Minorca chickens: The perfect homestead chicken for warm climates
Minorca chickens are prolific layers of extra large, chalk white eggs. They are incredible foragers, tolerate high temperatures, and are experts at predator evasion. They are almost the perfect chicken for homesteaders… almost.
There are two traits in the Minorca that fall a little short. First, they don’t do well in cold temperatures—large combs, wattles, and earlobes can freeze. And second, their meat is stringy and dry. They do produce a good amount of meat, but you probably won’t want to eat it outside the stew pot. And as a heritage breed, they are slow to grow.
What about for the backyard? As long as you have space and don’t mind flighty chickens, Minorcas are a beautiful and entertaining bird to add to your backyard flock.
Are you still with me? This article answers all the questions you have about Minorca chickens. You will learn:
Minorca meat (how much do they provide and what does it taste like?)
Climate considerations for Minorca chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Foraging, space, and predator considerations for Minorca chickens
Minorca temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Minorca Chicken Facts
Category: Pet & eggs
Origin: Spain
Egg laying ability: Good
Broodiness: Low
Meat production: Mediocre
Cold tolerance: Poor
Heat tolerance: Exceptional
Predator evasion: Exceptional
Foraging ability: Exceptional
Toleration for confinement: Low-moderate
Temperament: Flighty, active
Aggression toward flock members: Low-moderate
Noise level: Moderate
Origin of Minorca Chickens
The origin of Minorca chickens isn’t entirely understood. These chickens may have originated in Africa, where they were then carried to Spain by the Moors. Or, the chickens may have originated in Italy, where they were then carried to Spain by the Romans. But, very long ago, they did end up in Spain, one way or another.
Minorca chickens are so named because they were once widespread on the Spanish Island of Minorca. They also were widespread on the Spanish mainland in the Castile region.
Minorca chickens had certainly been imported to England by 1834, but may have been imported to Devon and Cornwall as early as 1780. Minorca chickens were imported into America from England in 1884.
Today, Minorcas are popular both as show chickens (exhibition birds) and as backyard egg layers. Minorca chickens aren’t common, and The Livestock Conservancy has given Minorca chickens a conservation status of “Watch”.
What Minorca chickens look like
Minorca chicken feather patterns and colors
Minorca chickens come in 5 different color varieties.
Black Minorca feathers typically have a beautiful green shimmer in the sunlight. Below is a video that shows what Black Minorca chickens look like. First, you will see a Black Minorca hen. To see a Black Minorca rooster, fast forward to 1:33.
Below are two videos below showing what a White Minorca hen looks like (first video, although the thumbnail shows a rooster) and what a White Minorca rooster looks like (second video).
Buff Minorcas were created by adding Buff Leghorns and Buff Brahmas into the gene pool in the late 1800s.
Self blue simply means an even shade of blue (as opposed to blue laced). Self Blue Minorcas have glossy feathers. Roosters have highly glossy heads, necks, wings and tails. Hens have slightly glossy heads and necks.
You can see Self Blue Minorcas in the video below.
All of the videos above showed the more common single comb Minorcas. Want to see the rose comb variety? Check out the video below of a rose comb Black Minorca hen.
What is notable about the appearance of Minorca chickens?
Three things are immediately noticeable about the Minorca chicken: their giant single combs that flop over in hens and stand upright in roosters, their giant wattles, and their giant, hanging, beautiful white earlobes.
In the single comb variety, the rooster has a large, upright comb with six evenly serrated points. The middle points on the comb are the largest.
The hen also has a large single comb with six points. The first point loops a bit over the top of the beak, and the other five points flop to the opposite side of the head. It’s a unique and stylish look that not every chicken could pull off.
In the rose comb varieties, combs are moderately large and are covered with small rounded points.
The Minorcas’ striking earlobes may be modified with spots and scabs as they age, and the white earlobe coloring also tends to spread into their faces and eyelids.
Minorcas also have beautiful, large, full tails and muscular legs.
How big do Minorca chickens get?
Roosters: 9 lbs
Hens: 7.5 lbs
Bantam single comb roosters: 32 oz
Bantam single comb hens: 26 oz
Bantam rose comb roosters: 26 oz
Bantam rose comb hens: 24 oz
Minorcas are the largest chickens of the Mediterranean class, which also includes Leghorns, Anconas, and Andalusians (among others).
They come in both regular and bantam (i.e., miniature) varieties.
Minorca chickens look powerful. Not only do they have large bodies, but their large combs, wattles, and earlobes really add to their impression of strength.
The tiny bantams, however, don’t quite have this impression of strength. Christine Heinrichs, veteran chicken-keeper and author of Backyard Field Guide to Chickens, says of the bantams, “That long back can look odd on a bantam but gives them a majestic carriage.” The bantam version of Minorca chickens was actually created from chickens in the UK and Germany, rather than Spain.
What do Minorca chicks look like?
The different varieties of Minorca chicks all look very different from each other.
Black Minorca chicks are black with patches of white on their undersides and wings that are variable in size, as shown in the video below.
Buff Minorca chicks are solid buff in color, although the intensity of the color may be variable. For example, in the video below, you can see that some of the Buff Minorca chips have darker buff patches on their heads.
The fancy white earlobes that are so characteristic of Minorcas may not develop until chicks are a few months old.
Minorca Chicken Growth
Minorca chicken growth is variable. Many of the hatchery strains are early to mature, whereas some of the heritage strains maintained by breeders may be very slow growing birds.
Some of the birds in these heritage strains may take a year before they get to their full adult weight.
Are you getting Minorca chicks?
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Minorca Chickens and Egg Laying
Egg color: Chalk white
Egg size: Very large
Age of lay: 5-7 months
Eggs/week: 2-4
Eggs/year: 120-220 (depends on the strain)
The Livestock Conservancy notes that the Minorca breed may lay the largest eggs of any white egg laying chicken.
The egg laying rate and age of first lay are variable for Minorcas. Hatchery strains may lay 170-220 eggs a year, whereas some breeder strains may lay only about 120. Hatchery strains may lay as early as 5 months, whereas some breeder strains may not lay until 7 months.
Check with your hatchery or breeder to know what to expect.
Broodiness: Do Minorca hens want to hatch their eggs?
Minorca chickens seldom go broody. The sitting trait has been mostly eliminated from Minorca lines.
Meat Production of Minorca Chickens
In Gail Damerow’s best-selling chicken-raising guide, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, Damerow wrote that Minorca chickens are “especially suitable for meat production.”
This is largely due to the fact that Minorca chickens have large carcass sizes with a market weight of 6.5-7.5 lbs.
However, Minorca meat is said to be very dry. Historically, homesteaders have overcome this dryness by stuffing the Minorca with lard before roasting it. Or, if gaining 100 pounds and suffering from cardiac arrest don’t sound like a good time to you, you can ditch the lard, and use your Minorcas as stew birds.
I love my chickens too much to eat them (in fact, I’ve stopped eating chickens entirely), but part of me would love to taste that good, ol’ fashioned lard-stuffed Minorca meat. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve done so yourself!
Minorca chickens: An exceptionally hardy breed (except for that darn cold)
Aside from their susceptibility to frostbite, Minorca chickens may be one of the hardiest chicken breeds out there.
How do Minorca chickens do in the heat?
Minorca chickens thrive in the heat, which can’t be said about many chicken breeds. If you live in a hot climate, you will definitely want to consider these birds.
Part of the reason they do so well in the heat is because of their giant waddles, earlobes, and combs. These fleshy protrusions help the Minorcas to regulate their body temperatures, releasing heat, and keeping them cooler.
How do Minorca chickens do in the cold?
Minorca chickens’ large comb, wattles, and earlobes—the fleshy protrusions that help Minorcas thrive in the heat—are highly susceptible to frostbite in the cold.
Frostbite is incredibly painful for Minorcas—it’s just as painful to chickens as it is to humans. So, even though your chickens might survive frostbite, they will suffer. Just go for cold hardy breeds if you need them. Leave Minorcas for the warm climates.
The rose comb varieties of Minorcas were actually developed to help reduce the occurrence of frostbite. The rose comb was bred into Minorca chickens by crossing them with Hamburg chickens in New York state around the year 1900.
Certainly, the rose comb is a much better accessory for Minorcas in colder climates than is the single comb. You can see just how large single combs can get in the video below.
And keep in mind that even if you can find the rare rose comb varieties, they still have large wattles and earlobes that are vulnerable to frostbite.
Bottom line: don’t get these chickens if you live in a cold climate. And if you absolutely must have them, go for a rose comb variety, and then take measures to keep your Minorcas warmer in the coop.
I use Sweeter Heaters in my coops to help prevent frostbite. These are radiant heaters that are much safer than heating lamps, and they’re designed to only heat the area nearby, not the entire coop. You hang them of your roosting bars to help prevent frostbite, particularly during cold nights.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here. I hang Sweeter Heaters in all my coops, and can’t recommend them enough.
Minorca chickens vs. predators
If you have a lot of predators in your area, Minorca chickens are one of the best choices you can make. They have three things going for them:
They are large birds, and so aerial predators tend to leave them alone
They are alert birds, and so they’re always keeping their eyes out for potential threats
They are flighty birds, and so they have the ability to fly away if approached or attacked, unlike many other breeds
Minorca chickens are also known to be able to jump very high. They have very muscular legs and large wings that help them get air.
They are also very active chickens and can sprint quite well.
Minorca chickens: Exceptional foragers
Minorca chickens love to roam.
They love to roam, and they love to forage.
Minorca chickens, if given the opportunity, will forage for a high percentage of their food. This, of course, is one of the many reasons they are great for homesteaders who have a free-range setup.
Despite being large birds, they may save you some money on feed anyway.
Minorca chickens: Can they handle confinement?
Minorca chickens can tolerate confinement, but I definitely do not recommend confinement. The key word here is “tolerate.” They certainly will thrive better in a free-range or a large-yard situation.
Minorca chickens are incredibly active and adventurous. If you want to give them a good quality of life, you need to give them space to be themselves.
Also, a note of warning: If you do keep Minorcas fenced in, you’ll want to make sure your run or yard has a roof of some kind (wire or netting will do), because these birds are excellent fliers and escape artists. Good luck keeping them in your yard otherwise.
Minorca chicken temperament: Flighty and sometimes sweet
Minorca chickens are most commonly described as flighty and active. They are flighty in two senses. They actually like to fly to get away and they are skittish. One chicken keeper said that her Minorcas “were the wildest birds I have ever had.”
Another said of her Buff Minorca hen, “…she is twice as flighty as my leghorns!” If you’re not familiar with Leghorns, they are known to be a very flighty breed.
If you don’t socialize with your Minorca chickens, they will avoid you and all humans. However, if you take the time to get to know them, they will be friendlier, and some even say they can be sweet. Minorca chickens will likely not be interested in physical contact with you, although if you handle them a lot, you may be able to change this.
But if you are looking for a snuggly chicken, the Minorca is not a good breed for that. Instead, consider more docile breeds, such as Orpingtons, Australorps, or Langshans.
How are Minorca chickens around children?
Minorca chickens are flighty and therefore will avoid your children rather than attack them. However, if your children corner them, they may get defensive (this is true of many breeds).
Below is a short video clip of Bobby, a beautiful Black Minorca hen. The caption reads, “Minorca hen, pretty good except always pecks me!”
She is a beautiful hen! And in Bobby’s defense, she is being held against her will with a camera shoved in her face. She is communicating that she doesn’t like that and needs her space.
This treatment is very stressful for flighty chickens like Minorcas. So, if you think your children may want to play with your chickens, consider a different breed. Buff Orpingtons and Australorps, for example, are excellent breeds for children.
How well do Minorca chickens get along with other chickens?
Minorca chickens tend to get along fine with other chickens. They are not known to be aggressive. Of course, if you keep them confined, I wouldn’t be surprised if some acted out. These chickens need stimulation to stay happy. They will be bored and on edge if you don’t give them enough space.
Are Minorca roosters aggressive to people?
Minorca roosters aren’t known to be especially aggressive. However, I’ve personally found that you can get any personality in roosters, regardless of breed. So, keep that in mind if you’re on the fence about roosters.
Minorca chickens: Are they noisy?
Minorcas, like many Mediterranean breeds, may be noisier than your other chickens. This is simply because Mediterranean breeds are active and like to talk. These chickens aren’t necessarily louder than other breeds, but they just may vocalize more frequently.
However, Minorcas aren’t known to be as noisy as Leghorns or Anconas, their Mediterranean neighbors.
Minorca chicken health problems and life expectancy
In ideal conditions, Minorca chickens may live to be 8 years old or more. They have no particular known health problems.
Breeds you may want instead of Minorcas
If you love Minorcas, but you live in a cold climate, you may want to consider Ancona chickens. Also a Mediterranean breed, the rose comb variety of this chicken is incredibly cold hardy. These make an excellent egg-laying chicken for the homestead, although their eggs are medium to large in size, rather than extra large. And Ancona birds aren’t good for meat, so keep that in mind.
For more info on Ancona chickens, check out my article, Ancona Chickens: The homesteader’s best kept secret.
Another great option is the Jersey Giant chicken. These chickens lay very large, light to medium brown eggs. They are very hardy chickens, do well in the cold, and are great meat birds to boot. Unlike Minorcas, you don’t need to stuff them with lard to make them taste good.