White leghorn hen from commercial poultry house

[Tootie123]

My grandson rescued a white leghorn hen from a commercial poultry house that
raised chicken for their meat.
This hen is about 20 weeks old but hasn't started laying any eggs. Would there
be a reason why a hen raised for meat would not lay eggs, breed differently?
Thought all hens would lay eggs!!
Tootie123

 

[CindyJeann]

Some breeds lay lots of eggs. Some breeds grow real fast and big and are good for meat. Some chickens lay lots of eggs and grow big but they don't grow fast. If it grows fast enough for commercial meat production it probably won't be good for anything else.

Also if it came from a commercial chicken house it's not a leghorn. It a broiler hybrid. The old Cobb hybrid was a white cornish/white rock cross. Cornish are not know for their egg laying abilities. Cornish are known for thier large breasts.

 

[sourland]

If the hen was 'rescued' from a commercial meat growing house, it is not a leghorn. They are not raised for meat for a vaiety of reasons. She is most likely a broiler cross of some sort and will not lay eggs until much older.

 

[Tootie123]

Okay, didn't know that....thought since she was white she was a leghorn.
That is good information. Yes, my grandson was working at a chicken
house and this chicken had a hurt leg so they were going to destroy it so
he brought it home.
Well won't expect her to lay eggs any time soon. Wonder when she would
begin to lay? Any idea? She is quite large so guess she was raised for
broiler chicken.
Tootie123

 

[defenestration]

If it is indeed a broiler chicken (Cornish Rock, etc.) its going to have a rather short lifespan (meat chickens are slaughtered at 21 weeks for conventional chickens and 6 weeks (!) or so for fast-growing broilers like the Cornish Rock). Cornish Rocks in particular are known for being entirely useless except for meat, as they grow really fast and so never properly develop.


Quote: (http://www.hffinc.com/EggLayers.htm, see section "Cornish Super Giants"

 

[Tootie123]

Well that is good to know....will see about getting her slaughtered.
Thanks