CRAJ,glad to hear you have a flock of White Minorcas going. All Minorcas should lay large and extra-large white eggs (show or commercial lines) and all varieties of Minorcas,by full maturity time or by 1 year old. The best or easiest way to get a large egg strain is to only set large or larger...
Thanks for the Minorca links to old material.I have these and have used them and much more for my book Spanish Breeds of Poultry Ancestry. I am collecting additional information and if I can get enough will update the book again.I could use any good articles,pictures ,breeder catalogs,Minorca...
They appear pure Minorca.However the comb is really large on this female too. No the wattles do not have to be dubbed but they are probably very long as it often goes along with huge combs.However big wattles can freeze if they drag in the water and then freeze in cold temps.,they can swell like...
Dubbing would be your best bet at this point,for no one wants to run an animal or bird hospital,medications are expensive and vet bills too (you can dub the comb and wattles too yourself).If the bird has good type ,size,etc. you can use him for breeding after he heals up completely,but as Mike...
I liked seeing so many Minorcas on display in the English video.I think the earlobe size in the US has shrunk over the decades and is really too small for such a big bird.We really could use a shot of the English bloodlines,an old timer once told me you have to use extremes in the breeding...
The Black x Buff cross to improve Buffs takes about five years.Usually the f1 are bred together and a small percent comes buff/reddish.Select males with white leg color. You can also cross the f1 and f2 back to pure buff males..
In the US the standard call for a long sloping back with a spread tail above horizontal.A tall bird with somewhat high shoulder. I know there are several standards around the world to take into consideration.
Yes the standard of perfection is a book that has been in print and updated regularly for the past 150 years.It tells you what the ideal shape ,color and size is for each recognized breed,and there are many.It has illustrations and is what every breeder and judge is supposed to go by in the...
It is not uncommon for any of the buff breeds to show (pepper) small black specks of color or (salt) white,or even (smoke) blue..It is a color defect and not an indication of crossing or mixed ancestry. There are also recessive traits that can be carried for generations hidden,yellow legs is...
In bantams it is good for early maturity slows or stops growth.In large Minorcas they may start laying by 5-6 mos. but they continue to add muscle and weight for another 6 months or more. Egg size gradually gets bigger into the second season.
CRAJ, I am surprised that the Whites are looking so promising. In my own experience I find I need to keep about three males in each variety>If Ionly keep one something seems to always happen and I am left with none. I like to keep my male line intact and unbroken,so I do not want to use someone...
Yes,you should breed them.At 3 or 4 months they are good eating.I breast them out (cut off the boneless breast meat,and also the drumsticks will make great soup.You may get nothing for them at the sale.