The Leghorn breed is by far one of the most popular on the globe. It owes its name to the Italian city of Livorno, where it was first brought back in the 19th century. In English, the word "Livorno" sounds like "Leghorn", which was later used to refer to the breed.
Leghorn chickens are famous for their egg production. Although it must be said that at the time of its appearance, this breed did not differ in any outstanding qualities. Rather, on the contrary, their indicators in the number of eggs laid far behind the indicators of other varieties of chickens. An excellent way out of the situation was found by the Americans, who began to cross leggorn with other species, including fighting ones. The resulting "mestizos" were sent to Europe, where selection work continued in different directions in order to develop the most successful variety.
In our country - then the Soviet Union - these birds were introduced at the beginning of the last century, namely in 1925. White Leghorn is a breed of chickens that has become a kind of "progenitor" of the Russian white laying hen. Currently, both this species and its derivatives are used for large-scale egg procurement. This is understandable, because their egg production is really high. On average, one chicken can carry up to three hundred pieces per year, and a subspecies of a breed with a leaf crest - up to three hundred and fifty. Females begin to lay eggs already in the twentieth week of life, and the first year in terms of the number of laid eggs, as a rule, is the most productive. Various kinds of stimulants are usually added to the chickens food to increase the egg production, so after a year they most often have an exhaustion of the body. Individuals that can no longer be carried at the level that is required of them fall into a “marriage” (including those who begin to hatch chicks).
Leghorn is a breed of chickens that can be easily recognized by some distinguishing features. These birds have not the most outstanding body sizes (the weight of hens barely exceeds two kilograms, the weight of roosters reaches a maximum of three), a small head and a thin long neck. The beak is small, yellow in color, with a bent tip. The legs also do not differ in length. In chicks, the color of the limbs is usually yellow, which turns white as the chicken grows and grows older. The wings and tail are medium in size. The color of the plumage can be, in principle, different, but in our country white leghorn is more common. The mass of one egg can reach sixty grams, the color of the shell is white.
Leghorn is a breed of chickens that is bred everywhere today. Russia in this regard is no exception. On the territory of our country, 20 breeding factories were opened, the tasks of which include the development and improvement of the breed, as well as the breeding of its other, more productive derivatives.
Leggorn is a breed of chickens characterized by resistance to temperature extremes. However, they also have some problems. In particular, with the close content of chickens in small cages, the spread of various diseases is very likely. In addition, leghors do not like noise - from fear and anxiety, they may begin to have problems laying eggs.