Breeding Buff Leghorns

[danhonour]

I think the chick on the left has good buff of a good medium shade.Females tend to run a shade lighter and Buff Leghorns seem to show less buff under color than other buffs perhaps because of the tight feather,however I sometimes get good buff under color.Males tend to have more under color than females,the darker buff show more quill and under color both sexes..Dark buff can show two shades and be uneven ,but sometimes light birds can too.I try not to mate extremes together unless you can spend several generations gradually remating to get back to an blended tone.I do find the dark buff more useful and the light and ty to keep a few darker buffs around.

 

[danhonour]

New photus of my Buff Leghorns. Dan Honour

 

[math ace]

Dan,

The long, flowing sickle feathers are drop dead gorgeous on this male.
Would you mind pointing out your favorite aspects of this male?
What do you think still needs improvement on this male?

New photus of my Buff Leghorns. Dan Honour

 

[danhonour]

These are two males I used as breeders this spring..One is a bit light in color in general and a bit two toned in surface color.He was a little light in quill and under color .,but the earlobe and head was extra nice,type was good and decent tail length.I also liked his longer legs..The other male with females is about right for color with good under color,nice full saddle,all around good bird.Could be a bit taller,but good size.

 

[math ace]

These are two males I used as breeders this spring..One is a bit light in color in general and a bit two toned in surface color.He was a little light in quill and under color .,but the earlobe and head was extra nice,type was good and decent tail length.I also liked his longer legs..The other male with females is about right for color with good under color,nice full saddle,all around good bird.Could be a bit taller,but good size.

Thank You, Dan. That was VERY USEFUL, very educational. Thank you again for taking the time to honestly critique your own birds.

I do like the male's color in the first photo. I could not see very much of him, so I just assumed the second male was him in a photo taking with a flash and thereby washing out some of his color. Do you like the second guy's earlobe more because it is a crisp white?

 

[danhonour]

The second bird had a real nice comb and earlobe.The earlobe had a nice shape ,had some width and yes nice texture and color.The other male had a good earlobe but l;ess width and a bit creamy. However the good lobed cockerel shows some white in face as a cock and the other cock nearly red faced. .I sometimes think a slight amount of red in lobes can be used in breeding,for some of the young will be about right. Any cocks or hens (look extra close at hens face) that are red and free of any white are worth keeping for further breeding.

With heads,it is a fine point.Its total point value in the scale of points is not very much compared with type (shape).Type (top line and under line) make up a birds biggest worth and value. Defects in the head is one thing,disqualifications are another.Disqualifications are very inherited.

 

[math ace]

. . . Any cocks or hens (look extra close at hens face) that are red and free of any white are worth keeping for further breeding.

At what age do you start inspecting the face for red?

 

[danhonour]

White in face often shows up in cocks and hens over a year old and usually gets a bit more in later years,that is why old hens and cocks with a red face are valued as breeders for the past the test of time. Cockerels and pullets generally do not show white in face,but those that do should not be used as breeders and culled out.

 

[cookfamilyfarm]

I am looking for black Leghorns in the Missouri area. Southeast Missouri would be nice. I know this is a buff thread, I was just hoping someone kept blacks also. Thank you.

 

[Buffchickenbuff]

Hello:

I was pleased when i found posts in this thread by Dan Honour. Good to know you are out there Dan. I became interested in Buff Leghorns, because my uncle had some back in the 1960ies. I had Buff leghorns for several years and somehow got out of them. Sorry about that now. (I remember your mother telling us about the time you bought chickens and brought them home in the trunk of your car. Not good!! I did the same thing!

It must have been in the 70ies that my wife and I went to Dan Honour's place and purchased some Buffs. Another time Dan shipped 50 Buff large foul chicks, which I raised and had some really good birds out of them. One of the hens won best single comb clean leg. Much to the dismay of a White Leghorn breeder. There was also an exceptionally good male among those 50 chicks. When they were about half grown I noticed one with a flat back. He matured very nice and I found out that the flat back in a young bird may be an indication of a good bird at maturity. (Is this true?).

Another man, instrumental in buff, at the time was Burt Gaude. One time Burt put together a show of Buff Leghorns in Florida. That was a beautiful sight. I had 8mm movie of it, which I would love to find if I could. Bert was a fine man and friend. At that show I had not seen Burt for two years. When I walked up to him, even before he said hello, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, "here's your pen," he said. Evidently, he had borrowed the pen two years earlier (You know how easy it is to borrow someone's pen and forget and stick in in your pocket.), and wanted to make he returned it. (I would have forgotten all about it before two years.) That is the kind of man Burt was. Burt did much to try to keep Buff leghorns going.

I am mainly a Dutch breeder now, but recently I though I might like to have some Buff Leghorns because I know i don't have many years left. But I have not seen a decent Buff leghorn bantam in years. I thought they had all died out. (I do see pictures of beautiful Buff bantams from other countries. I hope I can find some. The Dutch national is in Lucasville Ohio this year, perhaps there will be some there.

Anyway, Thanks to men like Dan and Burt.

Joe Arrington,
North Carolina