Anti White Leghorn Bias?

[mechanic57]

I have 5 White Leghorns among my flock. Had 6, but one got killed recently. I think most egg consumers that don't own chickens will picture this bird when they think of a chicken. Its like a stereo-typical image of a chicken and white eggs are what they expect to see in an egg carton because grocery stores sell 99.9% white eggs. They just aren't aware that different breeds having so many different color patterns and lay different shades of eggs.

I sell my eggs and I put 6 white ones and 6 brown ones in a carton. People are always fascinated with the brown ones and it like a reminder to them that "oh yeah, I have seen a brown chicken before." They ask if feather color determines egg color, do they taste the same, etc... Its a good conversation starter to educate people on chickens.

I know other people who raise chickens. I don't know anyone with a bias against them. Some have meat birds, so they get a different breed than leghorns. Some have them because they want egg production. Some have colorful birds so they don't get leghorns because they aren't as colorful. I wouldn't call it a bias, just personal preference.

 

[Susieq2015]

I got my 1st white Leghorns this fall and im so glad i did. They blended right in with the others with no trouble, are the first ones out to forage rain or shine kicking up huge piles of leaves and dirt behind them and their dark orange yolks prove their foraging skills. Actually we noticed their yolks are the darkest of all. Not to mention they are tiny birds that lay tons of huge white eggs, including double yolkers even now with the short days and snow! Also they are friendly and will take treats out of your hand. The only downside is having to guard the tree at roosting time. The times i couldnt get them down nothing got them though..think they are too fast lol. I love the white eggs and hubby will only eat the white, but others do think they are store bought. They are easy to candle too. From my personal experience most ppl want the brown eggs and dont think they are fresh free range which drives me nuts as these gals prefer foraging while the others are strolling out the pen and come back for feed while the leghorns only come back to lay eggs. I will always have Leghorns in my flock and dk why i waited so long!

 

[cressrb]

I agree. When I first started in chickens I wanted to rare type and somewhere a long the way I inherited a Leghorn. I felt the same way,
like, 'Why did I wait so lonog'. They are wonderful. They don't really care to be fussed over. They won't pick on the other birds and
expect the same in return. Never quit laying it seems, even in long winter months. I am without one now and am on the lookout for
even just one to complete my flock. I am looking for a breeder rather than going to the feed store to pick on up.
Anybody know of someone on BYC that specializes in the Leghorns?

 

[goatstone]

While I'm new to chickens and they haven't started laying yet, I love the 3 white leghorns in my flock of 15. They are the most curious, least fearful, and generally the sweetest of my hens. I'd read that they can be flighty or standoffish. From day one they were the easiest of the brood. They are the first to greet me when I enter the run, almost begging to be picked up. I don't find their white color boring at all. Their snow white feathers are really pretty. They don't seem to forage as much as my BO's or RIR's at least when I'm in run with them. They just want to hang out!

 

[purplechicken7]

I've had both the brown and white Leghorn variety. I started with a plain white hen who laid extra large eggs. The only downside to having a Leghorn is that they're extremely flighty/nervous. I honestly despised that hen just because she was wild and I couldn't even get close to the coop without her freaking out. After my dog got ahold of that hen and the rest of my flock, I ordered chicks from Cackle. I ordered 15 birds and got 17 in the mail— all of which (except 2) are still healthy and doing well at three almost four weeks old. Why I say except for two is because today I let the chicks out of their grow-out pen to forage and we had an accident. Out of the chicks that I ordered, three were Brown Leghorns. Just like the hen I had before, all three of these particular chicks were rather flighty. I guess two of the chicks weren't too smart and hopped into my dog's lot. In conclusion, Leghorns are great layers but terrible as pets in my opinion.

 

[coltssuperbowl83]

I love white leghorns. I think they are pretty. They are terrific egg layers.

 

[coltssuperbowl83]

I gave my grandma a green egg once, she said she couldn't choke it down. some people just have their biases about egg color, although sometimes they are uneducated biases

 

[ejcrist]

I absolutely love my White Leghorns. I only have two breeds right now, White Leghorns and Barred Rocks, and I love both breeds. My Leghorn gals are super productive and lay very nice large white eggs. Their eggs look great in a carton mixed with the brown eggs from the Barred Rocks. Mine are very personable and will eat right outa my hand and jump up on my lap, shoulders, and head. They don't care to be picked up but I only need to do that when checking them over or when I used to check their physical measurements for egg laying like pelvis width, etc. My birds aren't pets so I have no desire to be close to them like for petting but I believe they think I'm a roost at times. Another excellent Leghorn quality is they are very well adapted to heat. It often gets up to 115 F in my neck of the woods and the Leghorns don't even bat an eye. I hear from a lot of local people losing chickens in this heat but I only ever heard of one person losing a Leghorn. I'm building a multi-section breeding coop for a try at breeding Leghorns and Barred Rocks this winter. I'm getting Light Brown Single Comb Leghorns instead of the whites for breeding but only because they are extremely beautiful in my opinion and don't stand out so much to the many predators in my area. I wouldn't ever be without Leghorns. I know they're not a good broiler but that's what Cornish Crosses and Barred Rocks are for.

I think the main reason many don't want White Leghorns is because they're not "special"/unique (they're plain vanilla), they lay the same white eggs you get at most grocery stores, and they're not "pet" friendly most of the time. Being the standard breed most people think of when thinking about chickens, a lot of people associate them with industrial laying operations which in this day and age is not popular; organic, free range, etc., etc., is in vogue. Not that a Leghorn can't be all these things too but most people are fairly ignorant to these facts. It's unfortunate because Leghorns are a truly outstanding breed and a lot of chicken owners are missing out.

 

[lynordb]

I absolutely love my White Leghorns. I only have two breeds right now, White Leghorns and Barred Rocks, and I love both breeds. My Leghorn gals are super productive and lay very nice large white eggs. Their eggs look great in a carton mixed with the brown eggs from the Barred Rocks. Mine are very personable and will eat right outa my hand and jump up on my lap, shoulders, and head. They don't care to be picked up but I only need to do that when checking them over or when I used to check their physical measurements for egg laying like pelvis width, etc. My birds aren't pets so I have no desire to be close to them like for petting but I believe they think I'm a roost at times. Another excellent Leghorn quality is they are very well adapted to heat. It often gets up to 115 F in my neck of the woods and the Leghorns don't even bat an eye. I hear from a lot of local people losing chickens in this heat but I only ever heard of one person losing a Leghorn. I'm building a multi-section breeding coop for a try at breeding Leghorns and Barred Rocks this winter. I'm getting Light Brown Single Comb Leghorns instead of the whites for breeding but only because they are extremely beautiful in my opinion and don't stand out so much to the many predators in my area. I wouldn't ever be without Leghorns. I know they're not a good broiler but that's what Cornish Crosses and Barred Rocks are for.

I think the main reason many don't want White Leghorns is because they're not "special"/unique (they're plain vanilla), they lay the same white eggs you get at most grocery stores, and they're not "pet" friendly most of the time. Being the standard breed most people think of when thinking about chickens, a lot of people associate them with industrial laying operations which in this day and age is not popular; organic, free range, etc., etc., is in vogue. Not that a Leghorn can't be all these things too but most people are fairly ignorant to these facts. It's unfortunate because Leghorns are a truly outstanding breed and a lot of chicken owners are missing out. 

I love my leghorns too, they don't stop laying because of the heat, the only thing is that they don't brood, so I have an incubator.

 

[ejcrist]

I love my leghorns too, they don't stop laying because of the heat, the only thing is that they don't brood, so I have an incubator.

Yep, you're right on about the brooding part. I'm shopping for an incubator now and think I might go with the R-Com Pro50. Just my $0.02 but I'm figuring if a person wants to be a serious breeder an incubator is the only way to go. If you don't have one you're totally dependant on broody hens which introduces more variables. From my point of view the fact that they're almost never broody is a good thing. I also read they lay a lot better in winter than a lot of breeds so I'm interested to see how they'll do compared to my Barred Rocks.