White Leghorn, the forgotten breed

[Carrie Lynn]

That roo is gorgeous!

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

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I have Meyer Hatchery White Leghorns. I got them with two other breeds and a "mixed assortment". The WL started laying first. I have ten of those gals. I was getting 8 to 10 eggs everyday until the first week of 100+ degree temperatures. They lounged around under the elevated house. If I wasn't bringing them food or water, nobody was getting up to see what I had, lol.

The WL girls are thinking about returning to regular laying. One of them laid a tiny pullet egg. It was literally marble-sized. It is normal for these hens to give me Large or Extra Large eggs. I swear they lay eggs bigger than their heads! But then I guess they don't need a large brain to lay an egg every day!

Oops, forgot to say: this batch of birds hatched and shipped the week of September 21, 2010. Probably the snow held them back from the "normal" 16+ weeks of start of lay. By the end of February 2011 they were pretty much laying.

 

[LisaAnnW]

What a great picture - it looks surreal! Your boys are beautiful.

A.T. Hagan :

I like my Leggerns (yes, I know how it's really spelled). They produce more eggs on less feed and under all conditions than any other breed I've ever kept.

There is a prejudice against white eggs to be sure, but it can be overcome.

I don't have a good shot of the girls but here's one of a couple of the boys in the rooster pen I took the other day. The colored ones are ISA Brown boys.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-.../vjDnyd63PeY/s512/2011-08-06%252018.17.28.jpg​

 

[LisaAnnW]

He's stunning!

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[FarmerJohn3285]

Check out this HUGE egg laid by one of our youngest leghorns.

 

[blkpoodles]

i only have 1 white leg horn who i think, thinks shes a silkie lol. she stays with my silkies and helps protect them all even my silkie roo. i rescued her from poor conditions in the spring. i dont know much about her breed besides they are egg producers lol, i let her along with everyone free range and the moment she sees anyone she runs up and talks to us, man is she vocal. when i got her she was loaded and i mean loaded with mites, she even started to get scaly legs, the others i got with her had to get put down, shes the only survivor and is proud to be here, she never seen grass or real dirt or felt the warm sun till she got here, they all lived in a small part of a barn with poopy floors and a window to look out of. we named her Cinderella(dont ask why but my husband named her) she's a great bird, very happy we got her out of those bad conditions

 

[nicalandia]

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Forgotten..? there are Billions of them...

 

[Gresh]

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Forgotten..? there are Billions of them...

LOL, that's what I thought! If there's any chicken in the world that will never go extinct, it's the White Leghorn

However, I will agree that there needs to be more breeder-quality Leghorns out there to preserve the best of their genetics. Hatchery Leghorns and Commercial Leghorns are a poor representation of the breed.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I just saw White Leghorns for the first time at a show in Victorville, Ca. I was really amazed at how beautiful they are. I don't hear much of them on these threads....I guess they're considered ordinary so not too sought after. They were so bright white, clean, and just gorgeous!!

 

[FarmerJohn3285]

Quote:
Forgotten..? there are Billions of them...

LOL, that's what I thought! If there's any chicken in the world that will never go extinct, it's the White Leghorn

However, I will agree that there needs to be more breeder-quality Leghorns out there to preserve the best of their genetics. Hatchery Leghorns and Commercial Leghorns are a poor representation of the breed.

Thats what she was talking about...the breeder quality--