“I really wanted to love this breed! I have raised white leghorns for years and thought this would be a fun addition. White leghorns are often zany, active, and quirky. I was told these would be a little more subdued, which has definitely been true. They are very different than white leghorns in activity seeking. Unfortunately of the 15 chicks that I orders, only 10 made it to eight weeks (one was DOA) and of those ten, four have severe leg problems and will have to be culled. So I will be down to 6 of 15 which is not a good percentage after 15 weeks. The other disappointment is their combs. The pullets have extremely small combs, nothing like white (or even brown) leghorns. That's a big part of their quirky personality. I do like the patterns and I did end up with one cockerel so we will see if their offspring have the leg issues. Fingers crossed.”
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with this breed. We’re sorry to hear that your flock did not turn out as you had hoped, especially after looking forward to adding a new breed to the flock.
We understand how disappointing it can be to experience losses, especially when multiple chicks are showing leg concerns. The health and well-being of our birds is extremely important to us, and we would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about what you’re seeing and how we can help. We’ll be reaching out to you privately.
“Daisy is my Exchequer Leghorn. She is definitely one of my favorite chickens, ever. She is toward the bottom of the pecking order, and she escapes every day. She goes to visit my Silkies and other chickens letting herself in and back out. She never bullies anyone, and she follows us around. She loves peanuts, blackberries and blueberries. I would have a flock of these if they were all like her. She lays elongated white eggs.”
Thank you so much for sharing about Daisy. She sounds like such a special Exchequer Leghorn, and we love hearing how much joy she she brings to you and your flock. Her gentle nature and daily adventures visiting the Silkies and other chickens really made us smile. Those elongated white eggs are a great bonus too. We truly appreciate you sharing your experience, and Daisy sounds like a one of a kind companion we would all be lucky to have in our flock.
Posted 4 months ago
Alexis
Verified by
“Extremely fast and flighty, but cute and healthy nonetheless”
“I love my Exchequer Leghorn! Jewel is smart, vocal and sassy, but not aggressive. She IS, however, very flight, and we've had to clip her wings twice. She's pretty social, and will fly up onto my shoulder or back.
Since we got her in summer, she hasn't started laying yet.”
Kate, thank you so much for the fun and thoughtful review! Jewel sounds like a true Exchequer Leghorn — smart, vocal, and full of personality. I love that she will fly up to your shoulder or back.
Since she hatched in the summer, it’s very normal for her to take a bit longer to start laying, especially as daylight hours shorten. You should see those eggs start to appear in the spring. Thank you for sharing about Jewel — she sounds like a wonderful addition to your flock!
“Now that shes almost 5 weeks old I'm starting to regret her, but pending any extreme issues shes still here to stay! While it isnt MPCs fault its just the breed, my rating is of the BREED alone MPC is great. She's a bully to the other chicks, pulling at tail feathers, flighty, and a bit of a spazz. Which is a pretty big distrupter to an otherwise cohesive and docile flock. Its my own fault though, I was drawn in by the egg productivity of a leghorn despite their known temperament issues and lack of cold hardiness. She also looks like a hot mess during her feathering raptor stage haha compared to the others shes so unkempt looking lol. Wonder if that is foreshadowing what their molt will be like. I wish I had gone with my instinct for the austra white initially so the australorp cross breed would calm some of the craziness down but hindsight. Could also potentially be just the behavior of a cockerel we'll have to see in a couple weeks.”
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with your Exchequer Leghorn. You’re absolutely right — Leghorns are incredible layers, but they can definitely be more active compared to more docile breeds. Their high energy and curiosity can sometimes make them seem a bit wild next to calmer flockmates, especially at this “awkward teenager” stage.
We’re glad to hear she’s staying with your flock, and with time, she may settle in as everyone finds their place in the pecking order. We've seen many Leghorns become calm, treasured members of the flock. Thank you again for choosing MPC and for taking the time to share such a detailed review — it’s helpful for others deciding which breeds are right for their flock.
Celeste, it’s so heartwarming to hear about your little Exchequer Leghorn thinking she’s one of the family! Chickens truly have a way of charming us and showing off their unique personalities. We love that she’s found her place with you and is thriving!
Please keep us updated on her antics—we'd love to hear more about her human-like ways.
“Little Pepper is adorable and definitely the most friendly of the 3 that survived shipping, despite her mean mugging me in the picture haha. She's the same weight as the other 2 but looks much leaner. Very cute and great patterns so far. I know its hard to tell this early but based on her wing shape and little tail feathers already I'm guessing I did infact get a hen.”
Little Pepper sounds like a total character—we love a sassy chick with a friendly temperament! It's always fun watching them grow and guessing their traits early on. Thanks so much for the update, and if you ever have questions as she grows, we're always here to help.
