[Casey76]

Has anyone had any experience of commercial leghorns (opposed to show/exhibition birds)?

I fancy a nice white egg layer, and the garden centre has just started taking orders for this year.

I'd heard that leghorns are a bight flighty, is it true?  Will a wing clip help?

TIA

[GrannieAnnie]

We are rearing some for the first time now Casey, They are 3 weeks old today, and are flying over their 2ft high brooder ring no problem!!!   

[wildwitchy]

Yes, they are flighty. I've got two old ones - darcey & Bussell ( 3 yrs +) & totally mental. My other two -syd & nancy are a bit nervous but they were rescues & still very young - about 4 mths old. Syd will sit on my arm.

Syd & nance jump on the pampas grass bush already & thats about 6ft.

I like them though because they are brilliant layers are really large pocelain white eggs. Darcey & Bussell lay around 80-100g eggs daily. When younger double yolkers.

My girls have been up on the shed roof, the arch way etc etc to pinch the goose wheat on the other side.........

[Vecten]

I also have a 3 week old leghorn and she's flying like a pigeon. 

[Casey76]

I'll be getting mine at 20 weeks (POL) I'm having enough fun with my hooligan bantam dottes which are coming up to three weeks old now.

So it looks like a wing clip will be in order when the first go in the garden, and hopefully they will learn which fence they need tobe on before they moult!

[Helenaj]

I have three Exchequer Leghorns (did have six, but 3 were boys and had to go) - they are 22 weeks old and flying machines, even with one wing clipped. My 6 foot fences have now had to be extended by a further 4 feet after I saw two of them quite happily hop onto the top of the fence - and when your land borders a fast flowing river and then farmland, it's not a good idea!

They can also be quite bullish, squaring up to even the older birds but I wouldn't get rid of them. As Wildwitchy says, they are completely mental but since I hatched them they are very friendly and perch on my arm.

[wildwitchy]

Also to consider is because of laying big eggs is the prolapse problem. I've got this atm with one of mine. Found her today with a small prolapse (not staying back in either..... ). After bringing her in & doing all the usual nursing care for her (took me ages to catch her mind!!) I put her on the kitchen floor & she went compleatly mental again, like she had never seen me before! They can really run!!