Leghorns originated in Central Italy and were originally bred for their egg laying abilities. They come in a range of colours including black, brown, blue, buff and white, which is the most common. They’re a very hardy bird and tolerate most climates well. The chicks are particularly robust, as they feather up quicker than the average, which increases their survival rate in the early days. Leghorns are natural foragers and always do best in free range environments where they can roam and remain active. Showing Leghorns
While we wouldn’t recommend a small suburban backyard owner choose a Leghorn rooster, due to their enthusiastic crowing, as far as a show bird goes, they sure love the limelight! The Poodle and The Hen Leghorns worthy of competing in poultry shows will have the following:
- Bright red wattles and comb with thick, even serrations
- White, flat lobes free of creases
- Sizeable length in both the body and legs
- Pure white feathers (we breed standard whites)
- Tall, broad shoulders and chest
- An overall impressive size
To enhance the vibrancy of these birds we ensure they’re raised on a premium poultry mix that is high in protein, vitamins and minerals and they free range on green grass daily. The natural yellow pigment in a Leghorn’s legs is further enhanced when they can absorb the pigments in fresh green grass.
With regular handling, Leghorns are very manageable birds and rarely aggressive. There’s a reason a Leghorn will often take out top prizes at poultry competitions, and that’s because they love to show off and flap their wings. They remain alert and rarely will cower in the cages, proudly keeping their full potential on display.
Another reason Leghorns do well is because of their striking features and easily recognisable appearance. As such an established breed of fowl they will often spark the attention of judges.
Leghorns as Layers
Leghorns certainly don’t need to be limited to showing, as hens and their egg laying abilities will keep any household very happy. Leghorns are prolific layers, comfortably laying 280 eggs a year in their prime. They rarely will go broody which is why you can expect so many eggs. Their eggs are large, white and weigh up to 70g on average. Typically, the only time a Leghorn hen will go off the lay is during moulting season. Most commercial egg laying breeds will have some detectable strains of Leghorn in their genetic lineage.Though Leghorns aren’t the best brooders, the eggs themselves have great fertility and hatch-ability results. We would recommend removing the eggs from the hens and incubating or using a brooder hen such as a Game Fowl or Silkie, if you’re looking to breed.
While their counterparts are noisy crowers, Leghorn hens are much quieter birds and rarely need much maintenance. They can be a little flighty but with regular handling they can become very friendly pets to keep.
Leghorns as Dual Purpose Birds
While it’s common knowledge that Leghorns are fantastic layers, we often find Leghorns are highly under estimated as meat birds. Leghorns as we know them today in the exhibition world have been bred to impressive sizes that convert to an impressive table bird too. Fully matured females can reach up to 3.5kgs whereas males can grow to over 4kgs.
As a meat bird, they have a fantastic long frame and large thigh meat. Due to their white plumage, the meat presents beautifully and clean without any dark pin feathers to blemish the skin. We have trialled crossing these birds with more traditional meat bird breeds such as Sussex and Indian Game and have had fantastic results in the quality of meat produced.
We have shared more details and results of this cross breeding experiment over on our social media.