White Leghorns, pros & cons??

[lilnursetara]

I just found out that my 6 chicks are White Leghorns. I'd like to hear from other White leghorn owners since I am BRAND new to raising chickens. Pros & cons? Can I put other breeds in the same coop with my white leghorns, if so what breeds get along best?
Thanks for the info!!

 

[redsoxs]

Pros:
Light eaters thus cheaper to keep
Egg laying machines!

Cons:
Noisy
Flighty
Not too fond of people

I think any chicken would get along with any other chicken if introduced properly. Good luck to you!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I LOVE my leghorns. My white leghorn is by far the best layer I have ever had in frequency, consistency and size. I plan to get more in the future and would have a whole flock of them if I had the space for more birds. I also feel like the are very curious and a bit braver than my other hens, which I enjoy. They were skittish when I first got them but I was able to tame them with a little effort and they all eat out of my hand now.

Downside: they can fly very well. Mine can get onto the roof of my house (I learned this durring a neighbor dog incident) and could easily clear a 4 ft fence even with a clipped wing. They do not wander out of sight of the rest of the flock though so while they would go for adventures they would stay close and always go back home. I now have them in a covered run due to hawks but used to free range.

 

[lilnursetara]

Thank you... I am very excited!

 

[shmccarthy]

This is my first time owning leghorns and so far I love them! Mine are 6.5 weeks old and they are such sweet hearts. All 3 of them are pullets and they jump into my lap when I sit near them. I heard they're pretty frequent layers.
Edit: this is Luna, resting on my leg

 

[lilnursetara]

She is very pretty.... I think the white leghorns are beautiful! I want to get some plymouth rocks.... they're gorgeous also.

 

[mohawkbrian]

Pros
good feed egg ratio
egg laying machine
not aggressive
handsome
cockerels crow is very loud

cons
flighty
not for the inexperienced
Can be bullied
non sitters
noisy

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Pros
good feed egg ratio
egg laying machine
not aggressive
handsome
cockerels crow is very loud

cons
flighty
not for the inexperienced
Can be bullied
non sitters
noisy

I am curious as to why you list them as not for the inexperienced? I ask because I started with white leghorn pullets as my very first birds and did not experience them to be difficult to have any special needs other than a higher fence. Having now experience a number of other breeds I consider the leghorns to be one of the easier. Just wondering what your experience has been?

 

[mohawkbrian]

Different strains behave differently but usually leghorns are timid and flighty and so not for the inexperienced but as with anything there are exceptions. You may have spent tine with yours building up trust .

 

[lilnursetara]

Here are some updated pictures of my white leghorns at 4.5 weeks.