Chicken Breed Focus - Leghorn

[Alaskan]

· What made you decide to get this breed?

Best egg layer by far.

· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?

I breed them to replenish my egg laying flock, but also to sell chicks.

· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?

I found the Rose Comb variety and was very pleased. The RC white lays almost as well as the SC production white but is MUCH hardier and longer lived. I also have the RC dark brown, very pretty and more predator resistant.

I greatly prefer the RC not only for the better health but because the risk of frostbite is MUCH lower. However, the males still have huge wattles.


· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

A young RC white pullet

Dark brown RC. His legs are too pale, but otherwise he is pretty good.

Dark brown RC Leghorn chicks. They are pretty reliably sexed at hatch. Clear lines and clear V on head are female. Smeared out lines are male.

 

[N F C]

This is my first post ever on this forum although I have been a stalker for a year and have learned so, so much. So thank you and Hi guys!

What made you decide to get this breed? I got her from a tractor supply store and she just looked cute. I chose my first 6 baby chicks based on cuteness last year and I got really lucky. I actually had to figure out the breeds I had later on when I started to really get into chickens since I didn't pay attention when I bought them. Now I have 13 hens and 1 rooster and I try to learn all I can about each one (I have a very mixed flock).

Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose? I own them for fun and for the eggs. If one of mine ever goes broody I would like to try having a hen hatch some eggs.

What are your favorite characteristics about this breed? Scarlett (brown leghorn in my profile pic) always comes up onto the roosts while I am cleaning the poop boards. She just wants to be near me but she is skittish if I try to pet her (tho she does let me sometimes, just reluctantly). She is very, um, athletic? She free ranges and free ranges. Plus she lays LOTS of eggs.

Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
This is a pic of my coop and Scarlett is standing right in the doorway.

Your Scarlett is a pretty girl!

 

[Cynthia12]

Saw a post on fb that this was going on..yaay..for leghorns!
I was out taking photos of my leghorn and red sex link today. Had to get photos of their cute muddy feet. They are loving being out of the run, but they sure know how to find the best mud spot! My leghorns are always soo friendly! I love them. Today..










Past Leghorns









What they do best!




Well, besides begging for treats!!

 

[Cynthia12]

Curious...what color would this one be called?

I do believe this is an Exchequer. I had a couple at one time. Very pretty birds.

 

[guinealeghorn]

Well I have a white leg- um let me refrase that.I have a bird that's supposed to be a white leghorn.I know Leghorns well.But this girl, is just different.Hher comb is bigger then her head, her body is three times or more smaller then a real white leghorn and she lays TINY eggs and has pink skin, not yellow!I honestly don't even care though?She is my fav. Girl.I only have one, Harriet.Naughtiest, Noseyiest, cutest, dirtiest little thing on earth.She is tiny and her huge comb is badly frost bitten dew to cold climates.She loves to come inside but shencauses chaos.One time I found her dust bathing in my tree!
What made you decide to get this breed?
Well, I have never raised Leghorns before and I heard they were great layers and I said,"Lets give it a whirl!"Well, great layers, huh?

Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
Fun, pets and little tiny white eggs!

What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
I love Harriet's huge comb.It gives her such character!Even with frostbitten ends!And, she had lost her tounge when she was a bit younger so instead of,"Cluck, cluck bock"it's,"Raaaaaccccc errrrrkk raaccccc"so cute.
Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

(Sorry photo overload)

My white leghorns look and sound the same way! All six of them. I'm not sue what is wrong with it. Mine can cluck, but choose to make the hoarse yelling sound. They still have their tongues, too! Maybe they're just weird...

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

I think White Leghorns are Proboly just weird But she can't cluck at all.Just ,"Raaaaaaccccc!Errrrrckk racccc"I find it adorable!

 

[guinealeghorn]

Lol! Leghorns are crazy birds. Yours looks adorable!

 

[featherhead007]

Shhhh.. I see feathered people!

 

[ejcrist]

Do you own Leghorns? Yes, absolutely!

Are you a Leghorn breeder? I'm starting two breeding programs this year; one for layers and one for the SOP. I'll be breeding single comb, light brown, large fowl.

If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
·
What made you decide to get this breed? I absolutely love everything about Leghorns. They are very productive, tolerate the heat extremely well which is important to me since I live in the desert southwest, and the light browns are the prettiest chicken around IMO.

Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose? Breeding and eggs.

What are your favorite characteristics about this breed? Productive and beautiful. Very heat tolerant.

Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

Here are some of my hatchery whites from early last year:






I haven't had a chance to take any of my light browns yet but I'll post when I do. If you ask me, Leghorns are a chickens' chicken. They define what a chicken ought to be - the benchmark to what all other chickens should be compared. I might possibly be a little biased in favor of them, maybe just a little bit.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Leghorns are flighty, right? Or does that depend on the individual? And even though they're flighty, they're not mean right?