- Feb 19, 2009
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I originally got my start from Jim Bell of Tennessee and have since crossed them with Minorcas to improve the size and comb structure, I am working on returning the face to the pure enamel white with crosses back to the pure birds which has worked well in the F1 generation. These birds are for exhibition purposes and they are being bred back to the written standard as described in the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection. I also have the White Faced White Spanish and White Faced Blue Spanish but in small numbers at this time.
My personal experience of these birds is that they are wild as the March wind when chicks and adolescents but do tend to calm down some as they get mature and with a fair amount of handling. Males can be aggressive at times but the hens are the exact opposite and are good layers of large white eggs.
The main issue with the Minorca cross is to get the carriage and type back to that of the Spanish and not a mixture of the two, this I think will take longer than restoring the white face but shouldn't take more than four generations. As with all Mediterranean breeds the Spanish like large open spaces to range and are not suited to close confinement as they will cannibalize each other in these situations if too crowded.
All in all, a breed not for the faint of heart but will give great satisfaction to those who like a breed that can take care of itself and put eggs on the table.
My personal experience of these birds is that they are wild as the March wind when chicks and adolescents but do tend to calm down some as they get mature and with a fair amount of handling. Males can be aggressive at times but the hens are the exact opposite and are good layers of large white eggs.
The main issue with the Minorca cross is to get the carriage and type back to that of the Spanish and not a mixture of the two, this I think will take longer than restoring the white face but shouldn't take more than four generations. As with all Mediterranean breeds the Spanish like large open spaces to range and are not suited to close confinement as they will cannibalize each other in these situations if too crowded.
All in all, a breed not for the faint of heart but will give great satisfaction to those who like a breed that can take care of itself and put eggs on the table.
