Leghorn

My 8 White Leghorn pullets are the friendliest breed I have ever raised. And I have raised quite a few breeds, and some of my breeds include Silkies, EE's, Brahma's, Australorps, etc. But still, my Leghorn's are lapdogs who want my company over their sisters company! They eat very little, and get 3/4 of their food from foraging! And on top of all of this, they are fantastic layers who begin laying at around 18-20 weeks, 22 weeks at the latest. The only cons though are that they don't tolerate confinement well, and are flyers (they don't fly from me, just towards me!)
I love my Leghorns and would totally recommend for anyone!

If you want eggs and don't care if your chicken has any exciting colors, nothing can beat white leghorns. They pump eggs out just about every day for a couple years, and the eggs are regularly too large to fit in the egg crates.

However, if you want chickens that have fun colors and want to play with you, these probably aren't the birds for you. In my experience, these are very skittish birds that run from people every chance they get. They can also be a bit aggressive. But I don't really care. They give tons of eggs, and that's why I love 'em. Now, if I could just convince my wife that egg production is more important than beauty, I'd get some more white leghorns!

My Brown Leghorn was hand raised by me, and though I think she is an exception rather than a rule, she loves to be picked up and talked to (by me). She is more cautious around people she doesn't see every day, and is startled easily. (When something spooks her she jumps up into the air and flies several feet- it's pretty funny to watch, especially since I know she is a bit of a drama queen and actually wasn't all that scared, and does the same thing when she gets really exited about something yummy, She goes right back to what she was doing afterward.) Iris is somewhere in the middle of the pecking order, and her comb is a target for pecks. I also watch it for frostbite, since it is so big. She usually sleeps with her head tucked under someone else in the winter, though, so they keep it warm for her!

I have had many leg horns. Mainly white. Have always loved them.

I have two leghorns, one white and one brown. They are a little skittish but they add some nice color to the flock. They don't eat a lot of food, yet somehow they manage to produce a lovely egg nearly everyday!! I am very impressed with this breed and would recommend it to anybody.

I have 5 and usually get 4 or 5 a day! They are the best egg laying chicken I came across in 15 years of chicken raising. They are a little crazy/flighty. So they probably wouldn't be the best pets. I love them!

I got my first six White Leghorn pullets about a year and a half ago. I never really wanted them, because I sell my eggs and some people are skeptical towards organic white eggs. But, I happened to be in a store one day where they were selling a selection of breeds, and just decided to get a few Leghorn chicks. I'm super glad I did! Despite some people saying that they are not friendly at all, this can be overcome by handling and getting attached to them as chicks. Mine follow me everywhere, jump on my lap and shoulders, and come when I call them. I love their long tails, and the white plumage is beautiful. Each bird has their own unique personality, likes and dislikes, and are so fun to watch. On top of this, I get tons of large white eggs everyday. Although many say Leghorns are not cold-hardy, I disagree. I live in Minnesota, where it gets down to - 7 degrees Fahrenheit and below, and they are fine (though not laying ). It's true that their combs can get frostbit, as I mentioned in Cons, but I usually put Vaseline on once in a while to treat and prevent it. They are, however, very skittish about everything. If I set down a bucket to hard and it makes a lot of noise, they go flying every which way. They are extremely insistent, always getting jealous and curious, pecking at me all the time. They are also extremely smart. This almost a pro, but they can cause a lot of trouble! Mine, for example, always were getting out of the pen. One even spent a night in the woods (probably in a tree), scaring me half to death! They were only a few months old at the time, not even full-grown. I practically had to spy on them to figure out how they were escaping. Turns out, there was a small, practically invisible hole in the netting that they were flying out of, then walking along the wooden frame and jumping down. I was surprised they could even reach that high. That's another thing, Leghorns can fly.

Overall, they are probably one of the best breeds in my opinion. It's not like have a calm, docile Cochin or Brahma, but they act more like your way-too-smart best friend.

My white leghorn hen is named Ghost, because she is flighty. She will come up and eat out of my hands, but no touching! The only time I have been able to really pick up this bird is if she is roosting for the night. She came from McMurray hatchery, and has some special needs. She either doesn't have depth perception, or has some kind of vision impairment because she cannot aim her "pecks". If I toss a small piece of bread on the ground, she will frantically peck next to it, trying to pick it up and eventualy gets lucky if one of the other chickens didn't beat her to it. She lays large white eggs, almost daily. I would say I get at least 330 a year from her. She can be noisy, especially in the mornings. I do worry about her large comb in the winter time, but so far it has not been an issue. I have a colored flock, so I love seeing a solid white hen walking around and she is very pretty to me. I would get another leghorn if something happened to her, as she is the most reliable egg layer I own.

I really loved getting my two brown leghorns. They were so flighty as chicks, they made my other chicks flighty too, when my other chicks normally would not be. They did come around when they got older, they were less flighty. If I get more leghorns, I may spend more time with them, just sitting with them as chicks. Not sure if they will ever be a calm chicken.

The Brown Leghorn is a really curious chicken. I have one that is name Cutey and she was really mean and keep on doing like a peck at my 2 chicks when they first meet. I have 1 Rhode Island Red and 1 Buff Orpington and they are 9 weeks (2 Months Old). They get along so well now but where ever these 2 teenager chickens go, Cutey always follow them. Sometimes she gets not friendly and steal the chickens food. She like to fly but no more because I cut off her primary wings because the neighbors complain of it flying and wrecking their yard. She sometimes sit when I tell her or I sit. Cutey now know her name because when I call her, she sometimes come to me. She is really curious at a lot of stuff. Gentle and kinda easy to handle, except for the poop that is bigger then the chicks poop. Really smart! It is a really good layer and she dig in the rocks to creates her nest and she lay her eggs there. Cutey act like a dog sometimes!

I have 4 white leghorns they are the BEST layers of large white eggs.They are all good forages and are always on the look out for any predators.they are economical birds do to the fact that they dont eat much and lay ALOT

I Love Leghorns, They Are Great Chickens To Keep If You Want Egg Production!

Our white Leghorn, Ellie, is a bit so-so.
Ellie's eggs are the perfect shape, colour and size. When I collect them, they're very clean. Great show eggs, and good eating. Ellie herself is a beautiful hen and very good for show. These are the only pros.
Now to the negatives - within about two metres (6 and a half feet) of her she runs off. Hardly friendly compared to the others. I am constantly running after her to get her back in the coop.
A bit of a negative review, but I hope it helps your choice in breed.
-Radioactive Egg out!

I have 5 White Leghorns that are about 7 months old. They lay really well and are so cute with their floppy combs (I call my flock "the floppy hats"because of their combs). They are nervous though and I have some trouble catching them, even though they have been handled a lot since they were young. They run in terror from dogs, squirrels, and birds in the sky. Overall good birds.

leghorns dont even stop laying in the winter. you can get leghorns in so many different colours

I have several white leghorns. They are a smaller chicken that is an egg producing machine. Hens weigh about 4 1/2 lbs give or take so it's not really a dual purpose breed. They can handle the cold but it does slow down their egg laying quite a bit. They can handle the heat better than many breeds. They eat less feed then heavier breeds yet still produce an XL egg. You want to give this breed extra calcium such as oyster shells or their own shells crunched up. Due to their high production rate their egg shells will get thinner if you don't. I recommend them highly but wouldn't just have this breed alone. Come culling time they are best to just use as chicken noodle more than anything else however you can put them whole in the oven. They will just be on the small side. They do tend to be flighty and usually keep their distance a few feet.

I've only had my Exchequers Leghorns for a short time, it took me a long time to find them, at least a strain that still has good egg laying capabilities ... here is a short video to give you a better idea ...

I love my Brown Leghorn Hen.
She is very friendly and very intelligent!
A great addition to any Flock.

Although a good layer, after a hawk got our only leghorn, I do not care to own another leghorn. She was at the top of the pecking order of our mixed flock and had a rather mean temperament. She wasn't friendly towards people either - not aggressive, but not friendly. It's possible that this leghorn just had her own not-so-nice personality, but I don't want any more leghorns after her.

This might be a surprise, but my Leghorn/Cal.White are my smartest birds. Technically they aren't pure White Leghorns, but actually a California White which is a Cal. Grey X Leghorn cross. There was no Cal. White breed listed, or one I could find, so I'm posting here. They are very much like Leghorns in most aspects. Without the black specks in their feather I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But anyway, from the day I brought them home as chicks they knew where the food came from. . . . .me. Now at 21 wks they will follow me and one will jump on my lap to eat. The first one to lay started at 20 wks. OK for this breed. The other seems to be slow to the draw. They are not very flighty which may be a result from the Cal. Grey blood in them, though they can fly well if they so choose. Overall a very good breed.


20 wks old


16 wks approx


8 wks