Langshan Thread!!!

[Dirt Farmer]

Ok, I have a rooster question and since it's Langshan Roos, I thought I'd ask it here. I'm a new chicken owner with my first flock, 6 RIR pullets and 6 Langshans, 2 of which are Roos. Billy is tha black and Razzle is the blue. Billy is a size larger than Razzle, is an inch or two taller and much bigger around, and much more skittish. Billy will eat from my hand, but won't let me touch him. Razzle will sit in my lap and talk to me and will even look pitiful like I hurt his feelings if I put him down before he's ready to go. My flock of 12 has a pretty good size coop and free range from about noon til bedtime. They are all 18 weeks old and though the girls are not laying yet, quite a few of the pullets are really getting red in the face. The RIRs more than the Langshans, of course.
My question is, will I need to get rid of one of my boys? It would break my heart. I think Billy is the better rooster, as far as protecting the girls and for breeding, but Razzle is just so sweet. And I have seen no sign of fighting between them at all so far. But maybe they are just still not mature enough? I have read you need at least 10 hens per rooster and though I would love to get more girls, I have to convince my husband to add on to the coop first. Lol.
So, is there any way they can coexist long term, or should I start deciding who to find a new home for? Because if I have to do it, I need to do it before I get even more attached. Because I know I should probably keep Billy, but I want Razzle because he's my favorite of all of my flock. Help!

I've kept Langshan cocks together without too much drama. The fact that they were brooded together and not a new introduction helps. It ultimately comes down to a case by case assessment. I've kept cocks of other breeds together that shared duties, and others where the non dominate cock had to stay out of the sight of the dominate cock. I agree that ten hens may be too few for two cocks. I think part of the key to successfully keeping two cocks together is enough space and enough hens. Also you don't want your hens overly harassed and in poor feather condition. If you can't provide space try to create visual barriers in the existing space, or giving them at least part of the day out of the run to free range if that is practical.
Since you seem to have reasons for keeping both, I would give it a try and watch carefully. My experience is to provide no less than 4 square feet of hen house space per bird and no less than 10 square feet of outdoor space per bird. If you're not at these limits I would consider adding hens.

 

[Dirt Farmer]

My three Langshans have all been going through a painfully slow molt which is still not completed, and now have all decided to sit in the nest the day long on other hen's eggs. One did not grow back her main tail feathers. It is evident that the Langshan was used in the development of the Jersey Giant. She looks like a feather legged Giant with her deep body and shorter tail. I'll have to post a picture this weekend. (Yea I know, you'll all have a hard time sleeping until then.)

 

[PetRock]

Ok, I have a rooster question and since it's Langshan Roos, I thought I'd ask it here. I'm a new chicken owner with my first flock, 6 RIR pullets and 6 Langshans, 2 of which are Roos. Billy is tha black and Razzle is the blue. Billy is a size larger than Razzle, is an inch or two taller and much bigger around, and much more skittish. Billy will eat from my hand, but won't let me touch him. Razzle will sit in my lap and talk to me and will even look pitiful like I hurt his feelings if I put him down before he's ready to go. My flock of 12 has a pretty good size coop and free range from about noon til bedtime. They are all 18 weeks old and though the girls are not laying yet, quite a few of the pullets are really getting red in the face. The RIRs more than the Langshans, of course.
My question is, will I need to get rid of one of my boys? It would break my heart. I think Billy is the better rooster, as far as protecting the girls and for breeding, but Razzle is just so sweet. And I have seen no sign of fighting between them at all so far. But maybe they are just still not mature enough? I have read you need at least 10 hens per rooster and though I would love to get more girls, I have to convince my husband to add on to the coop first. Lol.
So, is there any way they can coexist long term, or should I start deciding who to find a new home for? Because if I have to do it, I need to do it before I get even more attached. Because I know I should probably keep Billy, but I want Razzle because he's my favorite of all of my flock. Help!

My 2 LF black Langshan cocks (Linc & Shang) are currently on break from the breeding pens and supervising the layer flock plus Langshan hens on several acres at the farm. They are the only 2 roosters and there are 15+ hens. They were not raised together and Linc is 1 yr older than Shang. We put them out in the field at the same time and Linc was quick to assert his dominance. For the first couple of weeks, Shang made sure he was out of Linc's sight but now they roam with the girls without any problems. I wouldn't call it foraging together because they always seem to keep a buffer zone between them. Shang respects Linc's top bird status and there are enough girls as well as space for them to co-exist. I have a pen with several of Shang's sons. I am hoping that a couple of them mature to be worth keeping for our breeding program.

 

[PetRock]

My three Langshans have all been going through a painfully slow molt which is still not completed, and now have all decided to sit in the nest the day long on other hen's eggs. One did not grow back her main tail feathers. It is evident that the Langshan was used in the development of the Jersey Giant. She looks like a feather legged Giant with her deep body and shorter tail. I'll have to post a picture this weekend. (Yea I know, you'll all have a hard time sleeping until then.)

I have some of my birds that aren't Langshans that look like they are starting to molt. It seems early for that this year. My Pita Pinta flock is in a separate pen at the farm and I treated them for mites because they started losing feathers on their neck and back. I didn't see any mites or lice when I looked at them but I'm not out at the farm to check at night to see if the buggies are crawling out of the wood to get them. I treated birds, roosts, and nest boxes. I'll need to do one more round and hopefully that will take care of the problem.

 

[Dontlickthechicks]

Here's the babe at a few days shy of 5 weeks. Feathering out good? Just some fuzz left on the head. Looks like a girl?????

 

[Dirt Farmer]

My three Langshans have all been going through a painfully slow molt which is still not completed, and now have all decided to sit in the nest the day long on other hen's eggs. One did not grow back her main tail feathers. It is evident that the Langshan was used in the development of the Jersey Giant. She looks like a feather legged Giant with her deep body and shorter tail. I'll have to post a picture this weekend. (Yea I know, you'll all have a hard time sleeping until then.)

Ok, here she is, you be the judge.

 

[GrammiChelle]

I am hoping that since they were raised together, that they have worked things out among themselves. They don't seem to have any problems being near each other and I've observed bedtime closely the last few nights and they seem to actually work together to put the girls to bed, and then join them in the coop. Is this possible? I'm hoping that because Razzle is much smaller, and I've read that my holding him and petting him puts him lower on the ladder of success, that they will get along. Unfortunately, the hen house is prolly a bit cramped for the birds I've got , which is why I've been watching bedtime so closely.
( I didn't actually think I'd be so successful at keeping them all alive. I thought I'd lose a few more along the way, and didn't want to not have enough. And then I only lost one RIR. That's chicken math, I guess. Lol)
The attached run is okay, and I do let them free range from noon til bedtime every day, and our backyard is plenty big and has multiple areas for them to go hide in all day long. So I'm just going to keep a close eye on the boys to be sure they don't start having problems.
There was a day, when they were about 10 weeks old, that the smaller one huddled in one corner of the run, wouldn't come to me or leave his corner, wouldn't even make noises. I was very scared he had gotten sick. But the next day, it was like it never happened.
I also have chickens on the property, American Game Fowl, that were abandoned by the homeowner and they free range 24/7 and live in the mesquite trees at night. There is one rooster, and three hens. They all will go in the coop during the day, when the coop chickens are out, for food and water, even though I provide both outside the coop. So I thought the big rooster was the problem and he had scared my little guy( who now prolly tops him in weight) but maybe it was his coop mate that set things straight. I'll never really know. But both my LF Langshan boys top the AG roo in height and weight now, and even my RIR hens will boss the others out of the run. Bossy little girls!

 

[JensChickies]

My poor Langshan is the one at the bottom of the pecking order. When I first got my flock I didn't know much about breeds so I have 1 langshan, one white rock and one patrigde rock. The people at the feed store said sure they will all work together. Little did I know! The rocks are bossy and gang up on my langshan sometimes. Should I get another docile bird so she can hang out with or will the other bird pick on her too??? Any body with this experience have any advice. Just FYI...next time my whole flock is going to be langshans.

 

[PetRock]

My poor Langshan is the one at the bottom of the pecking order. When I first got my flock I didn't know much about breeds so I have 1 langshan, one white rock and one patrigde rock. The people at the feed store said sure they will all work together. Little did I know! The rocks are bossy and gang up on my langshan sometimes. Should I get another docile bird so she can hang out with or will the other bird pick on her too??? Any body with this experience have any advice. Just FYI...next time my whole flock is going to be langshans.

How old are your birds? I do have some Langshans here in N CA that need to be rehomed!

I also have Pita Pintas and Pita Pinta/Cream Legbar mixes that lay green eggs. They are all very calm, friendly birds that get along with all the other birds in the flock.

 

[PetRock]

Here is a funny Langshan chick photo for the day! This little splash boy tried to follow his Pita Pinta hatchmate through the hog panel fence to get at the dried meal worms that I was giving to my Langshan pullets. As you can see, his crop was a little full and his long legs did not allow him to get through the opening. He tried for a while and them gave up!