# What breed of chicken is this???



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

I just got a chicken from a friend - she lives in the city and this chicken showed up several weeks ago and took up residence.  So, I took it home to my flock - but I have NO idea what she is.

She's all white with a red comb and wattles. I was worried she might be a rooster as her comb is huge and flops over to the side - but she laid an egg, so clearly she's a she. 

She looks JUST like the chicken in this pic: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...6AC9E52960AE6A34CCECEF7D34EB2&selectedIndex=0 but I can't find the NAME anywhere... just the image.

She lays a white egg.

Does anyone know what she is?? She's smaller than my other birds, but I'm not sure if she's full grown or not.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

That would be a White Leghorn.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Really?! My white leghorn has a regular comb - not floppy like this gal. Maybe my white leghorn isn't a white leghorn!

ETA: That's what I get for buying feed store pullets.  I think my "white leghorn" is actually a white plymouth rock. Who knows. As long as they lay eggs, I dont really care... but I'd never seen a floppy comb like this gal has.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

White Leghorns have differing sizes of combs because of being commercial chickens. The really good ones have the huge flopped over combs though. 

Also, you can always if they are laying or not. When they aren't laying their combs shrink up.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Interesting. My white chicken has been at my place since she was days old though. Was my best producer for several years - laid an egg a day for at least 3yrs. She has to be about 6 now and still lays occasionally. But she's never had a floppy comb. I really think she probably isn't a leghorn. She's not as plump as my barred rocks - but is still pretty large.

This new girl with the floppy comb is tiny - about the size most of my americaunas have been just as they start laying, before they fill out - though I THINK she's older as she's not a daily layer (though she could also still be stressed out). She's extremely timid with people, but has had ZERO problems with the other hens, which is unusual for newbies to the flock. Normally they have to establish their place. They all accepted her right away, no questions asked. It was kind of weird.

Kinda makes me wonder if she jumped off the chicken truck. She would have had to wander quite a ways - at least a mile from the processing facility - but as unsocialized as she seems to be... it seems weird if she was someone's urban chicken.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Leghorns come in a Rose comb variety too.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Now that I've taken a closer look at my original white chicken... maybe they are the same. She's larger than the new one, but the new one may be young - or just small? Maggie (the original) DOES have a very LARGE comb and the same waddles or whatever under her chin. Her comb just stands straight up (always has) rather than flopping to the side. So maybe they are both leghorns. I'm REALLY hoping Alice (the new one) is young and that's why she's small. She is laying, but only every 2-3 days. For a leghorn... that's not much. Like I said, Maggie laid an egg a day (sometimes two!) for over 3yrs. 

I guess time will tell. I have several layers that dont lay anymore... so hoping I didn't just add another old lady to the flock. :chin:


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Sounds like a white leghorn to me too. I have 2 of them in my flock strictly to get a couple white eggs for the carton. I hate how susceptible they are to frostbite though!


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

She sounds like a leghorn or maybe a CA white. (a production breed, but still mostly leghorn)
They tend to be smallish and scrawny-feeling when you pick them up because they put everything they have into their eggs rather than their bodies. 
They also tend to be skittish and less friendly than the bigger, multipurpose breeds like Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds.
The flopped-over comb is pretty common in high-production breeds but I don't know why.
Older chickens tend to lay less often but their eggs can be a lot bigger, or even double-yolked, so there's at least a small payoff if you can afford to keep them around.
(My chickens are allowed to die of old age if they stay healthy and manage to avoid the local assortment of predators. Most of them do, so sometimes I think I might be running a chicken retirement home?)


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Mine are allowed to live out their retirement as well. However, I'm finding that philosophy to not be the most economical, since I am an urban farmer and have extremely limited space. I'm back up to 9 hens... but at least two of them almost NEVER lay anymore - I have a feeling a few others have tapered off too. All being brown layers, it's hard to tell who's still laying. Seems any predator (mostly dogs for me) tend to get the younger, more productive birds. Grrr. 

The deal around our farm is "dont eat me, I wont eat you".  I'm a vegetarian though, so it's easy. And the yearling doe likes to test me on that statement - constantly nibbling on my clothing, elbows & hair. Every once in awhile, a chicken will try to take a taste of my painted toes... but other than that, the agreement seems to work out for everyone. :lol:

Oh... and I found 2 of her eggs yesterday, hidden behind a random pile of lumber. So I'd had her for 4 full days and she laid 3 eggs. MUCH better than I thought.


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