Minorca thread!

[danhonour]

You can post Richards' pictures,but just give him credit saying they were his birds and his photos.I do not think he has them any longer. In relation to Rose Combed Whites.The last good ones I saw were from the late Arthur Schallenberg of Westernville NY.He had S.C.White Minorcas and R.C.Black Minorcas and crossed them,then he mated the f1 females with rose combs back to S.C.White Minorca males and repeated the mating with the f2 females using again a pure SCWhite.He got the white legs by using the pure White Minorca males.He also used the f3 SC whites back into his pure SCWhite Minorcas for new blood.

I know a few years back Richard was trying to improve his SC Whites and crossed in SC Black Minorcas,and was asking my advice.He did so (improve his SC White Minorcas) in a few generations. I recall him saying,why did the APA call for White Minorcas to have red eyes and white shanks,he thought they looked better with slate legs and dark eyes.However he did select and breed them to standard. Dan Honour

 

[WyandotteTX]

Thanks for the photos again Dan. I like em so much I turned one into my background on my computer haha....
Interesting information about the RC Whites. I see the logic in the crosses to try and keep certain traits in the whites while trying to obtain the RC as well. As always thanks for the great information Dan.


Trio of Rose Comb Black Minorcas bred and raised by Richard Schock.

Another pic of a Richard Schock hen.

 

[danhonour]

Richard put the Brown Leghorn into the pen for comparison,to show the tallness and size in the Minorcas.He also said the Brown Leghorn was not a small one either. Always glad to help. Dan H.

 

[WyandotteTX]

The size of those Minorcas is impressive.
Dan I did want to ask, when you do cross a SC x RC what percentage of each of the progeny do you get? Is it a 50/50 split or does one comb seem more dominant over the other? Say you cross a SC White over RC Black hens, you will get SC/RC of each color? I dont know Minorca genetics too well so this is all a learning process to me.
Thanks
John

 

[Chickhick]

I know Minorcas are of the "Mediteranian" types, and not really dual purpose, but they look like you could get more meat off of them than the others such as Leghorns. How much meat can you get off your culls?

 

[Urban Chaos]

I thought I'd post a pic of my 2 buff baby girls. They are just hatchery birds, but I'm new at the whole chicken thing and only raising birds to provide eggs for my family. Anyway, I'm obsessive about everything I do and have been reading your Minorca thread. I believe these birds are 2 weeks old - does that look right to ya'll?

Victoria

 

[buttrampoultry]

I don't know about the percentage in a white/black cross. But in my experience the RC is dominate over Single. I outcrossed to a SC rademacher bird last year- all offspring were RC Black Minorcas phenotypically. Now- the combs were not great, so I culled to the best Rosecombs and crossed them onto a nice rosecomb minorca male. The end result shoul be all rosecomb offspring. When breeding splits together is where SC birds will hatch out of rosecomb birds. This is how I started my single comb line. I crossed a genetically half RC/Sc to another half RC/SC and the end results were both rosecomb and singlecomb offspring. It was not a 50/50 split but at least 25 percent were single comb.

Richard had some phenominal birds. I have heard rumor that he still has some of his single comb blacks. He sold everything to Superior Farms when I contacted him back when I really started the Minorca project.

The best Whites I have seen belong to David Moore and Beau McLean. They only have SC whites, but Rosecomb whites could easly be bred from these, if fact both will tell you the Single comb blacks have already helped them imporve their single comb whites.

 

[WyandotteTX]

Thanks for the info about the RC/SC Brad. I kind of had a hunch the RC might be the dominant comb of the two but its good that the breeds can be used with each other fairly easily.
I agree about Richards birds. I saw them in the Poultry Press for years, they were massive and always seemed to be winning birds as well. I had heard he sold all of his stock to Superior Farms, too bad they are now out of business. I wonder who obtained those birds from them or if they just kind of vanished?

 

[danhonour]

I have said before that good Minorcas are huge,and powerful.Many hatchery Minorcas are very tiny,even small for Leghorns.For a few years the APA had the same weights for all Minorcas,and since the SC Blacks are often the best examples,it would be wise to copy them in every respect (shape, size, weight,and stature),save comb and color differences.If near standard weight,Minorcas would be right in the ball park of dual purpose breeds.They mature slow (grow frame first )and so the meat and muscle come later,but those I have ate, were very good . Buff Minorcas and White Minorcas were sometimes used by old breeders as broilers,especially the extra cockerels,no dark pin feathers.

 

[WyandotteTX]

Also wanted to let you know Dan that I am still reading the book you shared with me. Lots of great information from so many breeders, including yourself. I did notice the article written by Richard Schock about his Black Minorcas.