Leghorns

[Chic-n-farmer]

I have silvers, and reds right now. I've had whites, and browns in the past. I love leghorns! All mine have always been pretty tame, but I don't snuggle my chickens... I do pick them up and look them over. I just don't hold them like a kitten. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Queen of the chickens]

Our leghorns, brown and white alike, aren't crazy about being handled, but they are friendly and will eat out of my hand. They were slower to warm up, but came around. I have one that rubs on me like a cat would if I just go sit quietly. If I move too fast she is quick to scoot away.

 

[Lunachick]

I have a leghorn hen I acquired last year as a pullet. She was deathly afraid of me (or anyone!) So I ignored her.......treated her like the others and paid her no mind. Well she came around after a while and is one of my friendliest hens

In most cases, if you're not out to grab at them constantly they will warm up to you.

Plus, favourite treats are always welcome. Here's Dizzy Izzy with her boss lady Tallulah (last years storm):

 

[Justhatched]

Thank you everyone. I feel better about my decision about getting a few.

 

[NanaLantana]

By flighty, do you mean fly the coop? Mine flies the coop, with a loud squawk, after she's laid her egg every day. Wildly flaps over a 6 ft run fence! But I can always pick her up - she is one of my best hens. Great egg layer, friendly, watchful, easily handled. She hangs around the run until I let the others out in the afternoons.

It got to 68* here in S. Florida today! Does this mean winter? First time we didn't use the A/C in some time.

 

[Justhatched]

Quote:
When I look them up I see they are flighty. I thought that meant the tend to fly more than others.

 

[Gypsy07]

Flighty does mean 'can fly'. It also tends to be used to mean they startle easy, squawk and flap like mad if you try to corner them to pick them up, and are just generally noisy and skittish. A lot of this will depend on their breeding, so you could get calmer ones or flightier ones depending on how selectively they've been bred and what strain they are. But in general I would say it's true of Leghorns. Light mediterannean breeds all tend to be 'flighty' just cause they're lighter and therefore more able to fly. My Leghorns were very noisy when I first got them but once they settled in (a couple of weeks) they are now no more noisy than my other birds. They are every bit as nosy and friendly as my other birds when it comes to following me around and coming up to me for treats, but they don't like being picked up and will continue to screech and struggle long after my other birds would have submitted and calmed down. Also they can fly but don't tend to do so any more than my other birds, who will all manage to crest a 6' fence if they really want to, well, all apart from my fat Cuckoo Marans who can barely get a foot off the ground...

 

[Magic Birdie]

If you play with them a lot while they're young, they will be more tame and less flighty

 

[Magic Birdie]

Quote:
Pretty!

 

[Hottchick]

I have one white Leghorn that I call my "dog chicken". She follows me around the pen and if I don't pay attention to her she will peck my leg, like "Look, here I am, down here". If I sit down somewhere she will fly into my lap. If I pick her up she will sit with me forever. Sweetest thing in the world.
And I love her big, floppy comb.