Langshan Thread!!!

[Finnie]

Hello, Langshan people! Do any of you also have Australorps? We're debating which breed to add to our farm! Which do you think would handle Wisconsin weather best? Or would a different breed altogether be better? We're looking for something all-black to hopefully help prevent hawk attacks!

If you ask Langshan people, you might get a biased answer! @3KillerBs answer is pretty thorough and well-rounded though.

I have had many breeds of chickens, and so far, my Langshans are still my all time top favorite. I did have a Black Australorp in my first group of chickens. I would say both are probably fine for cold winter climates. (Although Indiana winters do not compare to those in Wisconsin, so my experience with extreme temperatures and deep snow is limited to shorter time frames, not weeks or months on end. We usually get a thaw after we have a couple of weeks of blizzardy weather. And we rarely get below zero.)

Langshans do have smaller combs than Australorps, so that might be a point in their favor. Between the two, it probably depends on your overall chicken goals. My Langshans are decent layers, but I believe Australorps are better known for their production. Langshans are bigger, so that might be better for hawk deterrence. Or maybe consider Jersey Giants. (I know nothing about those except they are big.)

As far as feathered feet go, I hear it all the time that people don’t like them in the mud. But I have never seen it as a problem. I have had several feather foot breeds. I love my Brahmas, too! I have clay soil, and certain times of the year things are a terrible muddy mess. I don’t see my feather footed chickens doing any worse in it than my clean footed chickens. Yeah, they pick up mud. Yeah, it can be yucky. But it dries and gets knocked off. They don’t have any trouble getting around. I think muddy feathers bothers humans more than it bothers chickens. So I guess if seeing mud on their feathered feet will gross you out, then that’s something to consider. Muddy or clean, I love my feather feet chickens!

Two other less important things to consider: I just love the unique U-shape of the Langshans. No other chicken breed can hold a candle to the Langshan silhouette. And purple eggs. Yeah, I know, true Langshan purists contend that the eggs are brown, not truly purple, and that breeding for egg color could ruin everything else good and proper about the breed. But I love the rich, dark shade of brown of my Langshan eggs, and when the plum-blush bloom occasionally occurs on them, I love that even better. I think these are the two features that set Langshans apart from other breeds, and they are probably what draws people to them, so those are good things.

Of course, you can’t eat egg color, and pretty unique shape doesn’t make them more cold hardy. But in my eyes, and in my climate, I prefer them over Black Australorps.

 

[3KillerBs]

But I love the rich, dark shade of brown of my Langshan eggs, and when the plum-blush bloom occasionally occurs on them, I love that even better.

How I wish my only Langshan girl laid that color!

She's got great bloom, but the shell isn't very dark so it's more a pinky-tan. But what can you expect from a hatchery bird anyway?

 

[Finnie]

How I wish my only Langshan girl laid that color!

She's got great bloom, but the shell isn't very dark so it's more a pinky-tan. But what can you expect from a hatchery bird anyway?

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That’s true, about hatchery birds. I’ve had both hatchery ones and show breeder ones. They can be all over the board with regards to egg color. I will say, though, that I had a much harder time getting the eggs from the show birds to hatch. And when they did hatch, hard to get them to grow up to maturity without dying. I got a lot more and healthier offspring from the hatchery stock. Some with light eggs, some with dark eggs.

However, my two original hens from the show breeder are the two oldest birds in my flock. They will be 7 years old this spring. They don’t lay as much as they used to, but I think at least one of them is still laying sometimes.

 

[3KillerBs]

That’s true, about hatchery birds. I’ve had both hatchery ones and show breeder ones. They can be all over the board with regards to egg color. I will say, though, that I had a much harder time getting the eggs from the show birds to hatch. And when they did hatch, hard to get them to grow up to maturity without dying. I got a lot more and healthier offspring from the hatchery stock. Some with light eggs, some with dark eggs.

However, my two original hens from the show breeder are the two oldest birds in my flock. They will be 7 years old this spring. They don’t lay as much as they used to, but I think at least one of them is still laying sometimes.

If I wanted to get seriously into the Langshans I'd probably get a couple dozen from Ideal and then choose the keepers based on conformation and eggs. I'm not into showing, but I hope to sell eggs in a nice variety of colors.

I'm going to be breeding my Blue Australorps and will keep my Langshan boy at least for this year based on is temperament -- which is excellent (of course no guarantees with a 9-month cockerel).

 

[Finnie]

If I wanted to get seriously into the Langshans I'd probably get a couple dozen from Ideal and then choose the keepers based on conformation and eggs. I'm not into showing, but I hope to sell eggs in a nice variety of colors.

I'm going to be breeding my Blue Australorps and will keep my Langshan boy at least for this year based on is temperament -- which is excellent (of course no guarantees with a 9-month cockerel).

I think I would do the same thing. I have so many other projects going, that Langshans are on the back burner until I find myself without any more. Then I will order a bunch and start over. And maybe at that time try to find some show stock, too. (Even though I do not show birds either)

It’s nice that your cockerels show good personality. I got one cockerel from my first hatchery order (MMM), and he was MEAN! I had to use him, but then he became the bird on which I learned to process. I kept one son from him, and that one turned out mean too. Ironically, I accidentally sold a nice cockerel to a buyer, thinking I was keeping the better of the two I had. That guy’s rooster turned out to be beautiful and nice-tempered. I learned to be very sure after that which cockerel I was catching up when selling them.

So the mean son of my mean guy ended up going to another chicken buyer for his wife’s soup pot.

Then I bought 3 white cockerels from another show breeder, and all 3 turned out ugly. So I sold them all. Then I ordered a baker’s dozen of blues from Welp, and none of those pullets grew up!! I sold all but the “best” 2 males, and wouldn’t you know, a predator got one and the last one turned out crappy. I’m hoping that when I decide to get back into it, I will be able to find better stock.

 

[3KillerBs]

I think I would do the same thing. I have so many other projects going, that Langshans are on the back burner until I find myself without any more. Then I will order a bunch and start over. And maybe at that time try to find some show stock, too. (Even though I do not show birds either)

It’s nice that your cockerels show good personality. I got one cockerel from my first hatchery order (MMM), and he was MEAN! I had to use him, but then he became the bird on which I learned to process. I kept one son from him, and that one turned out mean too. Ironically, I accidentally sold a nice cockerel to a buyer, thinking I was keeping the better of the two I had. That guy’s rooster turned out to be beautiful and nice-tempered. I learned to be very sure after that which cockerel I was catching up when selling them.

So the mean son of my mean guy ended up going to another chicken buyer for his wife’s soup pot.

Then I bought 3 white cockerels from another show breeder, and all 3 turned out ugly. So I sold them all. Then I ordered a baker’s dozen of blues from Welp, and none of those pullets grew up!! I sold all but the “best” 2 males, and wouldn’t you know, a predator got one and the last one turned out crappy. I’m hoping that when I decide to get back into it, I will be able to find better stock.

Ludwig is incredibly laid back. And, though he's hatchery stock, I think that he's a decent representative of his breed:

I would like to see better from Sesame's eggs, but you can tell she's a Langshan:

 

[Finnie]

Ludwig is incredibly laid back. And, though he's hatchery stock, I think that he's a decent representative of his breed:

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I would like to see better from Sesame's eggs, but you can tell she's a Langshan:

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Ludwig is gorgeous! He does have quite a huge comb. Mine all seemed to have medium to small combs, but like with everything else, I’m sure they all vary.

One thing I do remember about raising Langshan chicks, is that you can often tell the boys right away by their comb size standing out more than the pullets. Even if the cockerels didn’t end up with huge combs in the end. I found Langshans to be pretty easy to sex by a few weeks old.

Boy, I would love a rooster like Ludwig.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ludwig is gorgeous! He does have quite a huge comb. Mine all seemed to have medium to small combs, but like with everything else, I’m sure they all vary.

One thing I do remember about raising Langshan chicks, is that you can often tell the boys right away by their comb size standing out more than the pullets. Even if the cockerels didn’t end up with huge combs in the end. I found Langshans to be pretty easy to sex by a few weeks old.

Boy, I would love a rooster like Ludwig.

I lucked out with him.

I ordered 3 pullets and got the one pullet and two boys. Kung Pao was not a great bird -- good size and conformation, but timid and easily freaked out to the point that he ended up dying in a freak accident where he seems to have panicked and broken his own neck.

Ludwig (known as En Croute in my early threads about that batch of chicks), started life with pasty-butt (it was hot that week when they were shipped), but once recovered from that problem has been nearly everything I could want.

He was even "babysitting" the next batch of chicks when he was 6-months old:

Also, I didn't see it myself, but my 16yo informs me that those chicks eventually made their first foray into the main run under the protection of their "big brother".

 

[TillyD]

Not to be overly dramatic or anything... But my 10 week old Croad Langshan babies are the most beautiful chicken I've ever seen!

 

[Drumming feet]

Ludwig is incredibly laid back. And, though he's hatchery stock, I think that he's a decent representative of his breed:

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I would like to see better from Sesame's eggs, but you can tell she's a Langshan:

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View attachment 3003651

Oh how beautiful