Does anyone have this breed? I am interested in your thoughts, notes, observations, willingness to share- mostly interested in general personality and behavior of the breed. Thank you much in advance!
Bantam White Leghorn
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I have bantams and they are white but not leghorns. They are of some kind of soanish decent because they habe rose combs. I did not know there was a bantam sized white leghorn.
Never heard of Bantam Leghorns, but if they are like the larger breed? They are great layers, not heavy eaters, but are very flighty. Love to fly and escape and are long distance foregers. Haystack.
Here's a site with a good picture of this breed:
http://www.meyerhatchery.com/get_item_dobwl_bantam-white-leghorn.htm
Thanks for your input. Let me explain. I got this hen along with the other new ones I recently purchased. She was lively enough in the cage on the way home- very very talkative. So I put her in the coop with the bantam rooster and other misc. hens. She turned into a passive bump on the log and we didn't like seeing her picked on so aggressively. So I put her in the other coop with the bigger rooster because that rooster and those hens were mostly all raised by me and are much more laid back. I went to toss her in, thinking she would flutter and catch herself- she didn't. She landed with a thud on the ground. I felt so bad! I rushed in picked her up, and put her in the nesting box. Fine for the night. Since then, she just hasn't come out of shell. She doesn't walk (or at least not very often and legs seem fine- don't think she is injured), she doesn't seem to know how to roost. She is just so passive. At least I spend time in there after work every night for now making sure all the new chickens and exsiting ones intermingle at the feeder and I have been making sure the little white bantam gets food and such. I have also been placing her on the roost to and trying to get her to walk around. I even held her in my arms and "swooped" her down and she put her wings out and flapped. Its almost as if I am teaching her how to be a chicken! Anyway, although she pants a lot and seems really stressed whenever I try to get her to engage, she isn't getting picked on for now and I am thinking that when the one with pox heals I'll just always keep her by herself in a smaller confinement (I think that is all she has ever known) and maybe she can be a pet more than a yard/coop chicken.
interesting, ive never heard of those.
Me either. The standard leghorns are great for egg laying, like Haystack said. I dont have those either. I am sorry I am not much help there. Good luck with them. Maybe the bantam breed will be nicer (more friendly) than the standard.
It's been over a week and she is slowly starting to relax a little bit. She now flaps her wings when I lift her off the roost and seems to get around a bit. I've even seen her walking when she wants to. She now clucks when other chickens are around her. So, I guess it was all just the stress of a new environment. She still has a long way to go, but I now have some hope that she will blend in well in the large coop environment. It's hard to judge based on one individual, but she is definitely not aggressive, but not sure if you could call her friendly, either since she is jsut so passive!
Hi Fauna: The standard white Leghorn is generally not aggresive at all, but they aren't generally a very social bird either. They are well known to be stand offish and very flighty. They are very pretty though and for a small bird they sure do lay large eggs and generally never miss a beat. Great that she's comming around. Hope you enjoy her. Hay
Hello all. It's been about a week now and I don't worry about her at all now. She gets around just fine all over without any help and is a totally different chicken. However, she walks with a limp. I have to wonder if this didn't happen to her before I brought her home, in spite of everything. I saw her one week at the fair and bought her the last week- that day she was just laying down and not walking......I didn't think anything of it at the time with everything going on. Anyhoo, however it happened I am wondering if this little chicken shut down the way she did not only because of the changes but also the injury. BTW, I see what you guys mean about stand offish....she still isn't picked on, but tonight I was pulling my Ameracaunas off the roost to pet them and then put 2 on another roost. Boy do Ameracaunas love to cuddle and huddle! So, I left one behind and she went from one end of the roost to the other to be near "a warm body", that body being the bantam white leghorn......well little white one just pecked pecked- get away from me! She's not that way all the time, but her spot on the roost is not to be messed with! Kind of funny since she is the littlest thing in that coop! She also still spends her time to herself during the daytime, which seems to be fine. At least now she goes for treats and flies up to the roost and acts like a chicken!
I am glad everything is working out well for her. You are a good chicken mom.
:-) Thanks! Was on my out the door Sat. AM........DH came running over to tell me that she was the first to rush out and get the treats.
I second that motion Sewin Circle made. I think it is wonderful they way you watch over your girls along with your DH. They really love the attention you give them.
Yesterday my darling wife and I were out side and we noticed our youngest hen, three months old being picked on by another hen. The older hen would not leave the young one alone. After about five minutes of watching this the young one ran over to my wife, stood between her legs and then looked up at me. I told my wife not to move and that she was going to fly up on me. Sure enough she flew upon my head and then slid down into my hooded jacket. She stayed in there for about a half hour and finally i had my wife take her out. Before all this I could never get close to her. I then placed her into a pen with her other young friend. Every since that occurence, she jumps on my hand when I go to feed them. INTERESTING!!
They really do connect with us in their own way if we let them, and realize they are more than just chickens. Haystack
Great story, Haystack! Here's another story for you that you (and everyone else) may enjoy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/nyregion/long-island/22colli.html?ref=dining
Thanks Fauna: What a great story. A little effort can pay great dividends. Hay
Great story Fauna! I was hoping for a happy ending! ;)