Langshan Thread!!!

[Freia]

Lilly is 6 weeks old now, and her/his comb is turning more pinkish. Nature can be weird, so I'm still hoping Lilly is a girl, though I'm beginning to lean more towards boy. The kids have rechristened him William Shakesfeather just in case.

I don't have a rooster. I really wouldn't mind having one - but no attack-roosters for me. Sir William is a really pretty bird, and I'd love to get some backyard crosses out of him.

How are the Langshan roosters in general? Do they lean towards more docile or more aggressive? The kids handle him daily, will this help keep him friendlier towards us (they handle him very nicely)? Are they more vocal or less vocal?

 

[PetRock]

Lilly is 6 weeks old now, and her/his comb is turning more pinkish. Nature can be weird, so I'm still hoping Lilly is a girl, though I'm beginning to lean more towards boy. The kids have rechristened him William Shakesfeather just in case.

I don't have a rooster. I really wouldn't mind having one - but no attack-roosters for me. Sir William is a really pretty bird, and I'd love to get some backyard crosses out of him.

How are the Langshan roosters in general? Do they lean towards more docile or more aggressive? The kids handle him daily, will this help keep him friendlier towards us (they handle him very nicely)? Are they more vocal or less vocal?

I'm just beginning with roosters and breeding so I have limited experience with them. Almost all of the cockerels that I hatched last year have grown into very nice roos. The few that pecked people ended up in the freezer. We currently have 7 or 8 roos in the field with all of the girls. We need to narrow down the number because the girls are showing some wear and tear. They are lovers! I can go out there and sit on the ground with them all around me with no problems whatsoever. I do keep a close eye on them just in case one decides to surprise me. They have a nice "manly" crow but don't seem to crow as often as some of the other breeds. My Bresse roo, on the other hand, is in a pen with his two ladies and he crows often! I think that he is just enamored with his own voice! He is respectful of us but not as friendly as the Langshans.

 

[BGMatt]

Fresh out of his shipping crate. Thought y'all might want to see. Size reference, I'm 6'3" and his head comes up to my knee or just above.

 

[PetRock]

Fresh out of his shipping crate. Thought y'all might want to see. Size reference, I'm 6'3" and his head comes up to my knee or just above.

Gorgeous boy!!! He is going to make some beautiful babies! I never planned on having any all white chickens and now find myself with a pair of white Langshans that I love and a trio of white Bresse that my husband loves!

 

[mrheinz77]

Lilly is 6 weeks old now, and her/his comb is turning more pinkish. Nature can be weird, so I'm still hoping Lilly is a girl, though I'm beginning to lean more towards boy. The kids have rechristened him William Shakesfeather just in case.

I don't have a rooster. I really wouldn't mind having one - but no attack-roosters for me. Sir William is a really pretty bird, and I'd love to get some backyard crosses out of him.

How are the Langshan roosters in general? Do they lean towards more docile or more aggressive? The kids handle him daily, will this help keep him friendlier towards us (they handle him very nicely)? Are they more vocal or less vocal?

A lot can depend on the line they are from. Mine are very calm. They also have a low pitch comb that isn't as annoying as some of the breeds. I hardly ever hear my Langshans crowing. My bantam Langshan crow even less.

Now, hatchery stock can be different but if I remember the picture of William, I'm guessing he isn't hatchery stock.

 

[BGMatt]

Gorgeous boy!!! He is going to make some beautiful babies! I never planned on having any all white chickens and now find myself with a pair of white Langshans that I love and a trio of white Bresse that my husband loves!

I can't wait to see him and the hen after they molt and get their feathers back. She has a good chest too which he desperately needs some of. Might breed him to a black hen and then the pullets back to him to try and get some more of the front end. He's got the height and rear.

 

[mrheinz77]

Fresh out of his shipping crate. Thought y'all might want to see. Size reference, I'm 6'3" and his head comes up to my knee or just above.

WOW! He is impressive. I hope to someday have a white and a blue flock besides my blacks. I'm working on the whites with my bantams so that is one less color that I need to acquire. I've hatched one white from my LF but the winter was not kind to it.

 

[PetRock]

I can't wait to see him and the hen after they molt and get their feathers back. She has a good chest too which he desperately needs some of. Might breed him to a black hen and then the pullets back to him to try and get some more of the front end. He's got the height and rear.

Mine has the chest and height but needs a better tail spread. How old is your boy? Mine is around 11 months and is still filling out.

 

[Freia]

Now, hatchery stock can be different but if I remember the picture of William, I'm guessing he isn't hatchery stock.

William is actually hatchery stock, but I hope I've gotten lucky. The feed store where I get my chicks uses a small local hatchery. Their chicks are always much healthier and more unusual varieties and colors than I see in the other feed stores. Nobody ever guesses that any of my chicks are hatchery. William's wonderful varied shades of blue and penciling and heavily feathered legs make me hope that he is from good stock.

I should have known at the feed store: When my daughter went to get her pet Langshan, she opened the side-grate for the Langhsan tray, and all the chicks scurried to the very back, except William, who confidently walked onto her arm and perched. Always was a little "different". I have a 4-week-old Brahma chick being raised with him right now, and he's such a great big brother. When she's scared, he stands on top of her (she fits underneath his long legs no problem) and he's always checking up on her when I put them out in the sun with the older chicks. He has some real personality.

BGMatt, I've never found white chickens very appealing, but that boy is STUNNING! If he looks like that - who needs color?

Edited to include latest glamour-shots of William Shakesfeather (previously known as Lilly). I must say that he is my coolest bird yet. I have a mixed flock of only heritage-breeds - they're all so cool, but I think I'm sold on Langshans now. I need to collect one of each kind. Yes, William is a hatchery bird, but so far, not too shabby. Even handsome in the awkward 6-week stage. Love love love his confident Paul Bunyan stance, heavily feathered legs, and all the shades of blue.

 

[BGMatt]

Mine has the chest and height but needs a better tail spread. How old is your boy? Mine is around 11 months and is still filling out.

I think the breeder said cockerel. Sent an email to get exact age.

Thank you everyone for kind comments, I'm excited to have him and the hen, will be going forward with all three varieties (the blacks and blues are still peeping though) of Large Fowl. Hopefully if I can get them to start laying again will have some babies out soon.

Freia I really like that birds head (I've been on a weird obsession about birds heads lately, don't know why.)