Lavender cuckoo easter egger

[jerryse]

Just reading the last few pages of this thread and I see lots of talk about the leg color. Just thought I'd point out that thanks to the barring, you will never be able to achieve the true slate legs with a barred bird. The white crested cuckoo polish was admitted to the standard with a clause on the leg color, they knew it was near impossible so they just have it as being white legs with as much blue tint as possible or something along those lines, I will have to double check the standard on the wording.
The projects are looking good everyone! I have cream legbars and they are not silver, they are cream light brown with the cream being a recessive. I crossed mine with normal leghorns to improve egg production and all offspring came out light brown (as expected) but if you were to add lavender to them, the hens would be like a lavender crele and I'd imagine if the creme works like I imagine, the roosters would have more of a silver lavender crele type color. Introducing them into the lav cuckoo project would bring in larger/possibly floppy combs, and also yellow legs again. But they do have great color, I just think it would set a project like this back further than needed.

Sorry about my long ranting ramble...

I am aware of the barring and leg color problem.I also looked at other breeds to see how they handled it.The problem is a few club members were very vocal about slate legs only.Since reasoning with them seemed to go nowhere I decided to try the impossible.I have produced a few and hope to stablize whatever genes allow it to happen.In reality the objectors could be out voted.They are in reality slate legs and the barring gene interfers with melanin in the leg color as it does in the feathers.Mottling and pied genes have the same effect.It seems reasonable to me to make allowences for genetic realities.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I am aware of the barring and leg color problem.I also looked at other breeds to see how they handled it.The problem is a few club members were very vocal about slate legs only.Since reasoning with them seemed to go nowhere I decided to try the impossible.I have produced a few and hope to stablize whatever genes allow it to happen.In reality the objectors could be out voted.They are in reality slate legs and the barring gene interfers with melanin in the leg color as it does in the feathers.Mottling and pied genes have the same effect.It seems reasonable to me to make allowences for genetic realities.

So true! The polish breeders realize it. I think it must be because some of the ameraucana people are worried about the fine line between pure and EE. I have seen some cuckoo/barred ameraucana project birds that have better type than many of the normal black and blue birds, their only flaw is leg color. I think if enough people pushed for it in the standard, it could happen

 

[faykokoWV]

of course lavender in general still isn't accepted as a standard color, so I'm guessing leg color will be a moot point for a while. I'm guessing thats part of the reason this thread was titled as EE not Ameraucana

 

[Goose and Fig]

Just one,more reason that we have a little time to play around with this and work out the bugs. I have been getting some nice solid splits and lavs out of the project too, so its benefiting all around.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I am thinking this juvie is a female, and that is why she still has slate legs.

 

[faykokoWV]

thought I'd share some chick pictures, I tried different lighting to capture the cuckoo pattern better, its really hard to show it in a picture vs seeing it in person.

 

[faykokoWV]

btw, I think those chicks are shaping up pretty good for a "wild unlikely project". Thanks Happy and Jerry for getting me started!

 

[nicalandia]

btw, I think those chicks are shaping up pretty good for a "wild unlikely project". Thanks Happy and Jerry for getting me started!

been thinking on doing a Red Cuckoo EE myself, with dark shanks

 

[faykokoWV]

been thinking on doing a Red Cuckoo EE myself, with dark shanks

that would be pretty! I still need your suggestions on getting around the barring factor on the legs!

 

[Goose and Fig]

They look great! What are you feeding them? They look so shiny!