white leghorns - prolific layers or not?

[technodoll]

While I love my sweet and silly "flock o'seagulls" white leghorn gals, I cannot say that I've been blown away by their reputed egg-laying abilities...

I get about 3 eggs per week from my girls, at most - if even that.

Yes they are big beautiful eggs, but still!!

My girls are just over a year old, got them last September at point of lay.

They are healthy, free-range all day and I've never found any eggs laid elsewhere other than in the coop nests.

Winter lay rate, when they are locked inside, is the same.

My old production reds and blacks and even my mixed mutt girls lay much more than these girls!

Any idea if their reputation is over-rated, or did I just get lazy girls?

Oh, and this is Daisy - latest white leghorn addition to our flock, she's 6 months old and the only one that lays one egg a day since she started laying about 3 weeks ago:

Such a pretty lady!

 

[Zaxby's2]

A lot of comercial egg layers are made to lay extremely well the first year and then be culled, so it might be an age thing, but still it's odd that your birds are doing this. Hope someone else will have a better answer. Good luck! Your leghorn is very pretty!

 

[Alabama ee]

Some breeders breed for a certain look vs egg laying ability. The ones you have might have been bred to look good but
not so much for egg laying.

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
Hello there,
A common misconsecption is that standard-bred birds don't produce. In most cases this is incorrect. I can tell you that the lovely hen pictured is not a standard bred leghorn but a production version; a better layer in most cases. Another thing is what breed we aRe we talking? A dual purpose? Or in this case an egg laying breed? A in all cases a egg laying breed should be the better layer, but in hatchery birds they all seem to be pretty even. And not much size to them.

I also agree with Zaxbe's2.

 

[chickenbottom]

my white leghorns are almost three and from what i hear they are laying everyday

 

[technodoll]

My girls are definitely from a production strain, the farm that breeds them supplies the egg farmers in the area...

From their first egg, three of my four girls never laid more than 3, maybe 4, eggs per week.

They're only 14 months old.

I'd love to have those big, white eggs every day but it's a hit or miss - I don't get it.

I have production reds that are 3 years old and still lay 5 eggs a week

 

[deerman]

Quote:
The white leghorn ,lay great 6 months to 18 months, but that with a good layer feed (nothing else) and a control temp year around.. my guess your cooler temp .will hurt egg production , and its well known that production are better layer for cooler area

 

[featherz]

My leghorns are a year old and lay an egg each every single day. Not sure they've ever missed a day, even in the winter! I know they'll burn out sooner, which is sad since they are really nice birds.

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
The white leghorn ,lay great 6 months to 18 months, but that with a good layer feed (nothing else) and a control temp year around.. my guess your cooler temp .will hurt egg production , and its well known that production are better layer for cooler area

Well it's been sweltering hot here the past 2 months, and the flock's never been cold... in the winter they live in a heated barn, so the temps aren't an issue.

I guess I just have lazy leghorns

 

[donrae]

I've only had brown leghorns, but they're great layers. I'd go on a serious egg hunt wherever they range. I can't imagine your hens laying that little, esp from production lines. No commercial set-up would tolerate such low rate of lay.