White Leghorn, the forgotten breed

[Peep-Chicken]

she must be a spring baby. they take a whole year to start laying. you will see the big combs at about 9 to 10 months. if they hatched in the summer they would have started laying at about now. 

Okay cool. She hatched in June.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I couldn't help, but video my leghorn gal trying to make the perfect nest. (don't mind the mess: she's dirty from running in the mud since the snow was starting to melt, my young cockerel made a mess of my nest boxes trying to sleep in them, and it was coop cleaning day. that's how I caught her )

 

[yellowchicks]

Here is one of my 7 month old Leghorns, "Orange". She is a reluctant house chicken, but also hates the snow. However, the minute I opened the patio door, she flew back to the coop, diaper and all.

 

[BrendaJ]

I love my leghorns - great layers with some spunky attitudes

 

[Sonya9]

So I have been reading up on leghorns as I really really need a couple of good layers and fate stepped in....

Was looking on craigslist for items that would make for good chicken run "furniture" that the birds could roost on and get shade under. Saw an ad for a "white bantam with hutch".

I do love bantams, I have 4 oeg bantams that I adore however I need eggs! But I call the ad anyway to find out more about the hutch the lady is selling with the bantam. The lady tells me the she is very tiny and lays a giant egg almost every day, so big they won't fit into an egg carton, and she also has the cutest little "floppy" comb.

So today I went and got me the bird (yes she is a leghorn). Question, the lady also gave me the egg she laid today and it is huge, it would not fit into a carton. Lady said the this bird was with a flock of chicks she bought last spring from McMurrey hatchery. I thought leghorns did NOT lay oversized eggs the first 1.5 years, and that is one of the reasons the battery houses kill them all around that age, because the eggs become too large for regular cartons. I have had golden comet type pullets lay eggs this big at under a year though.

Does the giant egg size mean anything age wise? Is this little hen likely a year old? Or does the size suggest older? Either way I adore her and she is quite beautiful. I ended up not getting the hutch (that the bird spent her entire life in), hopefully she will be much happier with a large run and some friends. Fortunately the run already has netting on top for the OEGBs.

 

[FVRM]

yes she is probably 1 year old already. Mine waited until they were one year old to lay and their first egg was huge instead of the pullet sized eggs.

 

[Sonya9]

yes she is probably 1 year old already. Mine waited until they were one year old to lay and their first egg was huge instead of the pullet sized eggs.

Oh I figure she is a year (at least) since she was bought in the spring. I am just wondering if she is really TWO years old and her laying days (and possibly her health) are going to decline soon. I have heard the white leghorns lay a lot and stop young, and that they usually don't live very long.

She looks great though, definitely not neglected even though she lived her life in a 4 x 4 foot cage. She does seem very alert too, I brought her home in a cat carrier and offered her a dish of feed mixed with egg/yogurt (she is staying in the carrier tonight). She gave me a stern peck when I dared try to touch her....and then ate shortly after.

Also the lady has been feeding her medicated chick feed her whole life, she even gave me a small unopened bag of chick feed. I did not give her that.

 

[yudash2000]

While our girls (2 leghorns and 2 wyandottes) continue to delay their egg-laying despite our spoiling them, at least we can enjoy them as they play in the yard.

 

[sandesnow]

So... new to Leghorns. Just got 3 a few weeks ago and one of the pullets has such a huge and floppy comb, it almost makes me wonder if it is a pullet! Is this a normal trait? Also, as I am figuring these are production leghorns, what age do they start laying and how long is their life expectancy?

In the past I have had Red Sex links, and when I went to order 3 more pullets, I was asked if I wanted the Reds or the Whites.. Not thinking I just said white, but have always had other brown laying pullets/hens. When I called back, I was told they were leghorns. I have to say though, that after 3 weeks, they are fairly friendly pullets and I think I am going to enjoy having them in my flock. I have an EE Rooster, 3 EE/Sex link mix pullets, 5 Sex link hens (Two of which are 2+years old and at the end of their laying) and now these three. (Plus... I hatched out 6 HRIR 3 weeks ago! Fingers crossed I get mostly hens, but certainly want a Rooster out of the batch to keep.)

 

[yudash2000]

Our leghorns just started laying this week at just over 6 months. One has a semi floppy comb, the other has a red upright comb. Not uncommon to have floppy comb that I know of. They are very curious and adventurous. Certainly not afraid of us!