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Non-industrial Leghorn chickens were first brought to North America in 1852 by Captain Gates. In 1853 F.J. Kinney received a shipment of Brown Leghorns at Boston Harbor. In 1872 Lewis Wright imported Brown Leghorns to England from America. They were crossbred with Minorca chickens to increase the breed’s size. These birds were reintroduced into America in 1910 to help build the commercial poultry industry. The Brown Leghorn chicken is just one of the many variations of this highly popular breed. While Brown Leghorn chickens aren’t necessarily superior egg layers when compared to White Leghorn chickens, they are still very good layers in their own right.
Brown Leghorn chickens are known for being both independent and active. Therefore, they would thrive best in a free-range environment. Brown Leghorn chickens do well foraging, and they are also very alert at all times, which will help prevent issues with predators in your area. One issue you may run into with Brown Leghorn chickens, however, is that they tend to be nervous and skittish birds, which means that housing them in a small coop would not be ideal.
Once they reach maturity, Brown Leghorn chickens will stay relatively small. Hens tend to tap out at roughly 3-4 pounds while roosters do not get much bigger, reaching only 5-6 pounds max. Brown Leghorn chickens are primarily used for egg-laying, producing hundreds of medium to large white eggs each year. So whether you own a farm or simply want to keep Brown Leghorn chickens in your backyard, you will surely be satisfied with the quality and amount of eggs that you receive from your Leghorn chickens. One thing to consider, however, is that the hens are not considered to be broody, so you will need to incubate the eggs in most cases.
| Egg Color | White | Hardiness | Heat |
| Egg Size | Medium to Large | Broody | No |
| Egg Production | Good | Hen Weight | 3-4 lbs |
| Personality | Active & Skittish | Rooster Weight | 5-6 lbs |
Live Chick Guarantee
We guarantee your ordered number of birds arrive healthy and true to breed. Please contact us immediately should any losses or variances to your order occur, this guarantee is only for the safe and live delivery of your poultry. Any loss must be reported to Chickens for Backyards within 3 days of receipt for any adjustment to be made. Reshipments are subject to availability and minimum shipping requirements. If eligible, we will reship only once. Reimbursements are limited to the cost of the birds and will not include shipping charges.
Click here to learn more about shipping baby chicks and Marek’s vaccination
Christy Starnes –
Great Experience
I never had birds shipped before so i was nervous. Birds arrived great and thanks for marking the cockerel like I requested, i even had an extra female. I am so happy that i found you!
Heather Church –
Sadly the 2 in my order ended up cockerel, sad to have to rehome them. Ordered pullets but oh well I guess. Can’t have roosters in my area
sschmunk0269 –
I received 3 brown leghorns early this year and recently while free ranging a raccoon was able to take out all but 5 of my girls. All three brown leghorns survived, I think it’s because they are very flighty and are very aware of what’s going on around them. The only downside to the brown leghorns is they are not very friendly and run away from me even after spending everyday for the past 8 months with them, but they do give wonderful white eggs and help keep the flock in order. Thank you so much for continuing to provide such healthy chicks.