The Menorca chicken appeared in Spain in the 1780s and is named after the island of Menorca. They are also called red-faced black chicken or red-faced black Spanish chicken.
They are considered the largest and heaviest of the Mediterranean poultry breeds. In many countries around the world, the Menorcan chicken is a well-known show bird. And in many countries they are also popular for egg production.
Currently, the Menorcas available on the international market were created by the British from the native birds of Menorca. Various attempts have been made to alter some of the physical characteristics of this breed.
Including neck position, body size, and the size of the ear ridges and lobes. But none of these attempts had any beneficial effect on her laying hen abilities.
Menorcan chickens have been accepted into the American Poultry Association standard for black, tan, and white. Blacks and whites come in pink and simple scallops.
Black is the primary color for this breed and is available, but fawn and white Minorcas are rare. There are also bantam chickens from Menorca.
Physical Characteristics of a Menorcan Chicken
The Menorcan chicken is the largest and largest egg squirrel of the Mediterranean poultry breeds. They are long and angular birds. And they look bigger than they really are. They have large, broad feathers that perfectly fit their narrow body.
They also have long tails. Compared to other breeds, the Menorcan Chicken has relatively large wattles, combs, and earlobes. In cold weather, the large wattles and combs are prone to frostbite.
The crest, muzzle and barbs are bright red. The earlobes are very large, oval or almond-shaped, white in color. The skin color of Menorcan chickens is white, and their legs are black or dark gray. In Spain, the Menorca is a medium-sized breed with uniformly glossy greenish-black plumage.
There are many varieties available which are single scallop, pink scallop and color options include black, blue, mesh, fawn and white. Menorcan roosters weigh around 2.8kg and hens around 2.2kg (British standard: 3.2-3.6kg for roosters and 2.7-3.6kg for hens).
Behaviour/Temperament
The Menorcan Chicken has a great temperament and enjoys socializing with people. But when growing this breed, care should be taken with the boundaries, as they can be fickle.
They are excellent foragers and prefer free range. They are ideal for growing on a farm and also do well in enclosed environments.
Menorca chickens are not prone to hatching and lay very large, white-shelled eggs all year round. They are good laying hens, but not as prolific as the other Mediterranean Leghorn breed.
Menorcan chickens are very hardy birds, prefer dry conditions and are very tolerant of hot weather. See the full breed profile below.
| Breed name | Minorca |
| another name | Red-faced black or red-faced black Spanish hen |
| Purpose of the breed | Egg, show and ornament |
| Broad temperament | Friendly, Flying, Very Active, Shy, Obedient |
| Breed size | big |
| sullen instinct | Rarely |
| comb | Single and Pink |
| climatic tolerance | Heat |
| egg color | White |
| Egg size | big |
| Egg performance | high |
| feathered feet | Not |
| scarcity | The black variety is common |
| Varieties | Single comb and pink comb varieties are available. Color variations include black, blue, mesh, yellow, and white. |
Good
- Effective layer
- large white eggs
- Suitable for decorative purposes
- Friendly
- Good forager and ideal for free range
- Tolerates high heat
- very sociable
- very rustic
- Calm
- Good bird shows
Wrong
- inconstant
- Not suitable for meat
- Evolve slowly
Is Menorcan chicken healthy for you?
Chicken from Menorca is good if you…….
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- Prefer to produce large white eggs.
- I want to raise beautiful chickens.
- I want to breed show birds.
- Want to raise chickens to make your garden even more beautiful.
- You are looking for hens that are excellent foragers and very good for free range.
- Ready to have friendly and hardy birds.
- Live somewhere in hot areas and look for chicken breeds that tolerate hot weather very well.
