Brown Leghorns, White Leghorns...

[Duppydo]

When it comes to laying eggs, are brown leghorns just as efficent as white leghorns (feed to egg laying ratio)...? Also do brown leghorns lay brown or white eggs...?

 

[PortageGirl]

They have white earlobes so they lay white eggs... I am told they do lay SLIGHTLY fewer eggs than the white ones, but I don't know that for sure.

I don't know where you are, but keep in mind if in a cold climate, they're mediteranian birds and they have those big floppy combs which freez easy in the winter time.... this also means they do well in hot climates since that same big floppy comb helps keep them cool.

 

[jhm47]

White or tinted eggs, and they are not nearly as efficient as good production strain white leghorns. Some browns are very good layers, but when it comes to eggs laid for the amount of feed consumed, it isn't even close. These whites have been bred up to be incredibly efficient. However, the exhibition whites are not any better than the browns.

 

[Pinky]

My brown leghorns lay a good number of white eggs all year round.If you live in a cold area you can get rose comb Brown leghorns.My brown leghorns have rose combs .My leghorns don't eat as much as my other chickens,but I don't know how they compare to white leghorns because I only have one white one,and he is a rooster.I wish I had some .Maybe this spring.

 

[mtnhomechick]

I have both. The browns lay just as good as the whites. Don't eat much either. The only diff I can tell is the brown is prettier. JMO

Mary

 

[chickalator]

u wanna bird that lays eggs? check out www.hendrix-genetics.com. those isa browns that they have average 352 eggs a year.

 

[PotterWatch]

I have a barred leghorn that is a good layer. My girls have slowed down a fair bit due to winter, but my leghorn is laying 5-6 a week still.

 

[Duppydo]

Thanks everyone for your comments and help...

 

[Mahonri]

I have one of each. The light brown lays every other day. The white lays almost every day.

They eat so little... wish I had known... I would never have gotten the dual purpose breeds.

 

[scgamecock]

I have a California white from Ideal and an Ideal 236 production strain and it out performs the Cali as far as I'm concerned.I have mostly Brown egg layers but I just a few white one's mixed in to make colorful cartons of egg's.The Cali pretty much quit laying while she had a very hard molt .In fact she looked like a white porcupine lol.The Ideal 236 went thru a much lighter molt and never quit laying completely.She still is almost laying everyday with the short daylight hours so if someone wants a good white egg layer I really suggest the Ideal 236.I had a brown leghorn and a Ancona that has died but they were not as good of a layer.Actually the Ancona was a beautiful mottled girl with a huge floppy comb who layed just about as good as the brown leghorn.BTW the Ideal 236 lays a much larger egg than the Cali does.You may think I'm kidding but I have 2 Buttercup hens that lay outstanding considering they are not known for being great layers.They lay a medium sized white egg that looks like a torpedo lol.One of them actually went broody on me last year but I didn't give her any eggs to set on.