California White Chicken: A Fantastic Egg Layer
The California White is a perfect choice if you’re looking for a productive and easy-to-manage chicken. This hybrid offers impressive egg production, hardiness, and a docile temperament, making them a great choice for beginners and experienced chicken keepers.
- California White hens lay up to 6 eggs weekly
- Crossbreed of White Leghorns and California Grey
- Friendly and docile nature
- Seldom broody
| Eggs | Up to 300 eggs/year |
| Egg Color | White |
| Egg Size | Large |
| Weight | 4 – 4.5 lbs |
| Hardiness | Cold |
| Temperament | Friendly |
| Beginner-friendly | Yes |
| Color | White with black spots |
Characteristics
California Whites look much like their White Leghorn ancestors, but they’re a bit bigger and often have black spots on their white feathers. These hybrids were created in the 1940s by crossbreeding a California Grey rooster and a White Leghorn hen.
As chicks, they’re yellow with black flecks, but as they grow up, their feathers turn white with black flecks, giving them a distinctive look that’s sure to turn heads in your backyard.
California White hens typically weigh around 4 pounds when fully grown, while males weigh a bit more at around 4.5 pounds. This makes them medium-sized chickens.
Egg Production
One of the main reasons the California White is such a popular chicken is its excellent egg-laying abilities. They are known to be great layers, with hens laying approximately 300 large white eggs per year. That’s up to six eggs weekly. This means you’ll have plenty of fresh eggs for your family or to share with friends and neighbors.
They are also excellent winter layers, and will keep providing you with fresh eggs even during colder months.
One thing to keep in mind is that egg production can vary based on a number of factors, including diet, living conditions, and age. However, with proper care and feeding, your California Whites should be able to produce plenty of eggs for you to enjoy.
Whites are not known for being broody, which means they’re not likely to sit on their eggs and try to hatch them. This behavior can be a drawback if you’re primarily interested in egg production. Broody hens will temporarily stop laying and may become aggressive or territorial.
Personality
California Whites are known for their friendly and docile personalities, making them a great choice to keep. They’re not aggressive towards humans or other chickens and tend to be calm and easy to handle. This makes them a good option if you’re looking for chickens that are good with children or that you can interact with.
That being said, California Whites are also active and alert birds. They’re not necessarily the best choice if you don’t have a large run for them. They enjoy foraging and exploring and are good at finding their bugs and insects if given the opportunity.
California Whites are considered to be cold-hardy chickens. They can tolerate various temperatures and weather conditions, from hot summers to cold winters, but they stand cold temperatures better than hot ones.
Remember that while California Whites are hardy, they still need some basic care and attention to stay healthy. Providing them with a clean and dry coop, fresh water, and nutritional feed will help them thrive, no matter the weather.
California White Breed Profile
The California White chicken is a relatively new hybrid, developed in the United States in the mid-20th century. It was created by crossing a White Leghorn female with a California Gray male to create a hybrid breed that would produce large numbers of white eggs.
The California Gray was a breed that was known for its hardiness, strong foraging ability, and ability to produce white eggs.
By crossing this breed with the White Leghorn, which was known for its high egg production and efficient feed conversion, breeders were able to create a hybrid that combined the best traits of both breeds.
Summary
The California White is a popular hybrid chicken known for its fantastic egg-laying capabilities. They look very similar to White Leghorns but have black spots on their white feathers. California Whites are quiet, docile, and easy to handle. They are winter-hardy and active foragers.
They are one of the best white egg layers, producing about 300 large white eggs annually.
Related Questions
The California White chicken is a relatively new hybrid, developed in the United States in the mid-20th century. It was created by crossing a White Leghorn female with a California Gray male.
California White hens lay large white eggs.
California White hens are excellent egg layers. They lay up to 300 eggs per year, that’s up to six eggs weekly. They also keep on laying during winter.
Yes, California White chickens are hardy, docile, and friendly, making them an excellent choice for beginners.
Credits Featured Image: @lexycomplexy (IG)
