The features of Leghorn or Rhode island or New hampshire or Plymouthrock birds

The features of Leghorn or Rhode island or New hampshire or Plymouthrock birds

White Leghorn:

The leghorn birds belong to the Mediterranean class. They are the most popular breed for poultry farming as they are excellent layers. However the flesh is not as delicious as in other birds. The body is short with a long back and a protruding breast. The ear lobes are creamy with rose comb.

The White Leghorns were first introduced to our country by foreign mis­sionaries about 75 yrs ago. This variety is good only for egg laying as the meat is not delicious. The birds can be kept very well in dry regions as they do not prefer wet areas. White Leghorns are very popular as layers as they produce the eggs within about 6 months of their birth. The average weight of a leghorn cock is about 2.75kg while that of the hen is 1.75kg.

Other varieties of leghorn include the brown leghorn, the black leghorn and the buff.

Rhode Island:

These birds belong to the American class. There are two varieties in Rhode Island. These are Rhode Island Red and Rhode Island White. The Rhode Island Red is the most popular of the American class. It has a hardy nature and can survive even in damp rainy regions. The body is somewhat rectangular and the plumage is dark red or brownish red. It has a good quality of meat and a good layer of eggs.

The eggs are brown shelled the chicks grow very quickly and easy to rear. There are two varieties of Rhode Island Red – the single comb type and the rose comb type. The single comb variety is more popular than the other. The average weight of the cock is 3.8 kgs and of the hen 3kgs.

The Rhode Island White is an uncommon breed. It has rose comb and developed from white Wyandottes and white leghorns. The plumage is pure white and does not have any tint.

Plymouthrock:

This bird belongs to the American class. It has a good size and rather long bodied with a prominent breast and fat body. It is the most popular breed in America and the cocks have a single comb. The average weight of the bird – cock 4.5 kg and hen 2.2 kg. This breed is not very popular in India but the males are used for breeding with the Desi varieties. The Plymouthrock has several varieties such as barred, Columbian, silver pencilled, blue and partridge etc.

Newhampshire:

The Newhampshire is an American class bird and has developed in Newhampshire from light coloured strains of Rhode Island Reds. The Newhampshire has a single comb and the body is less rectangu­lar than the Rhode Island Red. In the Newhampshire males the back is deep chestnut red while the females have the parts of the body having medium chestnut red. The birds are good layers and the eggs are brown shelled. It is also a good meat producer. The average weight of the cock is 3.5kg and that of the hen 2.5kg.