California White: an egg-efficient chicken for urban environments

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Whether you have acres of land or a small backyard, chicken keepers are always looking for a great egg breed. Of course, temperament plays a role. Some people make their decisions based on egg color,

but for my money…when it comes to choosing a laying breed, I always go back to the California White.

This chicken is a cross. This means that one parent of this chicken is a White Leghorn (chicken) and the other is a California Gray (rooster).

The feathers are white (with some black spots), the bird has a large single bill, and chicks generally weigh about 5 pounds or slightly less. But despite their size, they are quite hardy and thrive in our Colorado winters just as well as our Orpingtons, Barred Rocks and Australorps.

California Whites are a great choice for urban or backyard chicken keepers. They tolerate small spaces well (ideal for smaller townhouses), are more docile than Livornos, usually start laying eggs around 17 weeks of age and are machines when it comes to egg quantity.

(So if your city ordinance only allows a few chickens and you want enough eggs to feed your family, California Whites are a much better choice compared to breeds that can lay 3 eggs per week.) The Whites lay 5 – 6 white eggs per week.

What if you had four of these chickens? You can get up to twenty eggs per week to feed your family and maybe have enough to sell/trade with friends, family or neighbors.

If you let your California Whites roam free in your yard, be warned that they can fly higher than the average chicken. I found one of my girls sitting on the property’s 6-foot fence.

(To get them to come down on their own, I simply rounded up the rest of the flock, led them to the coop and gave them some crab pellets and mealworms. California White jumped down and ran over to them to get treats.

They had fun. To prevent this scenario from happening again, I clipped some of their primary flight feathers (the longest feathers closest to the tip of the wing) on one wing, avoiding blood feathers. NOTE: This is not harmful to the chicken.

Shortly after this feather adjustment, she attempted to fly, but her flight took a turn in a direction she did not intend and she was left on the ground in our backyard.

Consider California White if you are looking for a productive egg layer in an urban or backyard environment.

Given their temperament, their hardiness, their ability to tolerate captivity and their quantity of eggs… you won’t be disappointed. This breed is an excellent choice.

 California White Chicken

The California White Chicken is a dual purpose chicken breed that comes from the US state of California.

Generally

The California White Chicken is a chicken breed that is mainly used for laying, but works reasonably well as a broiler.

They work very well in an urban or industrial environment and are also very suitable for smaller spaces.[1]

They are extremely good laying hens; They can lay eggs regularly from spring to late winter and usually start laying eggs at about 17 weeks of age.

Behave

California White chickens are extremely docile and friendly to most people and other chickens. Since they are primarily used to lay eggs, they are usually not good foragers, but are happy to do so in a free-ranging environment.

Due to their docile nature, they are generally lower in the pecking order and are generally smaller than wilder and heritage chicken breeds.

See

White California chickens are usually completely white and have no distinct patterns, but often have large, bushy feathers on the rump and tail.

Story

California White chickens first emerged as a stock breed in the 1800s through the selective breeding of White Leghorn chickens and California Gray chickens. Nowadays they are considered a popular layer chicken, but are also quite good for meat.

Although they are slowly becoming less popular as more commercial tiers become available.

California White Chickens – Breed Profile and Facts

If you like a medium or small flock, look for the California White Chicken. These excellent laying hens are known for their white eggs. They are very peaceful and fast growing birds that do well in your garden.

The California White Chicken is a hybrid, a cross between a White Leghorn hen and a California Gray male. This backyard chicken breed has superior hybrid traits and vigor resulting in an excellent quality of life.

These backyard chickens are easy to manage. They tolerate both the borders and the cold well. When young, California whites are easily identified by their bright yellow feathers with black spots.

Adults have white feathers with black spots. Here’s everything you need to know about California White Chicken.

California White Chicken – Fast Facts

The name California White Chickens goes back to their origins in the United States. This chicken breed was developed in the USA (California) in the 1930s for commercial egg and meat production.

California White is a combination of California Gray roosters and White Leghorn males. This breed belong to the heavy class of hybrid chickens.

Most of the physical characteristics come from White Livorno. Brutality, docility and toughness come from the Barred Plymouth genes.

California White Chicken Characteristics

As mentioned above, the California White Chicken is one of the hardy chicken breeds for your garden. Their longevity and laying ability exceeds breeds such as the White Leghorn and others.

As the name suggests, the color of the adult chicken is white with some black spots. However, the chicks are covered in black. Features such as heels, crest and earlobes are red. Also, adults have a single weapon.

California white chickens are also versatile. This means they do well in local conditions and perform excellently in open environments.

They make a great winter stock and are also adaptable for all seasons. These birds are more energetic than most chicken breeds, which slows down their egg production in the fall. Click here