Cream legbar crossed Goldline, thoughts and experiences?

[nadrojsack]

Ive got the opportunity to add a cream legbar cockeral to my Goldline hens, im coming to the end of hatching quail and would like to know if anyone has crossbeed a cream legbar with a goldline? if so what have been your results? Im looking for occasional coloured eggs in a high egg laying bird. thanks

 

[rebrascora]

My legbars are good egg layers, so I'm not sure why you have reservations about them. They are never going to be quite as good as a hybrid of course but I get between 5 and 6 a week average.

The concern for your chicken being on his own is that he may suffer stress and depression which can lead to health issues (poor appetite and growth, weak immune system leaving him vulnerable to viruses etc), but he will also not learn how to interact with other chickens, so basically he will not learn how to be a chicken himself.... ie understand pecking order, how to socialise etc. He may have difficulty adjusting to other chickens when you introduce him and may get badly beaten up because he doesn't understand their body language and behaviour. Chickens are social creatures. Their everyday interactions tell you a lot about their status, health and wellbeing. He will be missing out on a big chunk of life experience, growing up on his own. It's just not natural for a chicken. At least get him a mirror and..... I know it sounds a bit soft..... but a small cuddly toy may help. Something to snuggle up to, as this is what his hatch mates and or broody mother would do.

His toes don't look too bad to me. I'm sure he will learn to overcome whatever minor disability they cause him.

 

[nadrojsack]

it was well said, and so ive found a CL hen the same age im getting on tuesday this should be good company while he matures and give me those sought after blue eggs sooner than i had imagined.

i may have to start breeding chickens instead of quail.

 

[nadrojsack]

Would it make something like a cream legbar and a rir? but better?!

 

[nadrojsack]

Just for reference. . .

 

[rebrascora]

Hi.
If the cream legbar rooster has both blue egg genes(homozygous) then all the female offspring will get a blue egg gene and it's dominant. Couple that with the brown egg coating of the goldline and you get a green egg, so all the pullets from such a breeding should lay green eggs. If he doesn't have both blue egg genes(heterozygous) then 50% will lay green eggs. I believe that's right anyway.

I used my legbar cockerel on my RIR and I love the pullets from this cross and intend to breed some more as they have great personality, are quite pretty and lay avocado/olive coloured eggs about 6 days a week at the moment. My RIR lays a dark egg though, so with a goldline you will most likely get a very pale green.

 

[rebrascora]

Also, just noticed that we are very near neighbours! Hello and welcome! Where are you in Durham?

 

[nadrojsack]

what an awesome response! thankyou. I guess ill get the rooster then. how long should i give the rooster before setting the eggs do you know? thankyou

 

[rebrascora]

It depends on the cockerel. If he is an established cockerel and the hens are accepting him then a few days should be enough, give it a week to be sure. If he is a young bird and the hens are older, they may not accept his advances and it may take longer. Watch them and see how they interact.

I should say that my experience is very limited in that I've only got 2 pullets from this cross so far and sadly one has now got Mareks disease so she is not laying. And the eggs that I am getting are very small, but then they are pullets eggs and my RIR doesn't lay big eggs like a Goldline will. The pullet who is laying though is undoubtedly my favourite out of a flock of 40.

 

[chicken pickin]

Just for reference. . .

Are these males pictured the Cream Legbars you are planning on picking up?

If so, these do not look like pure Cream Legbar at all. There is a very good chance those cockerels are already a mix meaning they would only have one blue egg gene not the 2 they are supposed to have. This means not all offspring of your planned cross will get a colored egg gene, more like 50/50.