Minorca Chicken: Expert Care & Advice for Chickens

Minorca chicken is originally an egg-productive bird. As its origin is in Spain, it is named after the island of Minorca and is also called Red-Faced Black Chicken. The Minorca Chicken is considered the largest and heaviest breed in Mediterranean poultry breeds. They prefer free-range areas. Minorca chicken lays very large white-shelled eggs all year round. They are good layers that lay large white-shelled eggs all year round but are not as prolific as another Mediterranean breed like a leghorn.

Minorca chicken is a hardy bird that can bear very hot and dry conditions. Mediterranean island Minorca is the source of its name. Origin of the name comes after here but at first, Minorca Chicken comes from Africa says the Spanish tradition. Another history says that Italy is the first country from where the Minorca chicken came with Romans to Spain.

America got Minorca Chicken from England and in 1834, it was imported into England by Sir Thomas Acland. But before this time in Devon and Cornwall, it was seen, perhaps nearly 1780. J.J. Fultz of Mount Vernon, OH imported Minorca Chicken into America in 1884. This is the sort history of Minorca Chicken.

Characteristics of Minorca Chicken

Minorca chickens are long and angular-shaped in structure. It looks cute, lively, graceful and hardy. They have a very nice red face, big red wattles, and oval-shaped white combs. Earlobes are large and white-coloured. The Minorca chicken`s legs are dark-coloured. The plumage of the Minorca is absolutely uniformly glossy and greenish-black.

The temperament of this poultry breed is very active. I am restless all the time, very friendly, and very shy when appearing in public. They can live in all types of soil and are readily well-suited to the environment of confinement. Varieties of Minorca chicken depend upon the variety of its color, such as black, blue, barred, buff, and white. Some varieties are based on combs, singled combed or rose combed. You may also like to read Pekin Chicken.

Food

When Minorca chickens are on outside pasture in a field they generally eat grass, weeds, worms and various types of insects. All the poultry or other birds eat the same as growing grass, clover, buckwheat, and Kentucky bluegrass. They eat all kinds of broad-leaved weeds and growing tips.

You can always make food for your Minorca chicken and you can use all the grains, seeds, minerals, vitamins and other components. You should provide them with water all the time. Chickens also eat insects, earthworms, and slugs of all kinds.

Diseases

Fowl Pox: Its other name is chickenpox but it is not like human pox. It is viral and contagious. It can spread up directly. The basic symptoms are warty bumps near the legs. Also, wounds may have formed in the mouth area. This disease is not treatable, but prevention and vaccination are the main prevention methods. You may also like to read Sumatra Chicken.

Infectious Bronchitis: Generally in winter their respiratory organ may have been attacked with coldness and caused the chicken’s painful and dangerous state. It is also spreadable and spread up amongst the healthy fowls. The main symptoms are the loss of appétit and egg production getting lesser than normal and they lay abnormal eggs which may be dry, and rough and the whites may be watery.

This disease is also viral. Unfortunately, there is no such effective treatment that can recover the chicken. Some other diseases can be crucial for the Minorca chicken. These are marked disease, frostbite, exotic disease, etc. Parasites can hazard the chicken. External parasites such as Tics, Lice, Mites, etc are not severer than internal parasites but to avoid chicken ailments you should treat these properly with medication.

However internal parasites such as worms are more dangerous. It affects the newly born chickens and causes loss of appetite, weight or diarrhoea. If you want to protect your Minorca chickens from these hazards, keep the backyard and chicken coop clean and dry. Proper vaccines should be given in time. Never mix infected chicken with healthy ones. You may also like to read Speckled Sussex Chicken.

Breed Profile

Breed NameMinorca
Other NameRed Faced Black Chicken or Red-Faced Black Spanish
Breed PurposeEgg, Show, and Ornamental
Breed TemperamentFriendly, Flighty, Very Active, Shy, Docile
Breed SizeLarge
BroodinessSeldom
CombSingle & Rose
Climate ToleranceHeat
Egg ColorWhite
Egg SizeLarge
Egg ProductivityHigh
RarityBlack Variety is Common
VarietiesSingle Comb and Rose Comb. Color Varieties: Black, Blue, Barred, Buff and White
Origin of countrySpain

FAQ

What are Minorca chickens good for?

Minorca chickens are a hardy and adaptable breed of domestic chicken that is renowned for its distinctive appearance and strong productive qualities. They have long, white earlobes with curved spurs, red single combs, and striking black plumage. As valuable farm birds, they are prized as both meat and egg providers.

Are Minorca chickens good egg layers?

Minorca chickens are one of the most popular breeds for egg laying, and with good reason. Not only do these chickens lay an abundance of large white eggs – approximating around 250 to 270 eggs a year – they also boast other advantages that make them especially worth keeping.

How much is a Minorca chicken?

A Minorca chicken is a rare and old breed of chicken originating from the Spanish island of Minorca. As such, they are something of a specialty item and as such their prices may vary but generally expect to pay upwards of $50 for an unsexed Minorca chick or up to around $200 for an adult hen.

Conclusion

Minorca chicken is an egg-productive bird. It’s origin in Spain and it is also called Red-Faced Black Chicken. In Mediterranean poultry breeds, Minorca Chicken is considered the largest and heaviest breed. They prefer free-range areas but not as prolific as another Mediterranean breed like leghorn which lays bigger eggs than them because they lay very large white shelled eggs all year round but not as much as other people think that can do a better job laying more eggs for you to produce from your farm or industry with a lot of profit!

As a reference: Wikipedia

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top