The Legbar Thread!

[KPenley]

Has anyone tried breeding their Legbar Roo to a brown or white Leghorn. I am just curious what the results would be and how it would effect the egg laying?

I'll have to look it up, it's somewhere here in the myriad of posts, but Pease actually recommended using brown leghorn females, presumably the Dutch show quality which are bigger than we have here, to bring in new blood if you needed to. If I remember correctly, you discard the cockerels and then breed the pullets back to their father to get things going on the right track again. IMO breeding to whites could unearth all kinds of problems since dominant white covers everything.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Has anyone tried breeding their Legbar Roo to a brown or white Leghorn. I am just curious what the results would be and how it would effect the egg laying?

I do it with white Leghorns. I haven't raised any out to maturity yet. In the UK that particular cross is called a Sapphire. They look just like the white Cream Legbar sports but are supposed to lay even better (pretty unbelievable because my CLs are really good layers!)

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Has anyone tried breeding their Legbar Roo to a brown or white Leghorn. I am just curious what the results would be and how it would effect the egg laying?

I have done it with basic hatchery 'brown' leghorns and also real light brown leghorns. The production is better than the legbars but the shell color is really light.

 

[GaryDean26]

I need suggestions from you experts as to how to incorporate them into my existing flock, plz! (And I guess I'm gonna need to build new pens (lol)!!)

The traditional poultry farming that was common 100 years ago would start a line by sourcing hens from a single "yard". A yard would be full sisters breed to a cockerel two or more generations removed from the hens. The hens would be the foundation and they would source a distant related or oft time unrelated cockerel to start their line. They would spend about 3 years working to form their own line when started with closely related cockerels and about twice that time if they started with an unrelated cockerel (but it would give them more ownership of the line if they started with unrelated blood). After they had put their own genetic stamp on the line and it was breeding very consistently for the traits they were selecting for they would be very carful about introducing new blood. The only time they really would is if they saw ill effects of inbreeding or felt they could get an improvement from another line (i.e. larger stock, better layers, etc). One way they would introduce new blood would be to source a cockerel and breed it to a few of the hens from their line. They would keep the best cockerel to breed to their line. That way the new blood going into their line would be half their line which would less any inconsistency brought in from the new blood. Like wise they could source a few hens from another line and breed them to a cockerel from their own line and introduce the blood from the cross to their line.

I would do something similar to introduce the Rees line. Cross it to your line you have been working on for 3+ generation then breed the best from the out cross back the line you want to work with.

 

[chicken pickin]

I was hoping for maybe an opinion or 2. I currently have my main breeder he is 1year 3months. He is very decent looking though a little colorful but has some other very great physical qualities. My plan has been to pick one of his sons as my new main breeder and then keep the older one as my backup and maybe a second son as a backup. My main breeder though has an attitude problem and has for about a month or more now. I am fed up with his trying to spur me when I come in to feed and water them. I have an appt scheduled for him and a few other roosters to get processed tomorrow. Im a little hesitant because all the other cockerels I have are only the 9 week olds Im growing out ( the ones I posted pics of). I do have a dozen eggs I plan to set tonight and I was also planning to collect and set eggs over the next 2-3weeks while the hens may still be fertile.

Am I making a good decision to part with my main boy now sooner than later due to his aggression or is this a bad plan since I don't have a mature roo that I know has good qualities set in place? My thought was no matter how good looking the rooster if he has a bad attitude he is a bad breeder.

I also made the hard decision to process my main Marans cock also tomorrow, again with no backup in place he is such a sweet boy and passes on his sweet nature to his offspring he just isn't good quality. So looks like I am pretty much done with my CL and my Marans for the summer. I am in search of a better quality Black Copper Marans rooster now. I have 6 very young cockerels I hatched from a breeders eggs that I am growing out but Im not really liking them much(so far anyhow, but Im keeping my fingers crossed that one will surprise me).

 

[enola]

My cockerel (about 6 months) has developed an attitude also. He completely surprised me the first time he spurred me. But, I was ready the next day. Sure enough when I bent over to put feed in the feeder he hit me right on the shoulder. I was prepared, I grabbed him, held him by the feet and used a plastic coffee can to scare the crap out of him.

I have a rule about roosters that I follow. If he is real young I just rough him up a little and then demand respect for ever after. The second time I get a good deal rougher, he will KNOW I worked him over this time. The third time, he gets a trip to the chopping block. Don't need those genes here.........

 

[sweetdreaming]

I posted this on another thread, but I'll repeat it here. Re: aggressive Roos: we found out it doesn't do any good to "fight " them back, it will just keep escalating til somebody gets hurt or we kill them!!. So I got a 1 qt spray bottle and filled it w/ water and about 1/2 cup ammonia. I also put some of this mixture in a kiddy squirt gun. When the hormones started surging in the boys this spring, as soon as they started "fluffing up" or sneaking after me as I walked by: they got a squirt in the face. Since it's not a normal "fight response", they don't keep up the aggression and stop immediately and run away. They figured out in a hurry that if they came after me their eyes and nose started burning!!! ... They now avoid me like the plague (although they've learned they can still come up for treats if they're very respectful!!). The bottle sits at the back door, but I hvnt had to use it in a long while and I hv nice respectful Roos running around!

 

[sweetdreaming]

Needless to say, you will have to be very careful with the $450 investment . Hope the new line is worth the extra bucks!

I ordered the JR chicks last Oct for their regular CL price and (after a few emails back and forth), GFF honored my JR order for that price. I really did luck out (although my hubby still thinks $49/hen was still too expensive!!).

 

[enola]

Squirting ammonia in a rooster's eyes is cruel.

 

[ChicKat]

Squirting ammonia in a rooster's eyes is cruel.

It's diluted - so it isn't quite the same as pure ammonia...it could be just enough to give that smell - and the surprise. It also saves the roosters life---and some folks think roughing up - beating on - humiliating in front of the hens and otherwise dominating a rooster is also cruel.

It would be nice if they would just behave themselves. I think maybe the older a CL gets the more crochety? I do like the idea of a smack in the face with water----I may try that approach when my guy ruffles those hackles at me..... Can just imagine the suprised look!!!

Sweet dreamin' -- to GaryDean's point too--- once you have a hen or cockerel that is 1/2 your line and put that one back with your flock - you are 3/4 you line with those offspring - and there should be some vigor - but .... it will be very interesting to see what genetics that are recessive will pop out in the next couple of breeding seasons.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone...be safe, have fun!