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Delaware chickens are an easy to raise chicken breed. They are used for both eggs and meat and therefore make a good breed addition for most homesteaders that are striving to be more self-sufficient.

Delaware chickens are a heavy, dual purpose breed of chicken originally created around 1940. They are decent layers of around 210 large brown eggs per year. They are on the watch list for the Livestock Conservancy. They tend to be a calm and friendly breed that is also cold hardy making them good layers throughout the winter.

If you are thinking of adding this chicken breed to your flock then read on to learn more about their uses, temperament and care needs.

Delaware Chickens

Size	Males: 7.5 – 8.5lbs; Females: 5.5 – 6.5lbs Bantam Size: 28-32oz
Class	American
Color	White
Temperament	Friendly
Hardiness	Cold Hardy
Eggs/Yr	200-220
Egg Size	Large
Egg Color	Brown

History & Origin

This breed originated around 1940 and was created by George Ellis. They are aptly named after the state they came from, Delaware.

They were created by breeding specific offspring of crosses from Barred Rocks and New Hampshire chickens (source). By focusing on the offspring from this cross that were white together eventually they became a standalone breed.

While they became fairly popular when they were first developed, over time, other breeds have taken over some of their uses. This caused them to go on the Livestock Conservancy’s critically endangered list. As of recently, they have been moved to the watch list.

What Do They Look Like?

Although not the largest chicken breed in the world, they are a heavy breed with females weighing about 5.5 lbs as pullets and about 6.5 lbs as full grown hens. Males weigh about 7.5 lbs when they are still maturing and top out at about 8.5 lbs as full grown roosters.

In addition to the standard size, they also come in a bantam size. For bantams, they usually range from 28-32oz.

Unlike some breeds like Orpingtons that come in a wide variety of different colors, Delaware chickens only come in one color. The color is very close to Columbian. They are mostly white with black barring in their hackle, tail and tips of their wing feathers. The difference between their coloring and that of the Columbian coloring is that Columbian coloring is solid black with no barring.

One additional neat thing about this breed is their ability to create sex-linked offspring. This essentially means that you can tell if the chicks are hens or roosters based on their color at hatch. To produce these (though they won’t be fully Delaware breed at this point), you mate a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire Red Rooster with a Delaware hen. The resulting offspring all males will be have the Delaware coloring and all females will be red.

Breed Standards

They were accepted into the Standards of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1952. To meet the standards, their weight should meet the criteria laid out above (Males: 6.5-7.5lbs; Females 5.5-6.5lbs; Bantams: 28-32oz).

This breed should have a large single comb with 5 points. Both comb and wattles should be bright red in color. If you’re not familiar with chicken terminology, combs are the fleshy parts on the chickens head and wattles and the fleshy parts under their beak.

They should have yellow colored legs with four toes (unlike Silkies that have five toes). Additionally, their legs should be clean of feathering like Leghorns

Their body should be elongated, and broad. And they should have moderately full feathering covering their body (source).

Temperament

Although temperament can vary from bird to bird, just like humans have individual personalities, this breed tends to be friendly. They are also rather calm, so they tend to be fairly easy to handle.

Roosters have been noted to be a bit protective over their hens and the rest of the flock, but not outwardly aggressive. So, that is one thing to keep in mind.

Their docile nature makes them a good addition to any flock. Though they are friendly, they are also independent and do not necessarily come over to ask for attention regularly much like the Swedish Flower Hen.

What is Their Purpose?

They were developed to be a dual purpose chicken breed meanining good to be used for both meat and eggs. And, they certainly meet that mark.

They are a heavy breed (the standard version anyhow) and therefore produce a decent amount of meat.

They also lay around 4 large brown eggs per week which translates to roughly 210 eggs per year. With some hens laying over that amount. Additionally, they are cold hardy which means that they will lay eggs more regularly through the winter than other breeds.

One other quality that they have is that they are good foragers, this means that the amount of feed they eat to produce eggs or mature to butchering age is less than some other breeds. That means that they are an economical choice.

Care & Health

This breed is fairly durable and easy to care for much like Deathlayers. Like any other chicken, they will need a decent chicken coop and chicken run. They will also need a chicken waterer and a chicken feeder.

They do not really have breed specific issues like Amberlinks do with egg issues or like Marans do with leg mite issues. That is, with one exception.

Even though they do well in cold weather by keeping up their egg laying, they do have large combs. These larger combs tend to be susceptible to frostbite due to their size. Given this, it is important to provide them with a draft free shelter during cold times. Also, keep a good eye on their combs as you may need to give them some protection in the form of applying vaseline to help with any potential frostbite issues.

Other than that, just making sure that you do regular chicken health checks to make sure they aren’t developing any common chicken issues like mites, wry neck, or respiratory problems.

FAQ

Are Delaware Chickens good layers?

They are decently good layers of around 4 Large brown eggs per week. That amounts to just over 200 eggs per year and they are cold hardy which means they lay well throughout the winter.

Are Delaware chickens aggressive?

No, in general they tend to be relatively friendly and calm. Although, some roosters have been reported to be a little protective of their girls.

How big do Delaware chickens get?

Males usually weigh in the 7.5 – 8.5 pound range. Females usually weigh in the 5.5 – 6.5 pound range.

At what age do Delaware chickens start laying?

They tend to start laying eggs around an average of 4 – 6 months which is common for most good egg laying breeds.

Are Delaware chickens noisy?

This can be a toss-up dependent on the specific bird. While they don’t tend to be the loudest chicken, they certainly do like to cluck and crow and make chicken noises at times.

What color egg does a Delaware chicken lay?

They lay a Brown egg.

How long do Delaware chickens live?

They have a pretty average lifespan for a chicken as they don’t have any breed specific health concerns. So, typically about 8 years or so.

Wanna add a little pizazz to your flock? Try the Swedish Flower Hen (no, they aren’t all hens). Their beautiful, wide variety of patterns and good egg laying abilities make them a good candidate for anyone raising chickens.

Swedish Flower Hens (also known as Skånsk Blommehöna) are a landrace chicken originally from Sweden. They are a dual purpose bird who lay about 200 L – XL sized eggs per year. Additionally, they are very cold hardy and also are excellent foragers. They also tend to be very healthy and easy to take care of.

Swedish Flower Hens are a rare chicken breed, but are growing in popularity. Before adding any to your flock read on to find out specifics about their temperament, care and other important qualities to assess if they are right right fit for you.

Swedish Flower Hen

Size	Males: 6 – 8lbs; Females: around 5.5lbs
Class	Landrace
Color	Variety with base of red, blue, black and a flower pattern
Temperament	Calm & Intelligent
Hardiness	Cold
Eggs/Yr	200
Egg Size	L-XL
Egg Color	Cream/Beige to Light Brown

History & Origin

Swedish Flower Hens originated in Sweden (shocker!). Their Swedish name is Skånsk Blommehöna.

Their exact history and origin is not well documented, this is due to the fact that they are a landrace breed. Like most landrace breeds, they have a diverse genetic background this is due to the fact that the breed developed through basically natural selection rather than a human (breeder) making breeding decisions based on a particular set of traits.

Essentially, the breed created itself by breeding together with whatever specimens tended to thrive in their area. This, in turn, created a very hardy and well-rounded breed.

However, one downfall of this is that since no one in particular was working with the breed, over time they were used less as other breeds were introduced which almost led to their extinction. Luckily, their declining numbers were caught in time and now people are working to restore the breed.

They were not imported into the US until around 2010. Since being introduced to the United States, they are slowly growing in popularity and more and more people are working with the breed which will help with their repopulation.

What Do They Look Like?

Due to the fact that this bred developed on its own moreso than having humans selecting certain traits, they do tend to have a bit of variation in the way that each chicken looks. There are some generally accepted traits that most all in the breed will have though.

They come in a wide variety of colors. Though they tend to have a blue, black or red base color. Most birds of this breed with have white wing tips, but not all do.

They get their name from the flower-like pattern that almost all of the birds will have. It is a millefleur pattern. This cover of flower-like shapes all over their feathers is really quite striking and makes them a nice bird to add to your flock if you are looking for something a bit on the flashy side.

There is one rare color called Snow Leopard in this breed that is not common at all. But is one of the more striking colors that shows up in Swedish Flower Hens.

They can come crested (like Polish Chickens) or not crested.

They have a single red comb and red wattles, similar to a lot of other breeds such as Rhode Island Reds and Amberlinks.

The roosters tend to weigh in the 6 – 7 pound range while hens usually are around 5.5 pounds. This makes them a medium sized breed.

Their legs are yellow in color and do not have feathers (unlike Marans which are a feather legged breed). And they have four toes on each food (unlike Silkies which have 5 toes on each foot).

Breed Standards

This breed is not an accepted breed in the APA or most any other association, therefore they do not have a set breed standard. Some breeders are working to hopefully get them accepted at some time in the future.

Temperament

This breed tends to be calm, intelligent and friendly. They are not a lazy breed as they really enjoy foraging and moving around. But they are not super active or skiddish like Easter Eggers can tend to be.

They are fairly easy to handle due to their calmness and friendliness. Though they aren’t always the bird that will be running up to you for attention. This is due to the fact that they tend to like doing their own thing and being independent (likely a trait developed during natural selection).

Since they are a landrace breed and spent a lot of time fending for themselves early on, they also tend to be alert and able to stay away from predators which works well during their foraging.

What is Their Purpose?

Though they are considered a dual purpose breed – they can be used for meat and eggs. They aren’t one of the largest chicken breeds or the fastest maturing ones, so meat is not their main purpose. They can still certainly be used as a meat bird.

They are good egg layers laying around 3 – 4 cream to light brown colored eggs per week. Their initial eggs start out on the smaller side, but as they mature their eggs get larger. By their peak, they lay a Large to Extra Large sized egg.

In addition to eggs and meat, they make relatively good pets also. They tend to be calm and friendly which lends itself to being easy to handle.

Care & Health

The way that this breed was developed has created birds that are really very healthy and hardy. So, they don’t really need much in the way of special care.

They of course, should have a good chicken coop and run (if they are not allowed to free-range). As well as your typical chicken waterers and chicken feeders.

It is rather cold where they originate from and this has made them an extremely cold hardy breed. So, great for colder climates.

They also love to forage, which is a great way to cut down on your feed bill. So, if you have the room and ability to let them free-range they appreciate having the space to roam.

FAQ

What color eggs do Swedish flower hens lay?

They can lay a Cream/Beige to Light Brown colored egg.

What age do Swedish flower hens start laying?

They are usually ready to start laying eggs on the younger side so, in the 4 – 6 month range is pretty typical.

Are Swedish flower hens good layers?

Yes, they are good layers of L-XL eggs at about 3 – 4 per week. That amounts to about 156 – 208 eggs per year. Their first few eggs tend to be on the smaller size, but will get larger as the hen ages.

How much do Swedish flower hens cost?

They are a chicken that costs about the midrange of prices. So, for day old chicks, you’ll typically see about $10 – $25 per chick, but prices can increase from there dependent on age, sex and quality.

How to tell a Swedish Flower Hen female from a rooster?

You can follow most of the typical ways to sex a chicken when you are trying to determine if you have a Swedish Flower Hen female or rooster. Roosters will have larger combs, wattles and legs. They will also have longer, pointer hackle and saddle feathers which also typically are more colorful.

A tiny, but quite confident and assertive looking bird, the serama chicken is a fun addition to any backyard flock. Although they clearly are more of a pet or ornamental bird, due to their size, they definitely come with some fun attributes.

Serama chickens are the smallest chicken in the world weighing in at a whopping .5 – 1 pounds. They are a relatively new breed and come originally from Malaysia. They make fantastic pets and are also bred extensively to be shown. Although they are decent egg layers at around 200 eggs per year, their eggs are micro sized just like them.

Looking a bit like teeny, tiny, toy soldiers the serama certainly has a confident, commanding and even a bit of a fierce looking presence. However, they tend to be very friendly and personable birds which makes them a great candidate for being a pet. They are also used as show birds as well.

Serama Chickens

Size	Males: 14 – 16 oz; Females: 12 – 14oz
Class	SCCL (single comb clean leg)
Color	Wide Variety (ABA accepted are: White, Black, Exchequer and hopefully more soon)
Temperament	Friendly
Hardiness	Heat
Eggs/Yr	200 – 260
Egg Size	XXS
Egg Color	Cream

History & Origin

Seramas are a relatively new chicken breed. They originated in Malyasia in the 1970’s. Like a lot of breeds, their exact history and origin is not completely known or documented.

However, what is known, is that Wee Yean Een developed this breed by crossing Japanese Bantams with Ayam Kapans and Silkies. It is thought that he first crossed Ayam Kapans with Silkies, but many of the silkies characteristics (feather type and feathered legs were not shown in the offspring much – though these due still pop up occassionally in Serama lines).

Once he had crossed those breeds for several generations, he added in the Japanese Bantam to add in their characteristic erect stance. After several generations of this breeding, the now commonly known Serama characteristics were locked in.

The breed was brought to the US by Jerry Schexnayder around 2001. And he started his breeding program in Louisiana. He then started the first breed club in 2003 – the Serama council of North America. There is also a second breed club in the US – The American Serama Association – which was created in 2012.

What Do They Look Like?

Standing tall and erect with a broad chest, the serama looks a bit like a toy soldier. They are a combination of confidence and pride almost mixed with a bit of humor due to their itty bitty size.

Size

They are a true bantam chicken breed. This means that they only come in a small, bantam size and do not have a standard sized counterpart unlike Leghorns and Rhode Island reds which come in both standard and bantam sizes.

Not only is this breed a true bantam, but they are the smallest chicken breed in the entire world. Following the ABA and APA weight standards, females or hens should weigh 12 – 14 oz and males or roosters should weigh in at 14 – 16 oz. However, for table top showings there are a few different weight classes and some of these birds weigh in a a teeny, tiny 8 oz (which is only 1/2 of a pound!).

Color

While most chicken breeds will breed true to color, Seramas do not. What exactly does this mean? This means that you can’t always predict the color of the offspring (chicks) based just on their parents colors).

Though there are only a few colors that are recognized in their breed standards (which are discussed below). The color options in this breed are practically endless, in fact more than 2000 colors have been documented to exist in this breed. This is mostly due to the fact that they were bred for their size characteristics to start rather than focusing on breeding by color which is how many breeds are partially developed.

Feather Type

Due to the original cross involving Silkies, non-smooth or standard feather type does pop up in this breed occasionally. This can include silkie feathering, frizzled feathering and leg feathering. These feathering types are not qualities that are bred for or desired in their originating country of Malaysia. However, some breeders in the United States do find these traits desirable and will breed for them.

Breed Standards

According to the APA, the only accepted color at this time is white. And, according to the ABA, the only accepted colors at this time are white, black and Exchequer. Although there is work being done to try and get a wider variety of colors added to the accepted color lists.

An important note, while to show in APA or ABA qualified shows, the chicken must, of course, meet their breed standards. This bred was also originally shown (and still is) in table top shows not sanctioned by the APA or ABA. And those shows have a separate set of breed standards both in the US, Europe and Malaysia.

Though there are small differences (such as weights and some changes for general appearance), the main accepted standards are fairly similar across organizations. One of the main differences is that for table top shows any color is accepted.

The main differences between the Malaysian and American standard are that the Malaysian standard tends to lean more extreme in their upright, erect stance.

They should have a medium sized single comb and medium sized wattles. Both comb and wattles should be red in color.

Their head is small in size and carried in a held upright and back position. Their neck and back are both short.

They have a relatively wide, well rounded and broad chest with large wings carried almost in a completely vertical manner. And, their tail is also large and erect.

They should have four toes on each foot with balanced and equal spacing between each. And, their legs and feet should be clean (no feathering).

Temperament

Despite their erect stance (which looks like they might be looking for a fight everywhere they go), they are a very friendly, tame and easy to handle breed. They have gentle and easy going personalities.

Though, one thing to keep in mind, is that roosters can be a bit aggressive with one another so it is best to not have two roosters housed together. If you do, it is a good idea to ensure that they have a little extra space.

They can handle being keep confined in a chicken run. However, they do enjoy free ranging and foraging also.

Hens have a reputation of being good mothers and going broody every so often.

What is Their Purpose?

They are essentially an ornamental breed. As you can probably tell, this breed is certainly no meat breed. And though they are excellent egg layers at 4 – 5 eggs per week, their eggs are miniature to match their size. So, while they certainly can be eaten, you’d have to have quite a few to make the size of one egg from a typical egg laying chicken breed like an Australorp or an Amberlink.

They are mainly used as pets since they are gentle and friendly. They tend to enjoy having human interaction and that combined with their size makes they a perfect pet candidate.

In addition to being used extensively as pets, they are also widely used as show chickens. They are used both in traditional shows and table top shows due to their small size and being easy to handle.

Care & Health

Care for Seramas is pretty on par with most other chicken breeds. They will need your typical chicken coop and run. Though they will need much less room than standard sized breeds.

They will need feeders and waterers (make sure they are at a height that they can reach easily). Due to their tiny size, they will eat less than full sized chickens.

You will want to ensure that they have enough protection from predators as their size will make them an easy target. So, a covered and/or well secured run is important. Also, you may think about a livestock guard dog such as a Karakachan to help protect them.

They are a fairly healthy and hardy breed, so they don’t really need much in the way of special care. The only other thing specific to the breed to consider is cold weather care. If you are in an area where you get fairly cold 35 – 40 or below. You may want to consider ways to help keep the coop warmer or even bring them inside if the temperature drops too far down.

FAQ

How many eggs do Serama chickens lay a year?

They are fantastic egg layers at 208 – 260 eggs per year. This amounts to about 4 – 5 eggs per week. Unfortunately, their eggs are sized proportionate to their weight, so these eggs are extra, extra small.

Are Serama chickens friendly?

Yes, they are a very friendly and tame breed. They make wonderful pets.

How much are Serama chickens?

Their price can range quite a bit and is affected the same way that the cost for most chickens is. Young, unsexed chicks can be found for an average range of $10 – $25. Just like other breeds though, more refined and high quality show prospects may start to increase over that $25 range.

Also, due to their size, not all breeders will ship young chicks. And, older birds and adults tend to go for higher prices than chicks do.

What color eggs do Seramas lay?

They lay a cream to light brown colored egg.

Are Serama chickens noisy?

Though noise level and amount can definitely vary from bird to bird, Serama’s don’t have a reputation for being particularly loud. Of course, hens will still cluck and make noise and roosters do still crow. But roosters crows tend to be downsized just like their bodies are.

What are Serama chickens used for?

Due to their tiny size and friendly personalities, they are typically used as pets or ornamental birds (to be used in chicken shows – both traditional and table top).

How much space do Serama chickens need?

They need around 1 – 2 square feet per bird inside the coop or shelter and at least 4 – 5 square feet per bird outside in their run. Though, just like any other chickens, the more space you can give them the better.

How much do Serama chickens weigh?

They can range anywhere from 8 oz to 16 oz which equates to 1/2 – 1 pounds. Females tend to be on the smaller weight range with males on the larger weight range (if you can consider any of their weights “larger”).

If you are looking for an egg laying machine, look no further than Leghorn Chickens. These majestic, slender birds with their large, floppy combs are one of the best egg laying chickens that you can add to your flock.

Leghorn chickens come in both standard and bantam size. They are a light breed with weights ranging from 4.5 -7lbs depending if they are hens or roosters. They are outstanding egg layers laying 5 – 6 eggs per week which totals 290-310 large white eggs per year. Although they are most commonly white or brown in color, they do come in a large variety of other colors as well.

If you aren’t sure what breed you want to add to your flock, but you know you are looking for egg production, then this is definitely a breed to consider. They are not one of the larger chicken breeds, however, they do churn out those eggs! They are such good egg layers they have been used to make hybrid chicken breeds to use as production birds such as ISA Brown and White Stars.

Before you rush out to add them to your flock, keeping reading below to make sure you know their temperament, care needs and other important facts so that you can decide if this is the right breed for you.

Leghorn Chickens

Size	Males 6 – 7lbs; Females 4.5 – 5.5lbs
Class	Mediterranean
Color	White and Brown most common.
Temperament	Active & Stand-offish
Hardiness	Cold & Heat
Eggs/Yr	290 – 310
Egg Size	Large
Egg Color	White

History & Origin

Leghorn chickens, though their exact background is not completely known, are originally from Italy. The Tuscany region of Italy to be exact.

They made their way to the United States (Mystic River, CT to be exact) around the year 1855. There is some disagreement whether the White or Brown Leghorn first came to the United States, but in reality, the doesn’t matter much which was here first.

They made their way from the United States to England sometime in the late 1880’s. Due to their fantastic egg laying abilities, they quickly became a popular chicken breed there as well.

What Do They Look Like

In terms of size, this breed is a lighter breed. Males range from 6 – 7 lbs while females range from 4.5 – 5.5lbs in size. These weights are, of course, for the standard size. They are also found in bantam size as well.

Unlike other breeds, which typically only have one type of comb accepted in the breed. Leghorns actually have two accepted comb types which are single comb and rose comb. They are known for their big, floppy red combs. Their eyes, face and wattles are also red.

They have white ear lobes which is an indication they will lay white eggs instead of brown eggs, blue eggs or green eggs.

Their beaks, legs and feet are all yellow. They are a clean legged breed like Rhode Island Reds, Australorps and Wyandottes. They have four toes unlike Silkies (which have 5 toes per foot).

They are a long and elegant looking bird. Their wings should be held tightly to their sides. They have a well balanced albeit slender appearance. They should have wide shoulders and a long neck.

Breed Standard

They were accepted into the APA’s Standards of Perfection in 1874. Though they are most commonly associated with being white in color, there were three colors added to the standards. Those colors are: Black, White and Brown.

Several additional colors have been added over the years to include: Buff, Gold Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, Columbian, Silver, Red and several others.

Leghorns are in the Standards of Perfection as both Standard and bantam sized chickens. And, they are entered with two comb types: single and rose comb.

Temperament

Leghorns are a very active bird. They tend to be high energy and enjoy being able to run around and do their own thing.

However, if they are kept in a coop and run rather than being allowed to free range and run around, they can adapt to that lifestyle as well, it is just not their preference.

As they prefer to be allowed to run about doing their own thing, they are also good foragers. And, will spend their time out and about hunting for food. This is great as it helps to cut down on your chicken food bill.

They are not aggressive birds, but most lines do tend to be flighty or stand-offish with humans. So, if you are looking for a pet that loves to be held, this may not be the perfect breed for you.

What is Their Purpose?

As you can probably tell from the above, this breed is mainly used for it’s egg laying abilities. They are egg laying machines topping out at over 300+ eggs per year for some lines/varieties.

Their eggs, as mentioned previously, are large white eggs. This breed is commonly used in the egg production industry.

Due to their smaller size, they are not well suited as a dual purpose chicken since you won’t get much meat from them. However, this smaller size just enhances their egg laying as they need less feed to in turn produce even more eggs.

Adding to their egg laying purpose, they are particularly cold hard (lay eggs throughout cold weather) and also tolerate heat well. This means that you can gets eggs closer to year round with this breed whereas some breeds with decrease their egg production significantly in winter.

Due to their flighty, stand-offish nature, they don’t tend to make the best pets. However, they are easy enough to be handled, that they are also used as show chickens.

Care & Health

Taking care of Leghorn chickens is pretty on par with most other breeds. They need the typical chicken supplies such as a coop, run, chicken feeder and chicken waterer.

They are not particularly fragile, but there are a few health and care concerns to be aware of.

First, as mentioned above, this breed can tolerate confinement, but much prefers to be able to have a large area to roam since they are active with a high energy level. Therefore, whenever possible, they should have a little more room than your average chicken.

Second, due to their large, floppy combs, they are more prone to frostbite when it gets cold out. So, make sure that you know how to take care of your chickens in winter by giving them a warm and draft-free coop among other things. And, if they are still having issues, you may need to add some Vaseline to their combs to help protect them.

Lastly, though they are not as prone as hybrid breeds such as Amberlinks, you do need to be aware they can be more susceptible to egg laying issues such as prolapse, egg binding and peritonisis.

FAQ

Are Leghorn chickens friendly?

They are not a super friendly breed. They can tend to be flighty or stand-offish. Though, aren’t typically aggressive. There are several different lines and varieties and temperament can vary a bit.

How many years do Leghorn chickens lay eggs?

Like most chickens, they hit their peak around two years of age. However, unlike some other heavy production breeds, they have been reported to still lay fairly well into 3 and 4 years of age.

Are Leghorn chickens cold hardy?

Yes, they are cold hardy. Though you do need to keep an eye on their large combs to ensure that they don’t get frostlbite.

How big do Leghorn chickens get?

For the standard size, males get about 6 – 7lbs while females get about 4.5 – 5.5. lbs. They do come as bantams also. Bantams tend to be about 1/3 – 1/2 the size of their standard sized counterparts.

How long do white Leghorn chickens live?

They tend to have slightly less of a lifespan than the average chicken. So, in the 5 – 6 year range. This is due somewhat to the extra stress and energy output that their heavy egg laying puts on their bodies.

At what age do white Leghorns start laying?

They start laying eggs on the early end of around 16 weeks or about 4 – 5 months of age.

How much does a Leghorn chicken cost?

The cost of these chickens will depend a bit on where you get them, the color, age and sex. In general, day old chicks can range from just under $3 to just over $4. The cheaper end will be roosters or unsexed chicks while the more expensive end will be for females.

Of course, if you are looking to get pullets or adult hens, then the price will go up significantly. Though adult roosters won’t be as expensive since they are typically not as high in demand.

How do you tell the difference between a male and female Leghorn chicken?

The main differences, like many other breeds, will be that roosters will have larger combs and wattles. They will have larger and longer tail and hackle feathers. They will have thicker legs and will have spurs. And, of course, roosters won’t lay eggs.