Croad Langshan Chicken – Breed Profile & Facts

Croad Langshan chickens are active, robust, and intelligent chickens. These chickens mature fast, and the hens are fantastic sitters. The heavy birds are docile, friendly, quiet, and tolerant birds.

These dual-purpose chickens are an excellent choice of chickens for families. Their U-shaped bodies make them unique from other breeds.

Where do Croad Langshan Chickens Come From?

Croad Langshan chickens came from the Langshan area in Northern China in 1870. They were introduced to Britain by a Briton by the name Major Croad. These chickens became popular in North America in the 1970s. There are three varieties of Croad Langshan Chickens. These three varieties include Blue, White, and Black.

How to Recognize a Croad Langshan Chicken?

Croad Langshans are easily recognizable from their unique U-shaped bodies. Their beaks have lighter tips while their eyes are brown. A Croad Langshan chicken has bright red earlobes, wattles, combs, and legs.

Their legs are gray and feathered, and males have long tail sickles and well-spread tails. Hens have deep abdomens, and they lay a decent number of large, brown-shelled eggs. Roosters have deep breasts and long muscular legs, making them excellent meat birds.

While Croad Langshans have massive bodies, their heads are pretty small compared to their body sizes, unlike the standard chickens.

How Big Do Croad Langshan Chickens Grow?

Although these chickens are relatively smaller than Cochins and Brahmas, Croad Langshans are heavy birds with cockerels weighing over 9lbs. Hens can grow to around 7.5lbs. Anybody with space can find these birds pretty awesome to keep.

Are Croad Langshan Chickens Easy to Care For?

While these chickens are heavy, they are easy to care for. They are perfect chickens for beginner chicken keepers and experienced chicken keepers. These dual-purpose chickens don’t disappoint if you have ample space. Being tough birds, these chickens can thrive in almost any condition.

They remain peaceful birds throughout, even when living or foraging in flocks. They are pretty gentle and easy to keep, even alongside other birds. These chickens need water and a proper diet to thrive like other breeds. Being docile, Croad Langshans are pretty easy to raise.

However, it would help if you accorded them proper care since they have feathered feet. For instance, these chickens need to live in dry and clean conditions lest their feet become dirty, finally harboring external parasites.

Furthermore, both Croad Langshan hens and roosters need to feed often to maintain their heavy bodies and produce eggs constantly.

What to Feed Croad Langshan Chickens?

When you first bring your Croad Langshan baby chicks home, you should feed the chicks with grower mash. Continue feeding the chicks with grower mash until the chicks are at least six weeks old. A high-quality grower mash has 19% protein and other minerals your chicks need to develop.

Once the chicks are over six weeks old, you can feed them with chicken pellets. Chicken pellets also contain a substantial percentage of protein content, although not as high as growers mash.

When your chicks turn 18 weeks old, you should switch their diet to layer pellets or layer mash since they need nutrients to have a high egg production. A quality layer mash has at least 16 % protein.

Croad Langshan hens need eggshells as part of their diet. Eggs shells are a suitable source of calcium. With enough calcium, your hens will constantly lay eggs with strong shells. Bake the eggshells in an even before introducing them to your hens. Baking the eggs shells is crucial for killing salmonella and other harmful insects lurking on the eggshells.

Croad Langshan roosters also need protein. With enough protein, your roosters will grow muscle fast, and they will be ready for the table after a couple of months. Croad Langshans also need greens such as kales, cabbages, Dandelion leaves, and chickweed because greens are rich in vitamins and essential minerals.

Croad Langshan chickens need these minerals and vitamins to sustain overall good health. Toss some greens into the coop for your chickens to snack on these greens. However, tough greens aren’t suitable for Croad Langshan baby chickens because they are tough on their guts, and therefore they can’t digest them properly without experiencing digestion problems.

Although Croad Langshans chickens can consume various foods, some foods aren’t suitable for these chickens. Moldy foods, for instance, are toxic, and they can cause adverse health problems because they contain harmful bacteria.

Croad chickens should also not consume beans and chocolate since the two have high concentrations of theobromine and phytohemagglutinin. These two compounds are fatal for chickens since they can lead to heart problems.

What Kind of Coop Does Croad Langshans Need?

A chicken coop is an essential item to have while keeping Croad Langshan chickens. A proper coop for these birds should be spacious since these birds are larger than other breeds. The ideal coop should provide every chicken with at least 11 square feet. The coop also needs to have some perches for every chicken to roost at night.

Have some wooden laying boxes in the coop for hens to lay. Fill the laying boxes with wood shavings to make them comfortable for the egg-laying Croad Langshans hens. The laying boxes should be sufficient for each hen because these chickens are proficient layers.

Have a fence surrounding the coop to protect your Croad Langshans from predators. The fence should sink into the ground and go over the top of the roof.

Your chickens should also rest comfortably, and therefore you need to have bedding in the coop to keep the birds comfortable. Spreading straw or wood shavings all over the chicken coop will provide your chickens with comfortable bedding.

Have some water containers in the coop to ensure your Croad Langshans never go thirsty. The containers need to be tall enough such chickens can stand on the water containers while drinking.

Furthermore, ensure the containers are sturdy enough to prevent the chickens from pushing the water containers, ultimately spilling the water in the coop.

What Health Problems Do Croad Langshans Have?

While Croad Langshans are overly disease-resistant birds compared to other domestic birds, they aren’t entirely safe from various health problems other breeds experience at some point.

Here are some of the health conditions that Croad Langshans are likely to have. It is vital that you have a vet check your chickens for these health conditions below.

• Fowl Cholera-This chronic disease affects chickens’ wattles and joints. It also affects sinuses alongside other tissues. Croad Langshans with this condition show symptoms such as diarrhea and loss of appetite. Furthermore, some Croad Langshan chickens with fowl cholera also have swollen purple wattles, ruffled feathers, lameness, swollen combs, and nasal discharge. This health problem can also cause the sudden death of your Croad Langshans.
• Coccidiosis-This is the most common health condition that chickens, including Croad Langshans, have. It is also responsible for high mortality rates among all chicken breeds. This condition will ruin your chickens’ guts, making them diarrhea, lose appetite, and worse still, make your chickens succumb to death within days. It is also pretty contagious, and a single chicken can spread the disease to other birds if a vet doesn’t intervene on time.
• Fowl Pox-The highly contagious disease usually claims the lives of Croad Langshans baby chicks. Croad Langshans chickens with Fowl pox have distinctive bumps that appear like warts. These bumps are present on the chickens’ combs and wattles. Young Croad Langshans usually experience stunted growth due to fowl pox.
• Newcastle Disease-This acute respiratory condition spreads pretty rapidly, and it can wipe out your entire flock in days. Croad Langshans chickens with this disease have respiratory problems and exhibit apparent signs of weakness.
• Avian Influenza-Although this is a common health condition in wild birds, it also attacks domestic birds, including Croad Langshans. Chickens with Avian Influenza show several symptoms, including ruffled feathers, sneezing, coughing, and edema in their wattles and combs. This deadly viral condition affects Croad Langshans of all ages and sizes.
• Salmonellosis –This bacterial disease causes enteritis and septicemia in Croad Langshan chickens. Birds get this disease orally, particularly after coming into contact with infected rodents and other birds. Its symptoms include diarrhea, loss of appetite, closed eyes, ruffled feathers, and thirst.

How Many Eggs do Croad Langshan Chickens Lay?

All Langshans varieties, including Croad Langshans, are great layers. Croad Langshan hens lay over 200 eggs yearly. Hens are efficient layers even during cold months.

Most hens lay four huge, brown eggs weekly. Hens start laying around seven months, and they can lay consistently for 4 to five years with a proper diet.

Can You Eat Croad Langshan Chicken Eggs?

Yes, you can consume Croad Langshan chicken eggs without experiencing side effects. Thanks to their rich nutritional profile, these large brown eggs are highly sought after by egg enthusiasts. For instance, the eggs from these chickens are pretty rich in protein and, therefore, an excellent option for people with a protein deficiency.

Furthermore, these eggs aren’t full of cholesterol and fat like most chicken eggs. Your chances of getting heart disease due to the accumulation of cholesterol and fat are pretty low.

Besides having low cholesterol levels, Croad Langshan chicken eggs are tastier than most chicken eggs from different breeds. You can try these eggs with virtually any recipe of your choice.

Nonetheless, avoid giving these eggs a try if you have an egg allergy because they might react with your body. Furthermore, don’t eat the eggs in excess since too many Croad Langshan chicken eggs can subject you to uncontrollable weight gain and other serious health issues over time.

Are Croad Langshan Chickens Good for Meat?

Yes, these chickens are suitable for meat production. Although they are smaller than most popular meat-producing chickens such as Cochins and Brahmas, they are still heavy birds. Therefore, they can produce plenty of meat.

Even hens that weigh around 7lbs are still great meat producers compared to the average hen that weighs around 4lbs. Roosters are the best for meat production since their average weight of 9lbs can produce plenty of meat, making roosters from this breed dependable meat producers.

Overall, Croad Langshans are excellent for meat since they mature pretty fast. A six to seven-month-old Croad Langshan chicken is usually ready for the table.

How Long Do Croad Langshan Chickens Live?

Croad Langshan chickens can live for ten years in captivity. The biggest threats to these chickens are diseases and predators. With proper care, though, these chickens can live beyond a decade.

Although there are exotic chickens, these chickens are disease-resistant, and they can live beyond the average lifespan with good care.

Are Golden Croad Langshan Chickens Friendly?

Yes, these chickens are very friendly. They are some of the most social chickens you can raise. Besides being friendly, these chickens are also easy to tame. Therefore, these chickens can make excellent pets for parents with small kids.

Despite their large size, these chickens are also non-aggressive, making them suitable to keep with other birds. They boast a charming personality, making these birds worthy dual-purpose birds for any chicken keeper to raise.

Can Croad Langshan Chickens Get Wet?

These chickens can get wet quickly, especially on their feet, since these birds have feathers extending to their feet. No wonder these chickens thrive well in dry conditions. Due to their bulky feathers, Croad Langshan chickens can quickly get wet in the rain.

They aren’t the best chickens when it comes to withstanding rainstorms. Ensure your Croad Langshans live in dry conditions to stop them from getting wet.

How Much Do Croad Langshan Chickens Cost?

On average, Croad Langshan baby chicks sell at $16. Hens sell at $50, while cockerels cost above $40.

The price of these chickens varies with the breeder’s choice, availability, and location. Some breeders, for instance, sell their Croad Langshan chickens more than other breeders.

 Conclusion

Croad Langshans are superb dual-purpose birds ideal for experienced and beginner chicken keepers. Whether you want a reliable breed for either eggs or meat, Croad Langshan chickens are the ideal chickens for you.

These chickens make a worthy addition to any chicken coop. They also do perfectly well as free-range chickens. Start raising Croad Langshans if you want a constant supply of quality chicken meat and eggs.