Incredibly graceful, colorful Minorcan chickens are not very common in our country.
This breed of egg direction is especially liked by farmers who breed the birds on their personal backyard and appreciate the beauty of the chickens.
Breed is from Spain where it received as a result of crossing black hens, popular on Minorca island.
Then the bird came to the British, who improved it a little, cultured it and assigned a modern name to it.
There was an attempt to make a fat bird out of Minorca, but the experience failed. And there was no point in it: the hens without it had excellent meat and high egg productivity.
Americans at the beginning of the century wrote that Minorca justifies all the costs of its maintenance in the winter season, as there are always buyers for its beautiful, white, large eggs. Today, these famous chickens are as good as they were then.
Minorks were brought to Russia in 1885 by a Turkish khan, soon after that the domestic breed standard was developed.
Experts believe that the breed belongs to the pure races, because it does not contain impurities of other breeds. Minoroc large poultry farms are hardly bred, but they contain them as a genetic reserve.
Minorca Breed Description
The external data of the birds of this breed is very attractive. Minorca from their very origin are distinguished by black, shiny, dense plumage with a greenish tint.
If you see them only in photos, it is difficult to see the rich outfit, the beauty of the cockscomb with juicy teeth, bright scarlet comb, snow-white earrings. Chickens themselves are small, elegant, with a small head.
The body is slightly elongated, wide chest, well developed tail and wings. The back is short and wide. The legs are high enough, have a slate color.
Eyes in chickens brown, medium size. The face is red. It is extremely unacceptable for the Minorok to have a narrow body, a squirrel's tail, red ear lobes, a hanging crest of roosters. If there are wrapped feathers on the neck, this is a sign of degeneration.
Minorca is very shy, agile, do not go to the contact and are not given in the hands. So you can admire their wondrous beauty and attractive scallop only from afar.
In total in the world and in our country there are three types of hens of this breed: German, English and American. Interesting and beautiful coloring English type.
It is him who is bred most often. Chickens of the English type have an oblong head, a leaf-like crest, it is strongly developed in roosters, rounded along the back of the head and goes down to the middle of the beak. There are individuals that have a pinkish crest. Such appearance is associated with the blood injection of Hamburg chickens.
In addition to the black color, sometimes white and variegated are also found, the latter is extremely rare.
Features
The most noticeable feature of the Minorok is beautiful comb, received as a result of long selection.
In hens, it looks like a beret, coquettishly shifted to one side, the crest of cocks is even more magnificent - in the form of a miniature crown. Their ear lobes are white as chalk, have a flat almond-shaped size the size of a pigeon's egg. Another feature of the breed is a peace-loving, undemanding character. Can get along in a chicken coop with other types of chickens.
The breed is early ripening, chickens are unpretentious and grow well. Minorca adults carry eggs all year round, regardless of the season. They are also appreciated for tender and tasty meat.
A photo
In the first photo you see Minorca chickens walking quietly among the trees:
There are a few Minorcan hens with a rooster. In this case, they are kept on the street:
Well, here the representatives of our breed are free in the yard:
This photo shows an individual in a cage:
Representatives of this breed go for a walk:
Content and cultivation
Minoroc chickens are recommended to be kept in spacious open-air cages protected from adverse environmental conditions. You should always monitor the indoor climate and temperature.
In the chicken coop is not allowed dampness, drafts. It is also recommended to lubricate the crests of chickens with fat in winter so that they do not get frostbite. Care with Minorca a lot, so they are mainly bred by individuals.
Experts advise making samples of chickens: the first at an early age, the second - later, based on external signs. Females are selected at the age of 5 months.males - when the crest grows. Breeding eggs are taken from chickens that are born for the second year.
Chickens of the described breed are fed in the same way as regular chickens - grated eggs and grain. Also add bones, beets, potatoes, yeast, carrots to well feed the young. Chickens grow and feather very quickly. Hens fed with protein, added to the feed vitamins. They are perfect ready feed.
Specifications
The Minorok has a decorative appearance, but this does not prevent them from being perfect layers. Up to 200 eggs can be produced per year.
At the same time they rush in winter and summer. Chickens are not hatched. As Martin Doyle wrote, thanks to the artificial culture, the maternal instinct was destroyed in this hen. The slaughtered poultry meat is white, very tasty.
Minorca hens weigh up to 3 kg, roosters up to 4 kg. It is noteworthy that there is direct link between exterior and egg production. The more the external form conforms to the standard, the better the fecundity. White eggs weigh 70 to 80 grams. The shell is shiny and smooth, as if polished.
Breeding in Russia
As already noted above, Minorca is too demanding to care, so in our country they have long since ceased to be propagated for industrial purposes.
On farms and poultry farms, they are kept solely for the preservation of the gene pool, but not for sale. But Minorok can be found in amateur poultry houses and private plots of land.
Analogs
Chickens Minorca are similar in appearance to other black breeds - black Plymouth, Sumatra, Longshan, Austrolorp. There is also a similarity with the Spanish white-faced. Both have pure white ears, but with Spaniard they are slightly larger. In principle, only old Minorca individuals, who may have a white patina on their face, can be confused. If the young have such a raid, this is considered to be a clear deviation from the norm, but for the white-faced Spanish breed this is the norm.
By egg production Minorok can be compared with another prolific breed - Leggorny. But outwardly they are the exact opposite.
Domestic chicken Poltava clay has long lost its popularity among Russian poultry farms.
All about growing leeks is very difficult to find in one place. However, here is the most complete information.
In conclusion, it is possible to hope that in Russia sometime former interest in Minorca chickens will revive. After breeding them, you can get a considerable amount of eggs, excellent dietary meat and, of course, beauty in your yard.
