California Whites & Grays
California Whites & Grays
Ever heard of or seen California Whites and Grays mentioned anywhere? Maybe online with a hatchery, or in a Facebook group, or maybe you've seen them in feed store chick bins during chick days. What exactly are these birds and what are they used for? You never know you may find the white’s or grays may become your new backyard egg laying favorite to have around. Hopefully they are a wonderful addition to anyone's backyard flock!
California Gray is a combination cross between a White Leghorn rooster, and a White Leghorn hen, resulting in a bird that's called a California Gray, they are mostly barred color for both male and female. Hens lay practically white eggs, with around 260-300 large eggs per year. Their earlobes are partially white and red, they have a single comb, and moderately large wattles. Their legs and skin are yellow. Chicks appear mostly dark gray to black.
California Grays are not sex-linked or autosexing, but the crossing between the California Gray, and White Leghorn, creates a sex-linked hybrid. The California Gray was developed originally in the 1930's for a good egg laying dual purpose bird.
California White on the other hand a sexlinked crossed between a California Gray rooster, back crossed again to a White Leghorn hen, making a California White, they are mostly White in color for both male and female. Hens lay white eggs, around 300 large eggs per year. Their earlobes are mostly white, they have a single comb, with large wattles. Their legs and skin are yellow, chicks have yellow down with black spots. Their adult plumage is mostly white with occasional flecks of black throughout. The California White was deeloped more in between the 1930's-1950's for the same idea but to make the resulting offspring less flighty and easier to handle unlike the leghorn which prefers not to be held.
Both of these guys weigh average between 4 lbs for females, and over 5 for males. Both lay plentiful and are excellent for small farmers and backyard chicken keepers whose primary purpose is egg layers. California’s can make do as meat birds but are not excellent, weighing between 4-5 lbs, extra roosters would do fine as stew birds. Neither of the California’s are a true breed, they're still a hybrid crossed solely for egg production. Hens lay between 260-300+ eggs per year, broody would not be excellent but is possible. Temperament would be somewhat flighty, but also calm and laid back, Leghorns are known for being flighty and jumpy, and barred Plymouth Rocks are more laid back. Their personalities can differ between each bird, but generally temperament should be quite decent.
If you find yourself looking for these guys they will be decently easy to find, many hatcheries provide them, as well as you can easily breed both of these yourself by the following combination .