poultrykeeper logo

German Langshan Chickens

German Langshan Chicken
No. of Eggs
2.8/5
Easy to Keep?
3.5/5

Uses: Exhibition.
Origin: Germany.
Eggs:
150 – 200 Brown.
Weight: Cock: 3 – 4.5Kg, Hen: 2.5 – 3.5Kg.
Bantam Cock: 1Kg, Hen: 900g.
Colours: Black, Blue, White (Standardised in the U.K.) Birchen, Barred, Brown-Red, Silver-Blue, Lemon-Blue, Red exist in Germany.
Useful to Know: Wine glass shape when viewed in profile. There are several other colours found in Germany where the breed is popular. This is however a rare breed and is seldom seen in the UK.
Photo: White German Langshan. Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson.

 

The German Langshan or Deutsches Langshan as it is called in Germany is a tall, neat and elegant breed, often described as having a ‘wine glass’ shape when standing correctly with the head and tail almost level and a ‘U shaped’ back.

The first Lanshans to arrive in Germany were the Croad Langshans from Major and Miss Croad in 1879 which were thought to have been crossed with the Plymouth Rock amongst others to eventually end up as German Langshan chickens. The white variety is thought to have been as a result of white Langshan imports in 1880 by Baron Villa-Secca from Vienna crossed with white Orpingtons. By 1895, the ‘Clubs Deutscher Langschan-Zuchter’ (German Langshan Club) was formed in Germany.

Of the standardised colour varieties in the UK, black has always been the most popular, white is a little harder to find and blue is extremely rare, most seen today are bantams. In Germany, the German Langshan is far more popular and other colour varieties exist (Buff, Brown-Red, Birchen, Silver-Blue, Lemon-Blue, Red and Barred) although with the exception of barred (created around 2004) only in the bantam size.

German Langshan Bantams

Croad Langshan bantams were created in Germany sometime around 1902 from a mixture of breeds including Cochin and Rosecomb bantams. By 1912, German Langshan Bantams also started to appear. Over the years, many colour varieties were created, the most being perfected in the 1960’s. During the 1990’s further colours were created (Lemon-Blue, Silver-Blue, Buffs, Columbians and Buff Columbians).

Photos

Books

The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages for the books.

Breed Clubs

These are the breed clubs for German Langshans:

  • UK: The German Langshan Club: Mr Geoff Steel Tel: 07624 484222 or David Lawrence Tel: 07624 473762

Related Posts:

On this page:

You might also enjoy:

Housing Geese
Keeping Geese
Housing Geese

Providing you can give sufficient space, adequate ventilation and security from nighttime predators, a goose house need not be complicated. In this article, Mo provides the low-down on housing geese.  

Read More »
Orpington Chickens
Chicken Breeds
Orpington Chickens

The Orpington fowl is more impressive in the flesh than in photographs that accompany the various books on pure breeds of poultry. 

With its abundance of feathers, the large fowl Orpingtons fill their show pens and are a sight to behold. The bantams – a miniature version of this magnificent breed – are still relatively big birds and equally eye-catching and impressive.

Read More »
Hatchability of Chicken Eggs
Incubating, Hatching & Brooding Chicks
Hatchability of Chicken Eggs

The hatchability of chicken eggs is as essential for backyard chicken keepers as it is for commercial flocks, especially when you have a limited number of eggs from a rare breed or breed in numbers to produce a small number of birds for the show pen.

Read More »
A poultry orchard with geese
Keeping Geese
Creating an Orchard for Poultry

Traditionally, in Europe, people kept poultry in orchards. Chickens and waterfowl would eat insects and fallen fruit, and geese would keep the grass short. Droppings helped provide nutrients for the trees, and the trees provided shade, shelter and safety.

Read More »