are all leghorns "chickens"

[abhaya]

Of all my chicken my brown leghorn is really flighty anytime i get any where near her she fkys or runs away. I dont really care as they are not pets but are they alllike that?

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

I have 2 leghorns, one brown, one white. The brown is peaceful and content, tho usually too busy to bother with me or treats. The white is off in her own industrious world, I can handle her when I need to, but she doesnt make it easy, she would rather be ranging. Neither are flighty, but they certainly are not people focused like my cochins and orpingtons are!

I bet it is part breed, part raising.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Strain within the breed may have something to do with it as well.

I brood my Leghorns and my larger dual-purpose brown egg layers together so it may be that the calmer dual-purpose girls help the Leghorns to be calmer. I do know that mine aren't as panicky as some that other people have mentioned.

They do fly well though so if you do something that would make a big Barred Rock jump those little Leghorn girls will clear your head.

 

[Judy]

Yeah, I watched one fly smack into a wall about 8' off the ground once. I think she'd seen a fox. (She was fine.) My lone Leghorn is the most nervous when picked up off the roost, but not really panicky, more like expressing her indignation. I have read, though, of completely tame, lap chicken white Leghorn roos.

 

[abhaya]

I am not looking to make a pet out of her I just wondered if they were all skiddish. I wouldnt say she is paniking just not gonna let anyone to close. she will stay just out of arms reach. but she is quiet and seems happy doing her chicken stuff

 

[silkiechicken]

Leghorns are often the most skittish chickens to be found. Larger breeds and banties are often much calmer if not down right cat like in the right conditions.

 

[Sphinx]

I have 7 chickens, one of which is a white leghorn(ish). I don't think she's purebred, but I think that's the biggest part.

Of the group, she is definitely the most skittish. I raised her from a day old chick, and she has been frequently handled, but as soon as she was big/quick enough to NOT be handled she has tried not to be. She doesn't squat for me, and really would prefer we don't touch her at all. Definitely the least friendly of the group. Her two brothers were just as bad.

 

[featherz]

I was worried about my leghorns - got them without doing much research and they are the sweetest bird I have. Will run up to me, jump on my lap, follow me around, etc. And they never fly anywhere, which was concerning me when I got flighty white leghorns. Plus they have nice big eggs. I think I may get more next year, but I may just be lucky with this bunch!

 

[flgardengirl]

I only have one leghorn now. She was raised with a group of different kinds of chicks. I don't know if she knows she is a leghorn because she sure doesn't act flighty or shy. She gets seriously ticked if I don't pick her up and scratch her neck at least once a day. Usually in the morning when I go into the run to feed them she jumps up on my lap and wants to be scratched a little. If I don't she kinda pecks at my pant leg and then if I ignore her she jumps up on my shoulder and pecks at my hair lol. Once I put her on my lap and scratch her neck a while she will jump down and go on eating her breakfast. She loves my dh. She knows he is a sucker for her and will pick her up whenever she wants to snuggle.

 

[BrewedInNh]

We have 2 white leghorns who were hand fed as chicks, like all our chicks.

They're the alpha and beta in the flock and will bite us if we pay attention to the others ahead of them (yes, we always "bite" them back), so I wouldn't call them timid or skittish. Otherwise they don't seek our attention, but they also don't shy away from us. They squat when we reach for them and are very calm when picked up.

They're great layers, 9 eggs each out of every 10 days so far.