White Leghorn's What Are They Like?

[Patchesnposies]

We have an opportunity to buy about 20 leghorn POL pullets to add to our laying flock. Our egg selling business has been growing and we could really use some more laying hens to meet the demands of our customers.

We have 10 BO, 9 EE, 4 RIR, and recently got 12 production reds, who are just beginning to lay.

We just put the new production reds in with our original 20 layers who are about 5 mos older than the new ones and everyone is getting along fine, despite my worries.

I don't know anything about leghorns and I am wondering if they will be a good fit with our birds.

Anyone care to share the good, bad and the ugly about their experience with this breed?

Thanks!

Deb

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I LOVE my White Leghorn pullets. I have ONE roo and about 5 hens.
The eggs are nice and big and white. The birds are relatively small and they are gentle and not flighty at all.

 

[okiehen]

Wonderful layers and the eggs just keep getting better.
Easy on feed.. But can be wildly flighty. And go screaming if you bother them while on the nest.
If you need white eggs this is the breed even with the way they are. They inter act fine with other chickens. And it makes it better for them if you have calm mellow breeds with them.

 

[horsejody]

Mine were great layers. I am getting more in the spring. Those things were machines when it came to laying.

 

[andehens]

I used to have a flock of just leghorns, I loved the hens, the roosters not so much! The hens were egg machines!

eta: where I lived then I could free range them and they did great!

 

[miss_jayne]

glad to see this thread, i too wanted more info on 'real life' not 'book info' with white leghorns. i have 28 developing in the bator right now and look forward to some of these beauties.

we have brown leghorns now, and they are not flighty or psycho, but they don't socialize with 'the humans' as much as the other chickens.

 

[frizzylizzy]

I have 2 that were raised in the house, and yes, they are very flighty. They panic when they feel cornered, but I love them. They are beautiful birds with their red combs flopped over to the side and lay very consistently. They are not mean to the other chickens, in fact they are the ones that get beat up if any one else is in a bad mood. They are good free rangers.

Elizabeth

 

[amazondoc]

This won't apply for you, but for other folks who might want to know about leghorns in general --

I have a trio of bantam white leghorns. I think they are all nice looking birds, and mine -- which are show bred -- are not at ALL flighty or nervous. The roo seems to be roo aggressive, and keeps bloodying up his comb despite being kept inside a separate cage within the main chicken pen. But he is easy to handle.

I have ordered some large fowl Exchequer leghorns for spring, mostly because I'm a sucker for all the mottled/speckled/spangled type color patterns.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Thanks for the prompt in-put, everyone. It sounds like, as far as egg production goes, these little ladies will be a big asset.

One of the things I've loved about our original flock is that they are all beloved pets and have names, we know their personalities, etc...the kids can even tell who is who (I fake it a lot, because to me a BO looks like every other BO! LOL). These ones are all lap chickens.

I've worried that we will mess up the fowl feng shui adding so many new birds.

The new prod. reds are all getting very used to us already and know we are the bringer-of-treats-however, this morning I tried to pet one as she sat on the nest (like I would my other girls) and to my great surprise (and obviously HERS) she flapped away with a tremendous squawk and told me off in great indignation!

I imagine the WLH's will get used to us too. I hope the fact our other birds are very calm will help them not be flighty.

I am thinking we will take these new birds. Thanks to all for sharing your experiences!

Much appreciated!

Deb

 

[CountryMom]

We have two - one leghorn and one Ideal 236 (?). Anyhow, they are flighty, but not mean at all. Once they go to perch at night you can go pet them and hold them no problem. They just don't like being picked up when they are out and about free ranging. And yes, they are kinda low on the pecking order but never to the extent of being bald of feathers. They just quickly get outa the way.

The kids tried to make lap pets out of them, but they just are not lap pets. However, once my kids figured out that they are a blast to watch, then they all sit back and watch the birds. These two we have are so comical it isn't funny. They are great foragers and easy on the feed. They have laid since 18 weeks of age and continue to even in cold spells.