Ameraucana or a cream leg bar for bluest eggs

[Mimi13]

I have a black Ameraucana, a Cream Legbar and an EE. Both the AM and CL lay beautiful sky blue eggs. The AM’s are a bit bluer. My EE lays a bluish green egg. Out of these three birds, my AM is the meanest to other birds yet allows me to pick her up and hold her. The CL and EE are very sweet birds, toward the bottom of the PO. They are not keen on me picking them up, but love to be held and petted once I have them. All three are mad foragers.

 

[Shellebelle920]

I have a black Ameraucana, a Cream Legbar and an EE. Both the AM and CL lay beautiful sky blue eggs. The AM’s are a bit bluer. My EE lays a bluish green egg. Out of these three birds, my AM is the meanest to other birds yet allows me to pick her up and hold her. The CL and EE are very sweet birds, toward the bottom of the PO. They are not keen on me picking them up, but love to be held and petted once I have them. All three are mad foragers.

Thank you for sharing! . I know everyone will have different experiences with different birds, but it’s good to hear from someone who has all of them to compare temperaments, egg colors etc...

 

[cholland]

My Pet Chicken lists several vibrant egg colored chickens on their web site. I've never ordered from them but I look occasionally.

 

[Mimi13]

Thank you for sharing! . I know everyone will have different experiences with different birds, but it’s good to hear from someone who has all of them to compare temperaments, egg colors etc...

I have been really tempted to try the hybrids that produce the blue eggs and green eggs, but I just haven’t yet.

 

[ClintonChickens]

I have 3 EE. One lays cream. Two lay sage green. Only difference between the two green layers is shape of the egg which is weird. Go with a cream leg bar if you want blue. I was hoping for blue as well. And didnt get one.

 

[GaryDean26]

I have been line breeding Cream Legbars for 7 years and the egg color in my flock is just start to get really consistent. We have friends two doors down from us who have Ameraucana. We tend their animals when they are out of town and currently have two dozen eggs from their flock on the counter in our kitchen. With the side by side comparison our Cream Legbar eggs are hands down better colored (and larger, better shaped, and better shell texture). Their Ameraucana give 5-6 different shades of egg color that range from a dull grey color to varying shades of green. They get a few that are fairly blue but they are a pale faded blue. Our Legbars all lay a light blue color egg that is uniform across all the eggs from the flock and a far more saturated blue than the Ameraucana that our friends have.

The trick to egg color is NOT the breed. The Legbar, Ameraucana, Aucana, Easter Eggers, Maidenrock Bantams, etc, etc, etc all get the blue egg coloring from the same gene. They also get egg color genes from about 20 other genes that change the

1) texture which can effect how the color shows up,
2) that can produce cream, tint, tan, blown coloring in the shell that mixed with the blue pigment effect the color,
3) That can produce coating on the surface of the shell that can cover the blue base color or mix with them etc.

The Blue coloring is straight forward. You either have it or you don't. The 20+ other genes is what gets tricky. Since they are all passed differently (i.e. some dominant, some recessive, some have linkage to other genes, etc.) it can take decades of culling to get your flock to consistently product the perfect egg color. Some Ameraucana breeders have been type breeding for egg color for decades. If you get stock from them the egg color will be really good. Others mix lines or even breeds to increase egg production or to created new color patterns in the plumage, or to create sex-links, etc. Anytime a line is crossed you bring a lot of variation onto the mix and egg color and other traits can be unpredictable and traits have to be re-established. If you get stock from a mixed line then you will likely get something more like what our friends get. A large range of colors with none of them as impressive as a line breed blue egg layer.

Have you asked to see eggs from the Ameraucana and Legbars? See what color the breeder is getting in their line. That should help you know what to expect from each.

 

[Shellebelle920]

I have been line breeding Cream Legbars for 7 years and the egg color in my flock is just start to get really consistent. We have friends two doors down from us who have Ameraucana. We tend their animals when they are out of town and currently have two dozen eggs from their flock on the counter in our kitchen. With the side by side comparison our Cream Legbar eggs are hands down better colored (and larger, better shaped, and better shell texture). They get 5-6 different shades of egg color that range from a dull grey color to varying shades of green. They get a few that are fairly blue but they are a pale faded blue. Our Legbars all lay a light blue color egg that is uniform across all the eggs from the flock and a far more saturated blue than the Ameraucana that our friends have.

The trick to egg color is NOT the breed. The Legbar, Ameraucana, Aucana, Easter Eggers, Maidenrock Bantams, etc, etc, etc all get the blue egg coloring from the same gene. They also get egg color genes from about 20 other genes that change the

1) texture which can effect how the color shows up,
2) that can produce cream, tint, tan, blown coloring in the shell that mixed with the blue pigment effect the color,
3) That can produce coating on the surface of the shell that can cover the blue base color or mix with them etc.

The Blue coloring is straight forward. You either have it or you don't. The 20+ other genes is what gets tricky. Since they are all passed differently (i.e. some dominant, some recessive, some have linkage to other genes, etc.) it can take decades of culling to get your flock to consistently product the perfect egg color. Some Ameraucana breeders have been type breeding for egg color for decades. If you get stock from them the egg color will be really good. Others mix lines or even breeds to increase egg production or to created new color patterns in the plumage, or to create sex-links, etc. Anytime a line is crossed you bring a lot of variation onto the mix and egg color and other traits can be unpredictable and traits have to be re-established. If you get stock from a mixed line then you will likely get something more like what our friends get. A large range of colors with none of them as impressive as a line breed blue egg layer.

Have you asked to see eggs from the Ameraucana and Legbars? She what color the breeder is getting in their line before you take a risk on the unsex Ameraucana.

Wow! That is all so interesting and it makes sense. I’m curious if you breed for egg color or to breed standard... although from what i’ve Read the cream legbar isn’t officially recognized... yet. I know the farm does breed ameraucanas, however I believe they have another supplier for the legbar. So I will have to see if they could show me some of their Ameraucana eggs. Thanks for all the information! It was really helpful!

 

[Shellebelle920]

I have 3 EE. One lays cream. Two lay sage green. Only difference between the two green layers is shape of the egg which is weird. Go with a cream leg bar if you want blue. I was hoping for blue as well. And didnt get one.View attachment 1672143

Those are still pretty eggs! The top one looks blue (in the pic at least). Thanks for your reply! I’m leaning towards the legbar.

 

[GaryDean26]

Wow! That is all so interesting and it makes sense. I’m curious if you breed for egg color or to breed standard... although from what i’ve Read the cream legbar isn’t officially recognized... yet. I know the farm does breed ameraucanas, however I believe they have another supplier for the legbar. So I will have to see if they could show me some of their Ameraucana eggs. Thanks for all the information! It was really helpful!

The first year that I had Legbars I breed for laying ability and egg size. We had three foundation hens and hatch dozens of eggs from each. We only kept a single daughter from each of the three lines based on their laying capacity. The following two years we worked on body type in the hens, color in the cockerels, and egg size. Then we started to work on color in the hens, type in the cockerels, and egg size, and egg color. Now were are working on color and type in the males and females along with egg quality. Some hatches we have had 10-12 hens in the flock and only set eggs from 2-3 of the hens with the best egg quality. We have also toe punched chicks that hatch from the eggs of hens that lay our best eggs so that when we are selecting cockerels the next year we know which came from our favorite hen's eggs and which one didn't. We have gone through dozens and dozens of hens. Out best layer in the flock right now won best of breed on the 2nd Annual Cream Legbar Show. There were about 100 Legbar entries in the show. We also have won best of breed at three Legbar club meets at live APA shows that had 20-30 live legbars on exhibit. We haven't had many opportunities to show eggs. I think the Brazo Valley Poultry Association's Egg Show at the 2014 Texas State fair is about the only egg show we entered eggs in. I would like to find some big egg shows though. The eggs we are getting now are ready to show. I think they would hold up very well to some competition.

 

[Shellebelle920]

That’s so great! Congratulations! You really are going to take the breed somewhere! From what I’ve read, there aren’t too many legbar breeders. And it certainly sounds like you know your stuff.