Should I keep the Brown Leghorns / Welsummers / WHAT ELSE?

[GiddyMoon]

I ordered a Meyer Pullet Rainbow Pack and overall I am happy with it. I knew that if there were too many of a certain kind I would sell them off and get down to 10-15. It seems I have 4 brown leghorns....or welsummers???..and to be honest..they are VERY flighty. They start all kinds of panic among the rest.

You leghorn people out there, please tell me if I should keep them or thin them out? Will they calm down at all? I know they are supposed to be good egg layers..I am just not sure if I want a bunch of leghorns getting everyone to run all the time.

 

[newchik715]

i HATE my leghorns and am also wondering if they will calm down at all....they rile evryone up and are more flighty then i ever thought possible. i will be watching this thread to see if people with older leghorns respond. as it is now i am planning chicken dinners for my meat eating family now.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Quote:
Yep..this is what I found too. I finally had to separate the larger chicks and leghorns, from the ones who are smaller..they would flare everyone up over the littlest thing and cause stampedes. We only had them like 4 days in the original brooder and then moved them into a 5x5 whelping box into the garage. I guess it is kind of a "blessing" I really did not want 27 birds first thing, but I did want to experience ordering and caring for the chicks for the boys. This will make it easier to sell 7 birds right here. My son wanted leghorns..not sure why..so maybe I will keep one white and one brown..maybe

 

[GiddyMoon]

Still hoping for advice

 

[CityClucks]

If you are trying to downsize why not go ahead and sell them? I think you'd get responses on them quickly if there are four - someone who is looking forward to having great layers but doesn't care as much about "bonding" with their hens would probably love to have them, and they are very attractive birds.

 

[chics in the sun]

I only have one White Leghorn, and she was always the first to fly up, but not particularly panicky. She is one of my favorite chickens now, even though I didn't intend to have a Leghorn. She was handled a lot and now she is a great pet and a GREAT layer of nice white eggs. I've been thinking about getting some brown or Exechuer ones for a while now....

 

[FarmerJohn3285]

My leghorns (5hens,1roo) were never handled before I got them. It took maybe 2 weeks for them to get comfortable enough to come up to me. BUT, now they are the first to come running for treats or to just greet us when we get home. Don't get me wrong, they still fright very easily but they don't take off running or just completely "ignore" me like they did when I first got them.

I love them because they are the most economical LF eater, with a good feed to egg ratio and their eggs are very LARGE. Hope this helps?

 

[Domestic_goddess]

I first ordered brown leghorns 2 years ago. Hate might be a strong word, but I really do not like them! They are flighty and skiddish, it didn't matter how much I handled them. I have 6 foot fence around my coop/barn and they can easily fly over it, my coop is a barn really. I've seen them fly onto the roof of the barn easily. Not only that they didn't lay as well as I thought or heard they did. They've actually have done better laying in there 2nd year, then they did in thier 1st yr. One good thing about them is that because they can fly well and they can get away from predators easier and that makes them great as foragers. I will never buy anymore!

and trying to catch them is a whole other ball game...very difficult!!!

 

[bkreugar]

I have leghorns that were GIVEN to me, a mom (now 5) and her 3 babies. ALL lay. But I could NEVER ever catch em without cornering em and a LOT of effort. They do lay, but they also like to lay in other places more than my ohter guys. HOWEVER in 3 years I have never lost one of them to a predator of any sort and they free range.

Yea I agree they are flighty and I would not buy em or replace em, not a favorite bird of mine for sure. But I think the flightines is what keeps them from the predators.

 

[littlesara11]

I agree with you about the leg horns being flighty, but this gives them a strong sense of self preservation so they escape predators. If you want pet chickens these are not he ones to buy.