White Leghorn
Egg layer · Italy · 🌱 Beginner friendly
The White Leghorn is the most consequential chicken on the planet: a lean, tireless Italian layer that converts feed into white eggs with almost industrial efficiency. It's busy, noisy, and not much for cuddling, but nothing out-lays it on so little feed.
Eggs per year
260–320
Egg color
White
Egg size
Large
Hen weight
4–5 lbs
Temperament
Active and flighty
Broodiness
Rarely goes broody
Did you know?
Virtually every white egg in an American supermarket comes from a Leghorn-derived hen — and yes, Foghorn Leghorn borrowed the name.
Is the White Leghorn right for your flock?
Expect roughly 260–320 white eggs a year from a healthy hen in her prime — production dips during molt and the short days of winter, and eases off as she ages. Planning space? A White Leghorn hen runs 4–5 lbs, so size the coop with our coop size calculator and estimate the feed bill with the feed cost calculator.
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Keeping White Leghorns?
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