Leghorn
A very attractive, small, sprightly, bird with great style, Leghorns like to move about, they are good foragers and can often glean much of their diet from ranging over fields and yards. They are capable of considerable flight and often roost in trees if given the opportunity. Leghorns and their descendants are the most numerous breed existing today. The Leghorn has relatively large head furnishings (comb and wattles)
They are noted for their egg production being prolific layers of white eggs and rarely going broody. Some strains of leghorn start laying as young as 4 months, and some continue as strong layers until they are nearly seven years old. Overall they are known and bred for their early maturity, high productivity and hardiness but are a poor choice if you are seeking a bird to provide meat for the table.
Being a Mediterranean breed they are somewhat flighty and will scale high fencing, they are best when free ranged. If this is not possible, it's necessary to clip one wing or to keep them in a covered pen.
Exchequer Leghorn
Exchequer leghorns are black and white with the colours evenly distributed. As with all breeds, it's vital to breed from good quality breeding stock. Where care is not taken the chicks can feather out with too much black or too much white.
Colouring can be unpredictable, even a young bird, that initially appears to have too much of one colour can become a stunner when it finally grows it adult plumage and visa versa.
White Leghorn
White Leghorns brighten up any flock with their pure white feathering, buttercup yellow legs and beak, bright red head ornaments and large white ear-lobes.
White leghorns are the most prolific layers of this or any pure breed and their genes are to be found in all commercial egg laying hybrids.