Are Brown Leghorns as efficient as White Leghorns?

[HorseFeathers]

If we ever move to a farm, I'd like to have an egg buisness. (Free-range eggs). I like Brown Leghorns better then Whites. Is there a difference in egg production? And are Browns more friendly?

 

[joanc]

I have both (hatchery stock). My Browns are just like the Whites in egg production and temperament-lots of eggs but very, very flighty.
I'm thinking if I would have handled them more as chicks they might not be so flighty. I know other people have had better luck with calmer birds when they've handled more as chicks. Good luck in the future.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

they are the same breed just different colors if they come from the same place they will be almost identical in everything so yes they have the same temperament, and the same egg production rate

 

[tiki244]

My white leghorn banties come from show stock. They are calm, friendly, lay very well, (they lay all winter in a confined area, as opposed to summer where they can roam)and brood in the summer if they see a pile of eggs. They are easy to break from being broody too. They are not as calm as some of the other birds, but they are not that bad. I think if you get them from show stock, they are calmer.

I have some 7 week old brown leghorns (banties) that come from show stock. They are very lively, and fun to watch.

 

[Jaimi]

Ive had/have 2 BLH. Both were/are evil....Just so you know.

I can't catch the one I have now, and was never able to catch the other. One died at about 7 months old due to going eggbound. My other is a roo that was handled constantly (every day, multiple times a day untill he was 10 weeks old, then moved and messed with every day or so)...Didn't do any good.

 

[tiki244]

hmmm. Well I suppose bantams may have a totally different personality than large fowl chickens.

 

[mtnhomechick]

I have a blh........she is flighty but gets along well with the other chickens. I love her feathers and pattern and she lays one egg a day..........never missed once. Since I have a lot of chickens that WANT to be held, I don't mind if Alice doesn't want to. She's a dependable girl and she's pretty too.

 

[The Squawk Box Fresh Eggs]

Brown leghorns are more of a heretige breed then hybrid, the white LH are usually hybrid and are not as good at foraging as browns. also the browns lay SLIGHTLY fewer eggs then their hybrid white cousins. brown leghorns come from lakenvelders and hamburgs strains, where they pick up their excellent foraging habits from and their lesser egg production. the whies are a hybrid of something.

as for being flighty, thats a trait of all leghorn types. i recommend clipping the entire last part of the wing to keep them from at least flying. (do that only when there chicks)