How are the White Leghorns?

[HennyPenny24]

i would like to purchase a couple white leghorns but i know nothing of there personality or anything,,, who has them and what about them?

 

[aggie9296]

had them years ago. skittish, not very friendly, excellent egg layers and pretty hardy health wise.

have red stars now. seem to have more personality.

 

[jennh]

leghorns are excellent layers of white eggs. However, they are not friendly at all. They tend to shy away from human contact. If you're looking for good egg layers, try RIR, but they lay brown eggs. JMHO

 

[gryeyes]

I have some White Leghorns I hatched from refrigerated, grocery store eggs (Trader Joe's) on New Year's Day. Three pullets and a cockerel. They are part of my large, multi-breed flock, and aren't old enough to start laying yet.

They are quite flighty, and shy. But they forage very well - my flock ranges freely on an acre - and eat less feed than many other breeds. From my study, I know they're going to be great layers. They're awfully pretty.

 

[patman75]

Ditto on eveyones else comments and... their combs tend to get frost bite.

 

[jason_mazzy]

Great foragers. will eat anything edible, will lay massive eggs. Will not require much care. great feed to conversion rate.



flip side: could care less about you unless it is hungry. Does not like being held or cuddled.

 

[Higins00]

I had one that loved me. She did free range around by herself but was nice and laid a great white egg

 

[TheWaddler]

My Leghorn is one of my favorite birds. She is lead hen I think because she started laying earlier than anyone else. Her skittishness comes and goes, if I spend alot of time with them she will jump up on my lap for worms....if I am working alot she will start to become stand-offish until I sit with them for a bit and feed them. She lays almost daily...we had to take a small break from her white eggs while she suffered a pretty severe prolapse (don't know if this is more common for production layers like herself, don't want to deal with that to much more). Followed a bunch of advice from BYC'ers and got our first egg from her again yesterday after a nearly 2 week hiatus while recovering from her prolapse.

 

[Bi0s]

They are a great white egg layer but can be very flighty......

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I like them a lot. But they are an active breed that is not given to being especially friendly so if you're looking to make pets that will come to you they are not the breed for you. Because they are so small and active they fly well so if you do something that would make a big dual-purpose hen jump the Leghorn will clear your head.