Cuckoo Leghorn

Meet our Leghorn, with her floppy comb, we called her Flopsy (yes, we're not very imaginative with names here). Most people would recognise Leghorns as large white birds with a floppy comb (remember the cartoon Foghorn Leghorn?), well, we got ourselves a rather rare cuckoo or barred coloured Leghorn. Got her for $20 at the Gawler poultry sale, considered to be cheap and she was about 1-2 years old when we bought her. She also had an odd spur nub on her left leg only. This probably brought her price down, but for a backyard hen, it was fine for us.

 LAYING

Leghorns are well known for laying large white eggs continuously (when they are not moulting or broody) throughout the year. So around the same size as the Australorp and the ISA brown, around 70gm. This is the first year we have had her, she stopped laying around autumn and we figured that this was just because she started moulting (black and white feathers everywhere!) Two months later, she had grown her feathers back and still no eggs and now it looks like she is moulting again?!? Tail feathers gone and some neck feathers, we suspected some rooster action, but they seem to stay clear of her. Still a mystery at the moment but we suspect something else...more on that later.

From left to right: Leghorn, Barnevelder, Australorp and ISA brown

Characteristic of this breed is the absurd floppy comb that the hens have. I have recently found out that the floppy comb is due to female hormones, roosters have a smaller straight comb. When out of lay, the lack of hormones cause the comb to shrink and sit up straight.

TEMPERAMENT

When we first got her, talk about a feisty bird! Established herself as the leader of the pack what a noisy bird! Remember that Foghorn leghorn was known as a rooster that talked too much? Yup, same with her. She doesn't do the quiet cluck but more of a "BUUURK! BUUUURK!" noise when she feels like it, and she felt like doing that quite often. Thankfully, our neighbours didn't care, but if you have a small yard, you will end up listening to the Leghorns talk quite a bit.When they are moulting they do go quiet though. 

Towards humans, she is relatively brave, when held, she calms down and even goes to sleep in your arms. She is quite a big bird though, meaning that she is quite heavy. Despite her size, she can jump VERY high, so they are not suitable for yards with low fences.

Jumped up onto the kitchen window sill, to see what was going on inside

In the garden, she does like to dig, and she digs the holes deep. So don't be surprised if bushes get dug up.  When she is not laying to digging up the garden, this chicken knows how to relax. Any sunny spot and she stretches out and sunbathes.

At the time, we didn't own any roosters and she obviously felt the need to have some male leadership. It's quite well known that in a flock of just hens, one may try to act as a rooster. So she err..ahem...started mounting the other hens! Thankfully she didn't go as far as trying to crow as some were known to do.

Now to the strange issue of her not laying that I was talking about earlier. Combined with her "rooster" activity, comb shrinking and now we see that the spur nub is growing into a spur...we think she might have some hormonal issues. Hens apparently only have one working ovary, if this stops working, then testosterone may take over and the hen will show male characteristics and phenotype. We are hoping that this is not the case and that our Flopsy is just slow at moulting and her comb will go floppy and she will start to lay again...>.<

I can't really give a recommendation based on our one strange Leghorn, but this is what we have so far encountered. From what I have read, generally Leghorns are rather noisy and can jump/fly high, but that's a compromise we will take in exchange for large white eggs...when she starts laying again >:(