Leghorn chickens: Stunning egg-laying fowl that come in every color
Leghorn chickens are one of the most common chickens in the world, but they are anything but ordinary. Leghorn chickens come in over 10 different varieties and 30 different colors. Whatever’s your fancy, you can find it in a leghorn.
Leghorns lay an exorbitant amount of eggs and forage well. These chickens, though flighty and sometimes difficult to handle, are often described as inquisitive, funny, and sweet.
Are these charismatic beauties right for your backyard? I’ve compiled information from far and wide to help you decide. In this article, you will learn the following:
What Leghorn chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns
Climate considerations for Leghorn chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Leghorn temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Leghorn Chicken Facts
Category: Eggs
Origin: Italy
Egg laying ability: Exceptional
Broodiness: Low
Meat production: Poor
Cold tolerance: Poor-moderate
Heat tolerance: Exceptional
Predator evasion: Good to exceptional
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Low-moderate
Temperament: Flighty, active
Aggression toward flock members: Variable
Noise level: Moderate-high
Origin of Leghorn Chickens
Leghorn chickens have an interesting origin story. Because they are such amazing layers, this breed has gone through a lot of development in many different countries. Some of the chickens continued to be bred for maximum egg production. Others were bred for aesthetic purposes to be displayed in exhibitions.
“This breed, especially the white variety, has long been one of the most popular in the world, thanks to the Leghorn’s exceptional laying ability, adaptability, and hardiness.”
The chickens originated in Italy as a common country fowl. In the 19th century, the chickens were exported all over Europe. They were shipped from the Italian port city of Livorno. The name “Leghorn” is an English/German variant of the name “Livorno.”
Interestingly, the first Leghorns in the UK where actually imported from America, not Italy. America first had Leghorns imported from Italy in 1835, and some of this stock was later exported from America to Britain in the 1870s.
In the 20th century, the factory farming industry bred leghorns only for production, so these chickens lost a lot of their hardiness. Both types of Leghorns are still around in the U.S. (the commercial producer and the hardy farm fowl). The farm fowl Leghorns are classified as “Recovering” by the Livestock Conservancy.
What do Leghorn Chickens look like?
Leghorn chickens come in numerous varieties and colors. The American Poultry Association recognizes 16 standard varieties and 17 bantam (i.e., miniature) varieties. Unofficial varieties can also be found, such as the Exchequer Leghorn, a beautiful black and white variety that first originated in Scotland.
How big do Leghorn chickens get?
Roosters: 6 lbs
Hens: 4.5 lbs
Bantam roosters: 26 oz
Bantam hens: 22 oz
What feather colors and patterns do Leghorn chickens have?
Leghorn varieties are based on 3 separate characteristics: comb type, feather pattern, and feather color.
Leghorns come with 2 different comb types, rose and single (more on this in the climate section below).
The most common feather color and pattern varieties are listed below:
Leghorns with single combs or rose combs
Black
Buff
Buff Columbian
Columbian
Dark brown
Exchequer
Light brown
Silver
White
Leghorns with single combs only
Black-tailed red
Blue
Golden
Mille fleur
Red
Leghorns with rose combs only
Dominique
Leghorns may be found in about 30 color variations when “unofficial” varieties are taken into account.
The most common variety of Leghorn is the White Leghorn, seen in the YouTube video below.
Single comb Brown Leghorns are also common.
Below are a few videos of less common varieties.
Rose comb Buff Leghorns
Bantam Blue Leghorns
Exchequer Leghorns
Red Leghorns
Silver Leghorns
What is notable about Leghorn chickens?
The single comb variety of Leghorns have a medium- to large-sized comb with five points. In roosters, all five of the points stand upright, ideally. You will see roosters with floppy combs, however (for an example, see the video in the climate section below).
In hens, the first point (at the front of the comb) stands upright, and the other four points flop to one side. However, you will find hens with completely floppy combs as well. (And they are soo cute.)
What do Leghorn chicks look like?
Just like adults, chicks come in a variety of colors. Below are videos of a few different varieties of chicks: White Leghorns, Brown Leghorns and Exchequer Leghorns, respectively.
Leghorn Chicken Growth
Leghorn chickens mature early and grow quickly, relative to many other chicken breeds.
You may be able to tell the sex of your Leghorns as early as 3-4 weeks by comb size and sometimes color (but don’t count on this).
To see how a leghorn grows week-by-week, check out these photographs by the University of Nebraska.
Are you getting Leghorn chicks?
Share your photos, week by week!
Leghorn Chickens and Egg Laying
Egg color: White
Egg size: Medium-large
Age of lay: 5 months
Eggs/week: 3-6
Eggs/year: 150-300 (depends on the strain)
Leghorn chickens are one of the best egg producers available. Some Leghorns will even lay through the winter, although usually at a lower rate.
Egg production, however, will vary depending on the variety and strain of chicken. White Leghorns typically lay more eggs than other varieties. And, of course, production strains will lay more than exhibition strains.
Want to see a Leghorn lay an egg? Check out the White Leghorn in the video below.
Broodiness: Do Leghorn hens want to hatch their eggs?
Most Leghorn chickens have no interest in brooding and hatching chicks. This trait has been mostly bred out of them. Of course, you will always find exceptions.
Leghorn chickens: A fairly hardy breed
How do Leghorn chickens do in the heat?
Leghorn chickens originated in the warm climates of the Mediterranean. This means that they generally do very well in the heat, much better than most breeds of chickens. They will, however, still need to have access to shade and fresh, cold water at all times.
How do Leghorn chickens do in the cold?
Leghorn chickens tend to be hardy, so most will survive the cold. However, the single comb variety will not thrive in the cold. The combs get frostbite, which is incredibly painful for chickens.
On the other hand, the Rose comb variety of Leghorn fares much better in cold temperatures. Rose combs are smaller and lay close to the head, so they retain more heat than single combs.
Want to see what I mean about this difference in size? Check out the two videos below. The first video shows a White Leghorn rooster with a large single comb. Compare this rooster to the Leghorns in the second video, which are rose comb Buff Columbian Leghorns. You can see just how radically different their combs are and why the former is at risk for serious frostbite and the latter is not.
Keep in mind that Leghorns with large wattles (many roosters) may also get frostbitten wattles. So, even if you have a rose comb variety, your birds may still end up with painful frostbite. You may need to consider a heated coop.
You’ll definitely want to consider hanging Sweeter Heaters over your roosting bars. You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here. I hang Sweeter Heaters in all my coops, even for my cold hardy breeds, and I can’t recommend them enough.
Leghorn chickens vs. predators
Leghorn chickens can be very good at avoiding predators. These chickens are very alert, flighty, and fast. Unlike most other chicken breeds, they are very lightweight and they can (and do) fly when threatened.
However, in some environments with a predator load, White Leghorns may not be a good choice, simply because they are white and stick out. In the chicken world, this is called “white girl problems,” and is true of all white chickens, not just Leghorns. Many times, they just don’t blend in.
The rose comb varieties of Leghorn may also be better at predator evasion, simply because their vision is not blocked by a floppy comb.
Leghorn chickens: Darn good foragers
The Leghorn breed forages well. If given the opportunity, Leghorns will get much of their food from foraging rather than commercial feed.
And they just don’t need as much food as many other breeds anyway. In the chicken-keeping world, they are said to have a high feed-to-egg conversion ratio. Leghorns may have the best feed-to-egg conversion ratio of any purebred chickens.
Many Leghorn keepers also claim that Leghorns scratch things up very well and very quickly. One chicken keeper says that her chickens “will turn a pile of leaves into dust in about a week.” They are excellent chickens to aid in composting.
Widespread myth: Leghorns do well in confinement
You will often hear and read that Leghorn chickens do very well in confinement.
And one of the reasons Leghorns became so popular as factory farm chickens is because they still have excellent egg production in confinement. However, many of these chickens also have to have their beaks partially cut off so they don’t peck and cannibalize each other to death in confinement.
So, I ask you, are they doing well in confinement? This is not a behavior you see in free-ranging Leghorns.
If you raise Leghorn chickens in a small yard or run, they will always be trying to escape their confinement. They are known to easily fly over 6-foot high fences, and they will do so if there is no roof keeping them inside the run.
Many chicken keepers have been perplexed at how their Leghorns (and only their Leghorns) manage to escape their coops and runs. One chicken keeper said of her Leghorn hen, “She always manages to get out of my electric fencing, even though no other chicken escapes.” Another keeper has nicknamed her hen “Jailbreak.”
Leghorn chickens are naturally energetic and inquisitive. They are true adventurers at heart. One chicken keeper said of her Leghorns, “They are the first out the door in the morning and the last back in.”
So, I am challenging the common proclamation that Leghorns do well in confinement. They may survive in confinement, but they are not content in confinement.
If you have a small yard or run, and you are dead set on getting Leghorn chickens, go for one of the Bantam (i.e., miniature) varieties.
Leghorn chicken temperament:
Just what kind of birds are they?
“If one approaches them calmly, they can become reasonably tame, though never tame enough to be picked up, and most of them remain rather stand-offish and mistrusting.”
You’ll often hear Leghorns described as “high strung.” I think alert, energetic, cautious, and intelligent are much better descriptions.
Leghorn chickens aren’t naturally lap chickens. Some strains may be more docile than others, but most Leghorns aren’t going to be crazy about being picked up or even touched. However, if you handle your Leghorns frequently, you may be able to transform them into calmer and more docile birds.
If you really want a cuddly chicken, though, this isn’t the best breed for that, unless you get a bantam variety. In general, Leghorn Bantam chickens tend to be calmer and more docile than the standard size birds.
Many Leghorns have “big personalities.” Because they are such curious and reactive birds, they’re often described as funny.
One chicken keeper said of her Leghorns, “They are stinkers! Mischievous, so intelligent.” She said of her hen, “I know I’ll never ever have another chicken like my Judy. If it wasn’t for my husband as my witness, people just would not believe the stories about her. She’s an amazing creature.”
How are Leghorn chickens around children?
If you want your chickens to interact with your children, don’t get Leghorns. Because most Leghorn chickens don’t like to be touched or handled, they will be under extreme stress if your children won’t leave them alone. Your children will also be very disappointed that their chickens don’t like them.
Leghorn chickens generally aren’t aggressive towards children—so that is not something you have to worry about with these birds.
How well do Leghorn chickens get along with other chickens?
The evidence is mixed. Some Leghorns get along very well with other chickens. Others don’t. One chicken keeper told the story of her Silver Leghorn hen, Plucky, saying she “is very aggressive to my other hens. When she wants ‘her’ nesting box, she has pulled another hen out of the box by her comb and has bloodied the more docile hen’s face.”
However, if you have a lot of space in your coop and run, and if you have enough nesting boxes, your Leghorns are much less likely to be aggressive. If you coop up a flighty and adventurous bird, she will get cranky.
Are Leghorn roosters aggressive to people?
Any individual rooster of any breed can be aggressive (or, more often, defensive—yes, there’s a difference), but Leghorn roosters certainly aren’t known for aggression. Leghorn roosters, like hens, are flighty. They are more likely to avoid conflict with people rather than start it.
Leghorn chickens: Are they noisy?
Some Leghorn chickens are noisier than the average chicken. They are particularly noisy around egg-laying time. While this is true of most hens, Leghorns seem to go to the extreme.
One chicken keeper said, “White Leghorn hens have vocal cords unlike any other. My coop sounds like a jungle in the morning during egg hours. Because their sound is more like a jungle bird than chicken cackling.”
Leghorn chicken health problems and life expectancy
An average chicken living in ideal conditions may live for 5-8 or more years. Leghorns can live this long too, but may have a lower than average life expectancy simply because their high egg production takes a toll on their bodies.
Below is a video of a chicken keeper’s beloved White Leghorn hen, Deckie. The video documents Deckie’s 4-month battle against egg yolk peritonitis (sadly, she succumbed). Egg yolk peritonitis can, unfortunately, be a problem in any productive egg-laying breed.
Breeds you may want instead of Leghorns
Leghorn crosses: Amazing hybrid breeds made for the backyard
When Leghorns are bred with other breeds of chickens, they produce offspring with “hybrid vigor.” These hybrid offspring often get the best qualities of both parents.
Popular Leghorn crosses include:
ISA Browns. These are sex link birds, likely developed from Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, and Rhode Island White crosses, although the company that has copyrighted them is secretive about the details. These chickens have extremely high egg production.
White Stars. These are bred from different lines of White Leghorn that are different enough to still be considered “crosses.”
Austra Whites. These are crosses between Black Australorp roosters and White Leghorn hens. These chickens are much more docile than Leghorns, while still maintaining high egg production.
California Whites. These are crosses between a California Gray rooster (part Barred Rock, part White Leghorn) and a White Leghorn hen. These are sex link chickens.
Red Sex Links. Although many different crosses may be considered Red Sex Links, one popular variety is a cross between a Rhode Island Red male and a White Leghorn hen.
I, personally, love sex link chickens. When you order hens, you know you are actually getting hens because the male and female chicks have different colors on them.
When you order female chicks (that aren’t sex links), you so often end up with some roosters anyway. You might not know know what to do with the roosters. Roosters are illegal in many cities, and you will find it’s nearly impossible to re-home your roosters.
So, if you’re worried about what you would do with roosters, definitely consider sex links, whether they be California Whites, Red Sex Links, or any other variety. You can avoid the rooster problem altogether.
Breeds similar to Leghorns
Want an even hardier breed than Leghorns that does better in cold and wet weather? Try the Ancona chicken. Check out my article, Ancona chickens: The homesteader’s best kept secret.
Want Leghorns but really had your heart set on more docile chickens? Try the Austra White chicken.
Want a breed that lays as well as the Leghorn but gives you brown eggs instead of white? Try the ISA Brown.
