Breeding Buff Leghorns

[Sylvester017]

Nice to read this.I am glad Ann still has these.I have bred the tinted egg out of my line now as I had many to select from .I would caution getting the birds and eggs too small.I also do not want them too short legged or fluffy. I do not like the huge floppy comb,but in the females I have most fold over and rarely stand erect. I am amazed that after all these years the Buff Leghorns are still fair layers and have a good feed ratio .Good luck with the Buffs and keep breeding them. Dan Honour

Thank you for the well wishes. And, yes, I've kept in touch w/ Ann even after her move.

That's a great accomplishment to get the white eggs in your Buffs now! I hope you don't breed for too large an egg as I think it unnaturally cruel for a 4.5 lb hen to crank out XL eggs. It's no wonder 45% of non-broody Whites have ovarian tumors & cancers by their 4th year of lay. I love Leghorns but discontinued getting the Whites who were used for cancer research because of this rarely publicized malady. I am relieved that our Buffs lay medium eggs (1.75 oz) & love the pink tint (from what I understand the Red & Black Legs lay tinted also) & since the Buff I kept out of the two Ann sent is pet quality I'm not breeding anyway - "Danni" has too much cushion but her Buff coloring is very even (visitors think she's a Rock). Both pullets are great dynamo layers but currently coming out of winter moult. I'm glad they didn't start laying as early as Whites & they layed 5-6 eggs/wk per pullet. Varied organic non-GMO feed & produce, free-ranging, worming 2x/year, routinely (2x/month) using Poultry Protector for lice/mite prevention inspires our girls to lay, even the Silkies (4-5 eggs/wk apiece). Good care makes healthy chickens lay lots of eggs. Anytime someone complains to me that their normally 12-eggs-a-day quota dropped to 3-eggs my first question is "when was the last time you treated for worms/lice?" Seems too simple to address but it's surprising how a flock responds to preventative care. Ann's advice was to supply plenty fresh protein to chicks, POL pullets, & moulting birds. It makes a world of difference rather than relying on just feed & produce for nutrition. Her kindness & knowledge is a great resource to me.

I LOVE the shorter comb which is smaller when "Danni" isn't laying but gets deeper red & flops very slightly when she goes back into lay. After seeing photos of exaggerated UK and Aussie combs/ wattles, I'm comfortable w/ less comb to deal w/ during frost. I'm thinking not having the comb block vision on one side of the head makes the Buff pullet calmer than the wary White Leg who has totally blocked vision on one side of her head or the other. To me, this is a flaw w/ the SC Mediterranean pullets - too much floppy comb blocking vision making them skittish.

Both our Buffs have nice longer legs, are daintier in movements than the normally graceful White Legs, have nice even color although my friend's pullet (the nicer body one) has barely noticeable black flecking on 3 tail feathers which I understand is better than having white. Thank u 4 ur beautiful birds via Ann as I sit by the sliding door watching my calm, graceful Buff foraging - Smiles

 

[danhonour]

An interesting reply to say the least.My Buffs lay mostly medium eggs and more small than large,however I would rather they lay more large and less small.With bigger frames and wider pelvic bones they can be okay.A breeding consideration as well as longevity.I also breed Minorcas which lay well and very large and extra large eggs,yet can also live and lay to advanced age,but they are big and wide birds. I also do not mind back cushion on females as it gives shape (concave back lines and sweep)plus it is the saddle/section area in males.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: Awesome! You will soon have eggs piling in, I hope!

 

[Sylvester017]

An interesting reply to say the least.My Buffs lay mostly medium eggs and more small than large,however I would rather they lay more large and less small.With bigger frames and wider pelvic bones they can be okay.A breeding consideration as well as longevity.I also breed Minorcas which lay well and very large and extra large eggs,yet can also live and lay to advanced age,but they are big and wide birds. I also do not mind back cushion on females as it gives shape (concave back lines and sweep)plus it is the saddle/section area in males.

Thank u 4 the info on the Buff Leghorn cushion. I know it's a beautiful saddle on the males but unaware that it was ok on the females. It's just that "Danni" looks so much like a Rock except for the Leghorn tail at the back. "Buffy" looks a lot more Leg than "Danni" but we are all very happy w/ their appearance as well as production. My friend who has "Buffy" says she likes having a reliable feed-efficient layer because all her bigger breeds are not as consistent. She sells eggs so what good is a large egg-layer if it only gives you 2-3 per week but eats a lot of your feed. She never considered Legs before we gifted her w/ Buffy and now she understands what we were telling her about their productivity.

I consider our 1.75 oz eggs a larger medium and never had a small from Danni. For some reason her medium eggs have stronger shells than the White Leg's XL eggs. Danni's a 4.5 lb pullet which is normal for a Leg. Yes, Minorcas I believe are one of the largest of the Meds w/ larger eggs, but since having our feed-efficient calm Buff Leg I think we are in LOVE. We got a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana from Ann along w/ Danni and we call the two pullets our "Golden Girls."

Thank u for the feedback. We devour all your writings to learn about the Buff Legs.

 

[danhonour]

Another good posting. Way back when Ann got birds off me she got some from Fred Zillich 's breeding and some of my breeding too.Fred's had an outcross to Buff Rock,which is why they layed tinted eggs,looked blocky,loose feathered,and sometimes were broody. I made sure she got at least one of my females with tight feather and long main tail,etc. to breed out some of those things and keep some variation in her flock. To avoid a brake in the tail a cushion is needed followed by long lesser tail covert feathers and long main tail feathers,with multiple feathering and wide feathering.A feather with less fluff and under feather will give a tighter feather and look sleek.You can look close at long tailed Phoenix to get a good idea for comparison.

 

[Sylvester017]

Another good posting. Way back when Ann got birds off me she got some from Fred Zillich 's breeding and some of my breeding too.Fred's had an outcross to Buff Rock,which is why they layed tinted eggs,looked blocky,loose feathered,and sometimes were broody. I made sure she got at least one of my females with tight feather and long main tail,etc. to breed out some of those things and keep some variation in her flock. To avoid a brake in the tail a cushion is needed followed by long lesser tail covert feathers and long main tail feathers,with multiple feathering and wide feathering.A feather with less fluff and under feather will give a tighter feather and look sleek.You can look close at long tailed Phoenix to get a good idea for comparison.

Thank u !

To be fair to Ann I specifically asked for PQ & not SQ since we weren't breeding. I think breeders are always happy to find homes for their PQ rather than dispatch them. That's why I was so happy to get one Buff that actually looked Leghorn in type and was able to gift her to my friend. I may be wrong but think Ann is using the Buffs to get a new color into her Araucana project also so may not be tenacious to get the Legs exactly to standard. She's quite a dynamo and dedicated to her projects. She also gave excellent care/feeding tips on the Buffs when she shipped the juveniles to me.

Our Buff Leg "Danni" w/ Rock type is not a problem for me either since my visitors always thought she was a Rock but I get better production from her than a Rock! She's feathering out from her moult and seems to have less poofy cushion like she had before & actually looks more Leg now. Her new tail looks better than the juvenile feathers she lost. They are beautiful after feathering out but by end of summer sadly won't look as spectacular. The Buff Legs calm temperaments are what impresses me too - really important to us since we have bantams in the flock.

I've seen the Phoenix type tail on your Buff Legs - very ingenious cross to enhance the Leg's beautiful saddle & tail. Some of the European & Australian Buff bantams are really turning out beautifully. Just personally wish they'd keep the combs/wattles not so huge on those little birds.

I'm assuming the Buff Leg's pink medium eggs came from the Rock crosses? Probably took a bit of patience to get your eggs back to white? I love success stories!

 

[BGMatt]

How is everyone else's hatch going? This is my last hatch for spring (will likely hatch some from my young quad once they start laying). About 30 out when I left for work this morning, hopefully the rest will pop out this afternoon. Brings my grand total for the year to date to about 90 (19 of which were donated to local 4-H club) for the year so far.

 

[chickenboy100]

How is everyone else's hatch going? This is my last hatch for spring (will likely hatch some from my young quad once they start laying). About 30 out when I left for work this morning, hopefully the rest will pop out this afternoon. Brings my grand total for the year to date to about 90 (19 of which were donated to local 4-H club) for the year so far.

I just sat my first eggs this year... 16. This is the first time I really got enough eggs to set. They went in last night.

 

[Sylvester017]

I just sat my first eggs this year... 16. This is the first time I really got enough eggs to set. They went in last night.

So thrilled to see these little Buff babies with someone perpetuating and perfecting this uncommonly rare breed! I love my calm gentle Buff and wish I could have more like her in my city zone.

 

[BGMatt]

I just sat my first eggs this year... 16. This is the first time I really got enough eggs to set. They went in last night.

Awesome. Look forward to seeing results.
That hatch I pictured ended up 40 out of 43 hatching, which is pretty decent. Hoping to get a couple decent ones. This part of the country we don't see many in the showroom. Hopefully that will change in the near future.