not offer much to read in Italian, especially about Italian breeds.
This is not the case in countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, France,
the Netherlands or the States, where plenty of this kind of information is available
online. I personally believe that defining fancy poultry keeping as a simple "hobby",
thus disregarding the exhaustive researching and the strict selection which is
often behind it, is an extremely reductive definition; I am convinced it is an
old, nearly extinct knowledge and craftsmanship, and especially an endangered
one by the modern industrialisation. On all accounts, this is my own point of
view, and we certainly are still on time to recover the splendid past of so many
of those Italian and foreign breeds that during centuries embellished the gardens
of noble manor houses as well as farmyards of old.
Another
fortunate encounter has been the one with Dr. Alessio Zanon, and a very important
one too for this ambitious project of mine, as his knowledge and expertise helped
me develop my project even more than I initially expected. In fact, as you probably
noticed, he is the author or editor of most of the scientific and technical texts
published in the King's Hen House; besides, thanks to his cooperation we have
been able to publish some very rare pictures to complete certain species or breed
descriptions.
Equally important has been the
role plaid by Dr. Elio Corti, who is not only an exquisitely agreeable person,
but also one of the greatest importance for the development and improvement of
our web site. Elio, in fact, is an expert on chicken genetics, probably a unique
one at this level in Italy, as well as a scrupulous researcher under a historic
point of view.
Meeting Stefano has been a lucky
and unexpected circumstance: his knowledge of the matter together with his translation
skills is a crucial combination which will enable us to open up to fancy poultry
breeders from other countries and the internet's international audience. Stefano's
is no easy task, because some specific Italian terminology has no correspondence
in English.
At this stage, I cannot but wish
that our efforts will contribute at least partially to bring more unity within
the Italian poultry fanciers, thanks also to a convenient communication and exchange
means as the information technology.
We also hope to help increase the number
of Italian fanciers in this ancient and fascinating area, unjustly forgotten and
diminished in recent times. Today, at last, we begin to appreciate once again
the value of our country's ancient traditions, and re-discover the importance
of our cultural inheritance.
Thanks to the low-profile
task carried out so far by a few, courageous breeders, we have been able to (at
least partially) preserve or retrieve the genetic richness of some Italian breeds,
the art of which breeding had nearly gone lost. Viviano Masconni
 |
Author
and editor of the Scientific and Technical
Papers: Hello,
my name is Alessio Zanon; I was born in Varese on November 10th, 1971. From the
very start an intrigued observer of the animal world, I first completed my A-levels
at the Agricultural and Farming High School, and then graduated in Veterinary
Sciences at the University of Parma, Italy, with a thesis that I defended at the
Veterinary Bio-Technologies Department, where I am currently working as a researcher
for my PhD.
I am a consultant of associations
as A.I.F.A.O. and R.A.R.E., which engage themselves in preserving the original
bio-diversity of animal species.
Viviano's enthusiasm
was what convinced me to make available to a vast audience a quantity of notions
and facts which were scattered in countless texts, workshops and articles that
were in danger of remaining undisclosed.
All you shall read in the pages to
follow comes from the work and passion of the great scientists and poultry breeders
of past and present who, since the end of the Nineteenth century, have contributed
to the results achieved by Italian poultry farming.
Please
keep in mind that this web site is not a chicken market, but strictly a study
and learning environment where the desire to acquire knowledge is crucial in understanding
such a vast and complex subject. All you will find in these pages is the fruit
of intense dedication, research and practical experience originating from years
of hard work.
This work is a tribute to Prof.
Alessandro Ghigi, Marquis Gerolamo Trevisani and to Ubaldo Maggi, Esq., whose
works helped me enormously to broaden my knowledge. Dr
Alessio Zanon
 |
Responsible
for the history and genetics of the poultry species, text editor and supervisor:
Born in 1942 in the Alessandria area,
but with ancestors originating from the Lomellina County, in 1967 after the classic
studies he graduated a Medical Doctor and a Surgeon at the University of Pavia,
and specialized in Cardiology at the University of Turin in 1970.
After completing
his military service as a medical officer, he started working at the Alessandria
hospital and married Ms Claudia Deambroggio, who prematurely passed away in 1986.
Among
his many hobbies, which he engages in with so much determination as to resemble
professionalism, are photography and computer programming, which allowed him to
create and implement programs apt to manage nearly all activities in the hospital
he was working at. Beside "his" hospital, such management was implemented
at the blood donor association in Varese and the dialysis centre at the Bollate
Hospital near Milan, a state of the art facility in the treatment of kidney failure.
In 1991, a dream he had since his childhood
came true: collecting together and breeding all the genetic variations
of chicken - and poultry at large - that intervened in the thousands
years old history of the Gallus Domesticus (cfr. his work Summa Gallicana
at www.summagallicana.it
).
In his farm, blessed by the peace of the
softly sloping Monferrato hills, and the beautiful green, he decided to investigate
once and for all the complex problem of genetics, the science that can help
a breeder make the right choice, keeping in mind the many stages and passages
which intervened in the past.
Dr. Elio Corti will be glad to answer
any questions on such a fascinating subject.
 |
Translator
and editor of the web site's contents in English and contact person for researches
on foreign breeds:
Hello, my name is Stefano
Bergamo, I was born in 1966 in Portogruaro, County Venice, but live and work in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Following to the classic
studies and a modern languages degree at the University of Cà Foscari,
Venice with a dissertation about the dandy in English literature and society,
I received a scholarship from the European Community to study linguistics at the
University of Amsterdam.
I took part in a few
projects at the department of Italian studies, and worked as a teacher at, among
others, the Dante Alighieri Society. I work now as a translator, and part-time
at a small publisher's specialized in the Dutch translation of Italian contemporary
literature.
At 15 I already used to breed bantam Cochins, or Pekin; which hobby
I soon had to discontinue in order to continue with my studies and travelling.
However, my passion for breeding and selecting has never faded away.
Once in
the Netherlands, a country where fancy poultry breeding has reached a very high
quality level, bit by bit I began to take home to Italy some particularly good
specimens, especially of typical Dutch breeds. The garden and vineyard of my parents'
house, in Italy, have slowly filled up with Polish and Padua fowls, Bredas, Dutch
Bearded Owl bantams, and other particularly well represented breeds in the Netherlands
and Belgium, such as Brahmas, Barbues d'Anvers and d'Uccle, or Silkies.
My
father Silvano takes care of the animals, having over 35 years of experience in
the professional rearing of domestic species, and fortunately shares with me a
passion for these wonderful creatures. I also created a web site, Allevamento
Amatoriale dei Ronchi which I invite you to visit, with pictures
and information on the aforementioned and other breeds.
Besides,
sometimes I cooperate with Italian and Dutch magazines by translating or providing
material for articles on poultry breeds.
 |
In charge
of the show specimens within our breeding program; co-researcher; expert in the
organisation and regulations of sporting activities such as shows, Club Matches,
etc. : Hello, my name is Marino Morosini, I live in the Bergamo County, but
also keep some breeding animals in Ferrara. I was born in 1964, and since my childhood
I have a great passion for poultry. In the course of the years I kept and bred
many breeds, which helped me acquire notions and experience.
I
have recently deepened my interest in anseriformes (from Latin anser, duck, but
including gees, swans, etc), and I believe geese to be the species with which
I have the most understanding and affinity; they are intelligent and, as opposed
to what many say about them, independent in their behaviour. And it was thanks
to geese that I met Viviano, the King's Hen House and its staff, with which I
created a great cooperation environment.
I am
a member of several Italian associations (A.I.F.A.O.,
A.L.A. and A.E.R.Av),
the work and goals of which I firmly believe in and share. I define myself as
a hobby breeder, and everyday I am amazed at the news, discoveries and research
carried out in this area. My efforts aim at improving the selection of pure-bred
specimens in order to safeguard their original characteristics in the most faithful
way to the breed standard.
Starting in 2000, I
took part in several sporting events, as the Italian championship in Erba and
Reggio Emilia, and club matches all over Italy. Competing and comparing breeding
results with other breeders in a sport-like manner has given me the chance to
refine and improve my expertise on the subject, which I have decided to make available
to a larger group of people by taking part into the King's Hen House project.
I
always enjoyed these sporting events; therefore I invite all hobby and fancy breeders
to approach the world of shows and championships, a great means to meet people
and exchange experiences. This is the only way to discuss poultry keeping with
less sarcasm and more seriousness.
Finally,
I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that animals take now a consistent part
in my life and my affections, and I'd like to communicate this great feeling to
more people, sharing thus the gratifications that these little great creatures
have to offer. Please visit also my personal web page.
