Breeding Buff Leghorns

[cochinman2005]

Quote:
Buff Leghorns are a recognized variety, and there are several breeders around the U.S. Hatcheries also carry them so there's no need to cross with anything to get a Buff Leghorn.

 

[Buff Leghorn]

Ok i'm goin to try and load some pic's...

These are what i hatched out last season they would be about 3 to 4 months old they have done it a little tough as i had be very busy with other things as well.

These birds still have a lot of growing to do and still are growing feathers so finished product is a while of yet....

Please feel free to leave comments on here good or bad it doesn't bother me...

You guys might see some thing i don't and it is always good to have someone on the outsides oppinion... But remember the pictures aren't the best i'll get better ones once it stops rainning and the mud dries up ..

This is one of the cockerals i have my eye on to see how he finishes i like him but he does have a darker feather through his tail

This is of one of the birds with the red coming out in him..

A picture of the darker cockerals feathers.

A lighter and darker cockeral

Lighter and darker cockerals and a nicee head shot
C:\\Documents and Settings\\Owner\\My Documents\\My Pictures\\Buff Leghorns\\Buff Leghorns 013.jpg

This is one of my pullets she is the best one i have

Hope they help

cheers shane

 

[cochinman2005]

The one pullet that you stated was your best looks like she has potential as a breeder. When you don't have the color you are looking for to start with it makes it much harder, but I think you have a couple of birds that will make you some progress. The lighter of the males in the darker male, lighter male photo looks to have pretty even color. Assuming he has good type as a breeding age male, I'd use him with that pullet. I'd also use one of the darker males (even in color as possible) with the same pullet. At this point, you don't have a ton of options so using a male with some dark in the tail may be the way you need to go to make improvements. With something like this the key is to hatch as many as you can, and then cull them as hard as you can too. you'll make progress quicker that way.

 

[danhonour]

Shane,I agree with much of what Tom says.We look over each others Buffs at shows and compare notes on breeding.

It looks like you have some good traits in your Buffs as well as some not so good.You have nice large white earlobes of good shape,you have tall birds with tight feathering.I like to see some thigh on Leghorns as well as size and skeletal frame.

I like a medium buff and over time have leaned a bit toward the richer shade of buff. Some of yours would have to be classed as "all-Red" for they have gone on beyond buff. It is good to use a red bird from time to time,as a reserve of color ,however it takes several generations to bring it back to buff.I am not finding fault,but giving you some directions and options.The reality is that we all have to use defective birds,but knowing how to make use of some of these in the breeding pens. It seems that the green leg topic comes up whenever buff plumage is discussed.I think it has to do in part with hidden color genes in some of the buff lines and sex linkage in the skin underlayer. You can use a green leg female and a percentage of her daughters will have yellow legs,if mated to a yellow legged male. Yellow legged males can carry the green leg ,it is best not to use green legged males.(If you have to use a green leg male,only use his daughters mated back to yellow legged males,then use the yellow legged grandaughters).It is best to use solid buff tailed birds bred together.If you have otherwise good birds that have white in tails make sure its mate has a solid buff tail.If all your birds have white in the tails you will have to reduce it gradually over a couple of generations until some solid buff tails appear. You can use a few females with pepper in the tails(provided there is no black marking on the back) mated to solid buff tailed males.You are better off not using males with red shoulders,unless outstanding in many other respects.Mating extremes in color,you end up with mealiness,patchiness,and different shades in different sections like the hackle.If you mate up the pale ,light lemon shade of buff,the offspring get lighter in shad and lighter in undercolor,eventually the color gets washed out and weak,lots of white appears everywhere. The male should be a shade or two darker,try to have buff quills and under color in both sexes.The males breast and the females back are the only two sections that have the same feather structure,so compare and match these when possible. Dan Honour

 

[danhonour]

YourLinkGoesHere

How are pictures posted here?Any advice.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Dan,

Copy your photo address and paste it inbetween the

Glad you made it to BYC!

 

[Buff Leghorn]

Hi Dan

Thanks for that...
It's what i was wanting to know. I think i have enough birds to be able to do what you have said....

I do have a couple of cockerals that are nice and even no peppering in the tail so free of any black i'm goin to put them back over my hens ...I guess know it is a wait and see how these ones grow out and start planning the breeding season ahead...

i really like the look of your birds and the colour is great....

If i want to improve type what is the best colour to go to i guess i'm asking which one has the least effect on the buff colour...

Like black you will get black back in tails . White will wash your colour out... a blue bird i guess would give to many varibles....I'm talking a leghorn bred.
or do you just keeep selecting for type and colour....

A question about the chicks some hatch with a black spot on the back of there head does this mean anything.

we've had 200 mils of rain here in 9 days so things are a little wet once it dry's out again i post some pic's of adult birds...

Is there any good books on breeding the colour buff?

If anyone has pictues of the different range of buff range coule they post them ....
I keep reading about light, medium and dark just like to see a picture of the differences.

thanks heaps shane

 

[danhonour]

Hi Shane,I have found that buff chicks with a brown head spot or two(usually the back of the head on the neck) have pepper in the tails and sometimes a bit in the wings as adults.I think your best bet is to stick with what you have.I think you have everything you need within your gene pool.You might want to mate up some of the lighter birds for a season or two.That will lighten up the general tone of color,which appears too dark bordering on red.You could mate up some of the darkest birds and make a Red Leghorn very easily.

Black tailed Red and all Red are the closest colors to Buff.Sometimes Buff Leghorn and Dark Brown Leghorns can make Red Leghorns,Buff Leghorn and Black Leghorn can make Red Leghorn,Buff Leghorn x Light Brown can make Black Tailed Red Leghorn.Even Buff x Pile Leghorn.All these can keep you within the Leghorn breed,but you will have very high rate of culls and years of backcrossing to Buff Leghorns to get back to what you want.I mention this just to show you it is a hard route to take.I would stay with what you have,raise lots and cull hard.White Leghorn takes even more time to work out as an outcross with buff.

I understand a dark rich buff is wanted and that is fine.I want you to be encouraged.A little background information might provide some insight. I have a 444 page new booklet on Buff Color,which should be available in the near future.I just completed it last month,there are 330 articles on buff. Dan Honour

 

[Buff Leghorn]

Thanks Dan

When your book comes out could you let me know as i think it will come in handy...

You have only seen my young birds that i produced last season 2009 so when i post pic's of the adult birds i think you will see i have some nice hens bordering on the lighter side but i think i have plenty to work with....

Just need to keep the young cockerals growing and no mishaps and we will be right...

the question about the black spot on the chicks i thought i read it somewhere that they turn out to have black in tail ( peppering) and i had some this year but i didn't mark them. I'll keep them seperate next time to see what they turn into ...


thanks again shane

 

[Birch Run Farm]

I'll take some fresh photos of mine when I return home tomorrow. I hope they start laying soon so I can start hatching.