Leghorn
White Leghorn Hen
Conservation Status	Recovering
Classification APA Mediterranean ABA
Traits Weight Male 6 Weight Female 4.5 Skin Color Yellow Egg Color White Comb Type Single or Rose
Notes
Layer breed

The Leghorn is a breed of chicken with origins in Italy. The first birds imported to America in 1853 were called Italians. By 1865 the breed was named Leghorn, likely an Anglicization of Ligurian in reference to the Ligurian Sea ports from whence they were exported.

White Leghorns are among the most popular commercial strains of layer chickens worldwide. Pure bred Leghorn varieties are less common. Both the American Poultry Association (APA) and the American Bantam Association (ABA) recognize a number of Leghorn varieties including white, red, black tailed red, light brown, dark brown, black, blue, buff, Columbian, buff Columbian, barred, exchequer and silver. Most have single combs but there are several color varieties that have rose combs.

Leghorns are excellent layers of white eggs (around 280 per year) with a superior feed-to-egg conversion ratio. Leghorns rarely exhibit broodiness and are thus well suited for uninterrupted egg laying. The Leghorn is a light breed that matures quickly to only 3 or 4 lbs and is not considered a viable meat producer. Leghorns are active and efficient foragers. They typically avoid human contact and tend to be nervous and flighty.

Due to their prolific egg-laying, they are preferred by laboratories for embryonic and avian biological research as well as being the number one breed used for large-scale commercial egg production in the United States.

Leghorn are noisy birds with some what smaller than other breeds. However they are larger in size than Bantam.

[edit] See also

• Foghorn Leghorn

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leghorn

• The American Brown Leghorn Club

This poultry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e