Breeding Buff Leghorns

[nicalandia]

I have about 300 chicks out all totaled, for this year ,with Buff Leghorns being just shy of 200.Should give me plenty of culls and hopefully maybe a few good ones. Dan Honour..

have you done any recent outcross to wildtype again? seems like a recessive melanizer is poping up in my BC1 which are 75% buff at this stage they are ER/eWh but the 6 month old hen looks like a E/E hen and the roo(same age) looks to be a rusty E/E, instead of ER/eWh the both have blue from their buff mom!

 

[gallorojo]

Well, I won' t be hatching all that many buffs thus year, but I finally have 8 chicks out and another batch on the way soon. The eggs I set this year were MUCH larger than those I set last year. The chicks are all quite large, very active, and feathering fast. They are a darker color this year, almost orange all over, not light yellow. No markings, solid dark golden orange.

 

[danhonour]

That is how they should be.I hope they mature out real good.

 

[Nomibear]

Wow, I've been on BYC for a couple months now, and just now found this awesome thread. In the spring I decided to start a laying flock, and with chicken math, I now have 19 Pullets. They just turned 12 weeks old. Since I live in Tx, and the only Hatchery I had recommended to me was Ideal, I went with them. I have 10 Buff Leghorn girls. I'm not sure how to add pics to the thread yet, but there are some from a couple weeks ago in my signature below Have a great day!! ~Naomi

 

[danhonour]

Keep us posted on how the Ideal Buff Leghorns turn out.They are what I would call the egg-bred (or commercial) strain of Buff Leghorns,so they should be very good layers.Would like to know what the Leghorn type is like,their size,and color.My guess is they are small,and not very good color,perhaps white or black in tails? When they are mature be sure to post some pictures.They may be better than we think!

 

[Nomibear]

My Buff leghorns are 12 weeks old. Can anyone tell me of this one in the front is a roo?

Here is another one head shot with some of the other girls.... the one on the far right.




Dan, I do have a couple of girls with white in their feathers. One I call Celeste because she looks like a cloud in the sky!
Also the middle one in the first pic had an odd color to her legs... Almost a blueish color. Do you have any idea why? She came that way as a day old chick.

Thanks to all for your knowledgeable input. ~Naomi

 

[Nomibear]

I also posted this question in the ?breed and Gender? Thread. The popular opinion there was of this bird being an early developing Pullet. I wanted the opinion of those who know the breed best though, so I came here

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

I also posted this question in the ?breed and Gender? Thread. The popular opinion there was of this bird being an early developing Pullet. I wanted the opinion of those who know the breed best though, so I came here

Its an Easter Egger. I would say the chick packers seen buff and placed it in your box. With so many chicks being shipped, some small mistakes can happen. You will know for sure when you start getting blue/green eggs. If you plan on breeding, place her in a separate laying pen from the breeders. I would also suggest acquiring a nice Buff Leghorn male from Dan or similar quality breeder. Use the SOP quality male on your hens and you will increase their quality in the next generations.

Here is a thought. Someone offer to mentor Nomibear, provide her a very nice Buff Leghorn cockerel and in exchange, Nomibear provides you with 3 or 4 dozen of her eggs. SOPxHatchery to improve vigor and egg production like Dan has mentioned.

 

[Nomibear]

Its an Easter Egger. I would say the chick packers seen buff and placed it in your box. With so many chicks being shipped, some small mistakes can happen. You will know for sure when you start getting blue/green eggs. If you plan on breeding, place her in a separate laying pen from the breeders. I would also suggest acquiring a nice Buff Leghorn male from Dan or similar quality breeder. Use the SOP quality male on your hens and you will increase their quality in the next generations. 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Are you thinking that the one I thought might be a Roo is an Easter Egger? Or the one with blueish tented legs? Just making sure I understand. Thanks!

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

The blueish legs. A Leghorn should be yellow legs. the hens may get very light, almost white legs after an entire season of lay. But not even Ideal would keep a blue leg bird in their Leghorn breeding pens. they do use the Standard of Perfection and try to keep only birds true to the breed. Perhaps not show quality, but true to breed.