Two Leghorns

I have two leghorns. One is big, one is little.

They often forage together.

side by side

 

 

One is better at catching worms. They might be friends, but they don’t share.

worm catching

Comments:

  1. My girls of the same breed tend to stick together and I wondered if this would be true if they were big and bantam. This seems to suggest it could be true. They are both beautiful, what lovely photos.

  2. Amazing you caught that photo before that worm was ‘down the crop!’

  3. Have you ever had a hen molt twice within a few months? My bantam belgian had what I would call a mini molt in June. Neck feathers and all tail feathers came out. She grew all feathers back and went back to laying. Then she’s went Broody last month. But I broke it in 2days and she was back to laying. NOw there is an explosion of feathers coming from her. You pick her up and the feathers fall lol. I heard bantams really molt . Just wondering if you had this similar experience with any of your bantams?

  4. Those two beauties look so crisp and clean with their perfect white feathers. They are my favourites of your flock. Sometimes just being gorgeous is enough. :)

  5. Love this pair – with their super clean, white feathers.

    They remind me of more genteel versions of Foghorn Leghorn.

  6. I wonder if Opal will ever try to hang out with the white leghorns if both flocks are let out to forage, but probably not since the Gems are such a tight group, and even if Opal is one of the bottom hens of the group.

  7. Hey Terry,
    I’m glad your building your store up. There are a few things I would still like to get for Christmas gifts for family. I hope the Warhol products will be there for a couple of weeks. I want to get a couple of t-shirts, mug, and apron for me or maybe someone else. Looking forward to getting the couple of things I’ve already ordered. Hope all have a peaceful and good day at Little Pond.

  8. Greetings, Terry.
    We enjoy your hen cam and chicken news; smiled at the info. shared on your leghorns. Out of 12 leghorn hens purchased on our hobby farm in the spring of 2005, we have one remaining gal, “Uno,” who is still beautiful and alert. She supplies a large white egg on a regular basis; what a gal. She does, however, feel she is above associating with the other breeds of chickens from “Son of Barn” henhouse. She enjoys chicken adventures in the pasture but only tolerates the companionship of these inferior feathered coopmates. Thanks for sharing.

    • How old were your other leghorns when they died, and do you know what from? I imagine that their high rate of lay means a lifespan of just a couple of years.

      • In response to the longevity of our leghorns: Early on (in 2005), our hens were allowed to roam and several of the hens enjoyed treats just inside our wooded area. Our first leghorn loss was the result of a passing fox. Chicken wanderings changed from “free-range” to “pastured.” Most deaths, through the years, had no obvious cause from injury or disease. Two died from reverse peristaltic action; the most recent “internal layer” loss was about 3 1/2 years ago. Another death was observed as a hen walked toward the pasture and died suddenly; we assume from a heart attack. She was about 4 years old. When we were down to 2 leghorn hens, sometime in 2010, the loners were referred to as “Frick” and “Frack.” They shared chicken adventures chatting and exploring the backyard until one became the 2nd victim to that horrid reverse peristaltic action thing. My concern about Uno’s acceptance of being the last leghorn standing was unnecessary. She has been our only leghorn for about 3 1/2 years. Although she travels AMONG the flock, she prefers to explore at her own pace. No one bothers her; her stare is enough to keep other hens from any intrusion. Uno still sleeps on a roost where the 12 leghorns originally slept–the best section of the henhouse which is still, apparently, reserved for the elite. Most folks are bored by a leghorn’s large white egg, preferring our other egg choices of blue-green, pink, or brown. I, on the other hand, have gone from my original thoughts of “the boring leghorn” to admiration for a leghorn’s tenacity. And, I guess, that’s why I smiled today when I read about your two leghorn residents. Thanks for sharing your backyard chicken experiences.

  9. My leghorn is somewhat non-social too. She is a sweet little thing and has the most musical animal voice, but likes to keep more to herself. She is also at the bottom of the pecking order. Her comb is the size of Twiggy’s comb, when Twiggy was 5 weeks old. Dotty (my leghorn) is almost 16 weeks old. She is just a little smaller than Twiggy. Must be a little variation in the breed. Everything else is exactly like Twiggy. There was something mentioned about “pearl” on description when I ordered her. She is a somewhat antisocial and seems to like it that way.

  10. Thank you, I was hoping you would say that. I missed the growth spurt somehow.

  11. My Barred Rocks are like that too… I call them racists… I’m insensitive I guess… :-)