I hate leghorns

[Chic-n-farmer]

Count me on the side of "Loves leghorns"!

I have Silver, Red and Brown Leghorns and I think they are great.

 

[SeaHen]

I have a couple questions about White Leghorns: Are they the common commercial battery chicken that lays the grocery-store eggs and then gets sold to KFC? Are White Rocks similar in temperament and personality to them? I have one White Rock hen that is wonderfully sweet and gentle, and she is the most prolific layer too.

 

[whillergee]

I would not have chosen a Leghorn, but the numbskull at the feed store that sold me a "Delaware" chick actually gave me a Leghorn -- and I must say, she's one of the chickens with the most personality. She's the only one that has gotten over the fence (only once), but she trotted along behind me when I retrieved her and hopped right back into the run. I have to go up there and get some straw in the nest boxes today, because she's looking an awful lot like she's interested in laying an egg... if so, it'll be our first one out of a flock of six (different breeds - RIR, EE, BR, Australorp). Can't wait for that first egg, be it white or brown!

Even though Miss Delaware 2010 should actually be named Miss Leghorn, I'm glad we have her - she's quite a character.

 

[oliviad51]

I love leghorns, they are some of my favorite hens I have.

 

[greathorse]

Quote:
Leghorns are the bird of choice for many if not most large egg operations that sell white eggs. They are NOT the chickens that ultimately end up at KFC. The truth about them is that they produce so little meat that they hardly merit taking to the processor for Campbells soup.

They are egg laying machines. I had a few and they were noisy frantic little birds that laid an egg no matter what. I don't think they have a lot of eye appeal for me, totally a personal choice so I no longer have them.

They sure can convert a lot of eggs from very little feed that is for sure.

edited to correct a misspoken RIR for Leghorn. Was doing a bunch of research on the Mohawk RIR and had them on the brain I suppose. My bad

 

[Tala]

Edited to preserve one's reputation

White Leghorns and hybrids of the same (I think Ideal has their own variety of Leghorns) are what lays the white commercial egg BECAUSE they are very efficient at turning feed into eggs. They lay almost every single day in all weather. They are small, slim and don't have much meat - which makes them light-enough to get their butts over the fence easier than the dual purpose breeds.

 

[silkiechicken]

I loved my leghorns. They were the best layers I've ever had. All year round they'd lay eggs and ate so little food vs the larger brown egg layers like sexlinks. Yes they were flighty, but they were the first to be at my heels and if you stopped walking, it would not be unusual for one to just run into the back of your legs. Could you catch one to hold and cuddle... not really, but they made up for it otherwise while being about 1/2 an inch further than your fingertips. Plus, because I free ranged, their flightiness often kept the entire flock out of trouble since they always had one eye to the sky for danger. And although they don't normally go broody... it's happened.

 

[greathorse]

Quote:
Rhode Island Reds are the bird of choice for many if not most large egg operations that sell white eggs. They are NOT the chickens that ultimately end up at KFC. The truth about them is that they produce so little meat that they hardly merit taking to the processor for Campbells soup.

They are egg laying machines. I had a few and they were noisy frantic little birds that laid an egg no matter what. I don't think they have a lot of eye appeal for me, totally a personal choice so I no longer have them.

They sure can convert a lot of eggs from very little feed that is for sure.

Rhode Island Reds lay BROWN eggs!!!! Red sexlinks are most commonly used for commercially produced brown eggs, as far as I know.



White Leghorns and hybrids of the same (I think Ideal has their own variety of Leghorns) are what lays the white commercial egg BECAUSE they are very efficient at turning feed into eggs. They lay almost every single day in all weather. They are small, slim and don't have much meat - which makes them light-enough to get their butts over the fence easier than the dual purpose breeds.

Yup mis spoke I meant to say Leghorns. Not sure what I was thinking No brain today I suppose. Will edit so others will not consider me an idiot

 

[greathorse]

double post

 

[imtc]

My leghorn is my least favorite too (and the 1st chicken I bought when I started keeping them) but I can handle her pretty easily. She has a mean streak in her though and at times will peck me when I'm trying to break up a spat she started with another of my hens...(we play a pecking order game ourselves...lol) but she is by far my best layer and has never gone broody in the 2years I've had her. If you bought her for egg laying I'd keep her and just get used to the idea she may not ever be very friendly.
Mine was handled a lot (I bought her as a day old chick) will come to me whenever I go out to the run and is not afraid of me at all...she's one of the most aggressive (not mean, but in the front getting the food from me first kind of thing...pushy to get her way). I just don't think she's very pretty and she has made me bleed a couple of times when she tries to play "top hen" with me and pecks pretty hard.