White Leghorn, the forgotten breed

[nate1the1great1]

I found out my black chicken is a black leghorn she lays huge white eggs

 

[tiedyemommy]

I recently had a knock on my door. There was a man standing there with a single white leghorn. He had seen our chickens (and our neighbors) out in the our yard. She was the sole survivor (twice) after a coon raid on their coop a mile away. He decided he no longer wanted to deal with chickens anymore and asked if we could take her. He didn't realize he picked the right house Long story short, she is the newest member of our flock and only leghorn. I noticed she has such pale legs, they look white. Is this normal coloration or a sign of illness???? I am not sure how old she is. She looked pretty ragged when he brought her over. I have 3 RIR, 1 EE, 1 BR, 1 laced WY, and 1 BSL, so I'm not used to white chicken colors. Her comb and wattle color looks great! She is doing great! She's one brave, tough girl All my others are larger than her, esp the roo!

Her legs look healthy. Our White Leghorn had pale yellow legs before she began laying...then they got a little darker. Beautiful bird!

 

[tiedyemommy]

Fred's comb was a little purple on the ends, just before bedtime...it got a little paler too. Is this normal?

 

[Classy Chick]

This is my first ever white leghorn chick named Prada. She is very sassy and is already bossy! Since I am new to the breed any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[FVRM]

Fred's comb was a little purple on the ends, just before bedtime...it got a little paler too. Is this normal?

Has it been cold? it looks like frostbite or low blood circulation

 

[Michael Apple]

Fred's comb was a little purple on the ends, just before bedtime...it got a little paler too. Is this normal?

Anemia/ enteritis can cause dehydration and weakness. Intestinal worms and coccidiosis are often culprits. White Leghorns seem to have less resistance to intestinal worms according to trials I've examined. Worm with Safeguard liquid suspension (labeled for goats) by giving .5 cc orally with a syringe (no needle). Run Vitamin-electrolyte & probiotic powder in the water for 1-2 days, mixing a fresh drinking solution each morning. Many vitamin-electrolyte solutions can be bitter to birds, so products like Probios dispersible powder balance it with a sweetness. Don't add sugar since it can perpetuate intestinal problems. Make sure the bird is eating and has a good appetite. 10 days after the first worming, you should administer another dose of the wormer I mentioned.

After 1 to 2 days depending on the bird's condition being weak, It would be wise to give a symptom treatment dose in drinking water with Amprolium (Corid) for 5-7 days. Dosage for Corid 9.6% liquid is 2 tsp per gallon of water, or if using Corid 20% powder, the dosage is 1-1.5 tsp per gallon of water. You could start a thread in the Emergencies, Diseases, & Cures section of the forum to track progress with treatment and receive assistance. Good luck.

 

[tiedyemommy]

Has it been cold? it looks like frostbite or low blood circulation

I live in Texas. It's been in the high 90's to low 100's for a couple of months now. Since I took this picture, her comb has returned to normal color...and I haven't seen it turn purple since. She's still laying daily, eating and interacting like normal. She does nap a little more than normal, but it has been a little hotter than normal lately. Just keeping an eye on her to make sure all is well. Thank you!

 

[tiedyemommy]

Anemia/ enteritis can cause dehydration and weakness. Intestinal worms and coccidiosis are often culprits. White Leghorns seem to have less resistance to intestinal worms according to trials I've examined. Worm with Safeguard liquid suspension (labeled for goats) by giving .5 cc orally with a syringe (no needle). Run Vitamin-electrolyte & probiotic powder in the water for 1-2 days, mixing a fresh drinking solution each morning. Many vitamin-electrolyte solutions can be bitter to birds, so products like Probios dispersible powder balance it with a sweetness. Don't add sugar since it can perpetuate intestinal problems. Make sure the bird is eating and has a good appetite. 10 days after the first worming, you should administer another dose of the wormer I mentioned.

After 1 to 2 days depending on the bird's condition being weak, It would be wise to give a symptom treatment dose in drinking water with Amprolium (Corid) for 5-7 days. Dosage for Corid 9.6% liquid is 2 tsp per gallon of water, or if using Corid 20% powder, the dosage is 1-1.5 tsp per gallon of water. You could start a thread in the Emergencies, Diseases, & Cures section of the forum to track progress with treatment and receive assistance. Good luck.

Since I took this picture, her comb has returned to normal color...and I haven't seen it turn purple since. She's still laying daily, eating and interacting like normal. She does nap a little more than normal, but it has been a little hotter than normal lately. Just keeping an eye on her to make sure all is well. Thank you!

 

[tiedyemommy]

Fred, our White Leghorn, has been a little sluggish lately. She still eats, drinks and chases bouncing snacks (grapes, etc) with the rest of 'em...but she naps rather than forages and isn't as lively as she used to be. She is approximately 8 months old, and she's still laying an egg a day. Her comb isn't bright red, but it's also not pale or purple (like it has been, momentarily, in the past). I have checked everyone for mites, and already have everyone on Oxytetracycline due to random bouts of sneezing amongst my flock. What could be going on?

 

[Michael Apple]

Fred, our White Leghorn, has been a little sluggish lately. She still eats, drinks and chases bouncing snacks (grapes, etc) with the rest of 'em...but she naps rather than forages and isn't as lively as she used to be. She is approximately 8 months old, and she's still laying an egg a day. Her comb isn't bright red, but it's also not pale or purple (like it has been, momentarily, in the past). I have checked everyone for mites, and already have everyone on Oxytetracycline due to random bouts of sneezing amongst my flock. What could be going on?

Like I stated in my previous post, anemic conditions can be caused by numerous things, but in young birds coccidiosis and worms are often the culprit. Balanced nutrition in diet matters too. If you haven't treated for coccidiosis, do it. Take a look at fresh dropping emitted from the bird. Part it with a stick to see if anything is moving around in it. Caecal worms are more likely to be seen in a caecal dropping (the dark green to brown pasty looking droppings which are emitted). I use preventative treatments once a month for all young birds up until 9 months of age. Warm, humid environments generally harbor higher populations of cocci protozoa in addition to parasitic worms in the soil.