Breeding Buff Leghorns

[Birch Run Farm]

I would much prefer bigger eggs over the shell color at this point. Mine do not lay typical sized leghorn eggs. Waiting to see what the two pullets do that I kept from 2010 breedings.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Great! Thanks a lot Dan! Now I have to separate that Buff Leghorn Bantam hen until I know if she lays white or tinted eggs!

Guess I shouldn't leave her in a pen with light brown egg layers. That just means she will weekend conjugal visits from the males in my Buff Chantecler project.

 

[danhonour]

I agree Ann larger eggs are desirable.Here again a larger flock will give you more variation in egg size.Mature hens should lay medium to large sized eggs,even some extra large.You can set a minimum egg size and each year increase the minimum to a slightly higher point.Over a period of 4 or 5 years you will get a very high percentage of large eggs.It often helps body size also as you will indirectly ,because you have bigger chicks and bigger hens.I would get yourself an egg scale and weigh each egg,only set the bigger eggs in the incubator.It also will help to toemark chicks from extra large eggs and if possible to use only males from the extra large eggs,this will speed things up.If all your birds lay tiny eggs,get an order of hatching eggs and have the breeder weigh each egg and request all large eggs. I know this works as in the 1970's and 1980's I had a flock of Buff Minorcas and after a few years selection all the eggs were coming extra large. I did find that I started to get more jumbo eggs and the jumbo eggs hatched at a much lower rate than the extra large.Jumbo eggs did not fit into egg cartons well for marketing eating eggs .

 

[hughmac312]

We have 5 Buff Leghorns and we love them. They are beautiful in color and temperment. WE had 7 chickens but lost two to hawks.
Very sad to lose them as we really love them. I am going to try incubating them soon. I just ordered more chicks from a hatchery also to replenish my flock. As it happened when I got the chickens last April I wound up with two roosters and they need to be split up. One rooster, Kap'n Karl (an homage to Phil Hartman) is a very dark brown and he may actually be a Danish Brown Leghorn that got mixed in. Our other rooster, Sammy, is very well proportioned, big, and animated. He survived a hawk attack by playing dead after the initial strike that bloodied his comb. Both roosters are, in my ever so humble opinion, striking in color, nature, and proportions.

 

[cochinman2005]

I am with Dan on the tinted eggs vs egg size and conformation. This is something that I pay very close attention to with the Buff Minorcas. Evers since I started with them 5 years ago, the eggs have been tinted. However, they are getting lighter, more toward white, and the cross with Black Minorcas will help, but the egg color is not at the top of my priority list. They lay a rather long narrow egg, and while hatch rates have been just fine, that isn't really the egg shape I want. I get some that are misshapen as well. The out of shape eggs are not incubated, and usually the female that lays them is consistent in that regard, so once I figure out who the culprit is, she is culled. I am more focused on increasing the size and improving the type/shape of the Buff Minorcas. The longer bigger boned frames will lead to increased egg size and better egg conformation.

 

[Rebecky54]

I bought 2 Buff Leghorn pullets earlier but sadly one arrived dead. I'm still looking for a couple of pullets or young hens for a breeding project if anyone has some to spare. It's too cold now, but I thought I'd put out the feelers.

Thanks,

Becky in NoDak at -25 below brrrr

 

[danhonour]

Tom that is very true.Nature helps us here on the mishaped eggs as they do not often hatch,but if you have that kind,just do not set those eggs,so culling the culprit either way by not letting her reproduce. Back when I had Buff Leghorn bantams,some of the original birds layed long thin (elongated bullet) eggs.They would not hatch,looked awful and I hated them.After a few years of not setting that kind they started to improve,must have been some recessive genes at work as they would reappear,but I did not give in to it and it became much less of a problem. I have heard that birds that recover from (Mareks I believe)can lay mishapen eggs and or will not lay at all as hens. I will agree that a dozen of extra large white eggs of the proper shape can be attractive/impressive.I saw seen some eggs that were from a large fowl flock of Leghorn hens,the breeder obviously did not care about egg size as the eggs were so tiny they could have passed for bantam,well below small (pee wee).That would have been a case for some serious selection for size. It good to know it is very possible to do and worth the effort.Now if every bird lays a tiny egg,you might have to outcross to get some variation to appear.With almost all traits you need some flock numbers in order to allow different grades and quality to appear,giving selection and culling, a chance to work for you.

 

[DaveK]

Dan, this is a bit off topic but at least it's buff. Not all that long ago you were working on buff longtails of Phoenix type and making great progress. You have mentioned in this thread that you've had to move your birds. Were those buffs an interest that had to be sidelined or might you still be quietly working away?

 

[danhonour]

It was a great learning project and I did create a rather nice Buff Phoenix that bred true.Nice color.There was no interest in it and when I showed them they kept being disqualified as being no such breed variety .What happened to AOV? I was insulted after all that work.I added more Buff Leghorn blood to the stock and over the next few years added them back into my Buff Leghorns any that came out with yellow legs,as I wanted more tail and saddle in my Buff Leghorns anyway.I got to study the long tail genes,see they different feather quality traits and also body stucture with tail angles and stature;all thanks to working with the Phoenix.

In relation to a comment as to egg color and disqualifications at shows.First of all,white eggs in Buff Leghorns is desired and selection towards big white eggs should be practiced.It can be worked in over time so that the fine points of type,feather and color do not have to be sacrificed.There are strains in many breeds (hatchery stock) that have good production traits but are lacking in so many other Standard qualities.Back in the days of egg laying contests and utility classes,production judging was practiced and the Standard traits ignored.I have nothing against production traits(and especially if you have a good sized flock),it is yet another culling tool that benefits your strain.Good vigor and production are part of a well balanced breeding program,but not the only part of it.

 

[DaveK]

So the buff Phoenix weren't a waste of time and effort by any means. Too bad about the lack of interest and I am really puzzled by the DQ when attempting to show them. Non Standard color varieties of recognized breeds are shown all the time and while they can't go any further in the scheme of things than Best of Variety they sure don't get DQed. Puzzling and frustrating it sounds like.