Cream Legbar History by Kestlyn Penley
The beautiful Cream Legbar was presented at the 1947 Dairy Show as a new breed of cream colored autosexing chicken, friendly in temperament, and prolific layer of the elusive blue egg.
The recessive nature of the cream color, the dominate blue egg color, and the crest which sets this breed apart from its similar Legbar relations was discovered in genetic experimentation performed by Professors R.C. Punnett and Michael Pease. Professor Punnett received blue egg laying crested hens from botanist Clarence Elliott in 1929, who had discovered them in Chile. [1]He experimented with these birds, most likely Araucanas, to create crested blue egg layers with plumage like Brown Leghorns except with cream instead of gold. Later, Professor Pease performed his own breeding experiments using Gold Legbars and an inbred White Leghorn from Reaseheath, which also resulted in some birds with cream coloring. Professors Pease and Punnett bred their cream birds together to see if they had stumbled upon the same cream gene. Their offspring were all cream, proving that both the hens from Chile and the Reaseheath White Leghorn had contained the same cream gene. Descendants of these birds were selected for crests, blue egg laying abilities, and the remarkable autosexing feature that allowed them to be identified at birth. These qualities were stabilized by 1947, and the Cream Legbar received a written standard by the Poultry Club of Great Britain in 1958.
The beautiful Cream Legbar was presented at the 1947 Dairy Show as a new breed of cream colored autosexing chicken, friendly in temperament, and prolific layer of the elusive blue egg.
The recessive nature of the cream color, the dominate blue egg color, and the crest which sets this breed apart from its similar Legbar relations was discovered in genetic experimentation performed by Professors R.C. Punnett and Michael Pease. Professor Punnett received blue egg laying crested hens from botanist Clarence Elliott in 1929, who had discovered them in Chile. [1]He experimented with these birds, most likely Araucanas, to create crested blue egg layers with plumage like Brown Leghorns except with cream instead of gold. Later, Professor Pease performed his own breeding experiments using Gold Legbars and an inbred White Leghorn from Reaseheath, which also resulted in some birds with cream coloring. Professors Pease and Punnett bred their cream birds together to see if they had stumbled upon the same cream gene. Their offspring were all cream, proving that both the hens from Chile and the Reaseheath White Leghorn had contained the same cream gene. Descendants of these birds were selected for crests, blue egg laying abilities, and the remarkable autosexing feature that allowed them to be identified at birth. These qualities were stabilized by 1947, and the Cream Legbar received a written standard by the Poultry Club of Great Britain in 1958.
[1] Autosexing Journal, “Cream Legbars” article by Michael Pease, 1948 page 6
Have you joined the Cream Legbar Club yet? If not, join today! Voting memberships are $12/year, and Associate membership is FREE! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time.
We began our family's journey with the Cream Legbar in the Fall of 2012. While researching the many breeds of poultry available in the USA, the blue eggs caught our attention, and the autosexing feature sealed the deal. What an amazing bird!
Our first juvenile pair of Cream Legbars came home with us from Burton Farms in NC in November, 2012. Blue and Lucy amazed us with how friendly and gentle they were from the start.
Blue met an untimely demise with a window on December 30, 2012. RIP beautiful Blue.
Worried for Lucy, we immediately set out to find her a new friend, and made one of our own in Susanne of Huckleberry Farms in SC. She showed us around her beautiful farm complete with row of playhouse coops, miniature and regular sized sheep, huge friendly dogs, and plenty of poultry. We came home with three month old Grey and a trio of Cream Legbar babies.
January 2, 2013: Graphite took immediately to his new flock including Cream Legbars Cider and Chocolate, as well as our three Christmas hatch Silkies (eggs from Nikki of Sparkle City Silkies) Fluffy, Kicker, and Penny.
January 15, 2013: The Huckleberry Trio is getting so big (4-5weeks). They love to roost on a stick the kids and I found in the yard. We're finishing a bigger coop this weekend so that these three can start moving outdoors!
April 11, 2013: New babies! Little boy London Fog from Rinda's hugger hatched day 20 in less than an hour pip to hatch.He was ready to enter the world!
Meet Kate, our new baby girl from Candace!
They are so squishably cute!
We began our family's journey with the Cream Legbar in the Fall of 2012. While researching the many breeds of poultry available in the USA, the blue eggs caught our attention, and the autosexing feature sealed the deal. What an amazing bird!
Our first juvenile pair of Cream Legbars came home with us from Burton Farms in NC in November, 2012. Blue and Lucy amazed us with how friendly and gentle they were from the start.
Blue met an untimely demise with a window on December 30, 2012. RIP beautiful Blue.
Worried for Lucy, we immediately set out to find her a new friend, and made one of our own in Susanne of Huckleberry Farms in SC. She showed us around her beautiful farm complete with row of playhouse coops, miniature and regular sized sheep, huge friendly dogs, and plenty of poultry. We came home with three month old Grey and a trio of Cream Legbar babies.
January 2, 2013: Graphite took immediately to his new flock including Cream Legbars Cider and Chocolate, as well as our three Christmas hatch Silkies (eggs from Nikki of Sparkle City Silkies) Fluffy, Kicker, and Penny.
January 15, 2013: The Huckleberry Trio is getting so big (4-5weeks). They love to roost on a stick the kids and I found in the yard. We're finishing a bigger coop this weekend so that these three can start moving outdoors!
April 11, 2013: New babies! Little boy London Fog from Rinda's hugger hatched day 20 in less than an hour pip to hatch.He was ready to enter the world!
Meet Kate, our new baby girl from Candace!
They are so squishably cute!
April 16, 2013: Lucy is finally out of the Holding Out Egg Club! She laid her first beautiful pullet egg weighing 45g. OAC 151
May 16, 2013: Lucy and Grey are parents! 3 girls and 2 boys hatched from Lucy's 6 test eggs!
May 17, 2013: London, Kate, and Diana are growing so fast! Already 5 weeks old!
May 16, 2013: Lucy and Grey are parents! 3 girls and 2 boys hatched from Lucy's 6 test eggs!
May 17, 2013: London, Kate, and Diana are growing so fast! Already 5 weeks old!
June 15, 2013: Bad news. We came home to find that Diana got into the big pen while we were out of town. I'm not sure if she ate the adult food, or was attacked by the older birds, but sadly she died.
We are very thankful for London and Kate, who are are quite the pair though, and I will update with older pics soon!
July 5, 2013: Everyone is growing up so fast!
London at 12 weeks (he did not appreciate being photographed while eating)
Grey and Lucy
Chocolate (26 weeks)
Cider (26 weeks)
August7, 2013: Our first two broody hatched babies! Girls! Lucy is doing a great job!
Totals: 11/14 hatched (2 duds and 1 DIS)
2 chicks died the first day, I think they were stepped on when we tried to count chicks and check eggs
Next time we'll not give her so many eggs.
2 Barkies, 4 pullets, 3 cockerals
We are very thankful for London and Kate, who are are quite the pair though, and I will update with older pics soon!
July 5, 2013: Everyone is growing up so fast!
London at 12 weeks (he did not appreciate being photographed while eating)
Grey and Lucy
Chocolate (26 weeks)
Cider (26 weeks)
August7, 2013: Our first two broody hatched babies! Girls! Lucy is doing a great job!
Totals: 11/14 hatched (2 duds and 1 DIS)
2 chicks died the first day, I think they were stepped on when we tried to count chicks and check eggs
2 Barkies, 4 pullets, 3 cockerals
