breeding Cream Legbars from scratch

[EllyHood]

I used to breed Cream Legbars back in Britain.

The main ingredients would be as you said, araucanas (UK type with crest), brown leghorn, & barred rock. You would also need to add the cream gene (ig).


Cram Legbars were first created by Prof. Punnett. I think he was having fun.

He split the pea comb gene from the blue egg gene, improved egg size & production from that of UK araucanas, kept the crest, added the cream gene & made the birds autosexing.

If I wanted to make them from scratch, I'd make them in stages I think, maybe starting with splitting the pea comb from the blue egg gene while putting the blue eggs & crest onto brown leghorns being careful to keep the yellow, then add cream being careful to keep the earlier acquired traits, the adding the barring last; still being carful to keep earlier acquired traits.

Hypothetically, could one use a buff orpington for the cream? I dream of an orpington/barred rock cross that lays blue eggs...

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
No, They have different diluters AND you will introduce a Horde of unwated genes that will take for ever to get rid off....

 

[Kereone]

Im just starting to try this myself here in New Zealand.

I have some nice gold legbars (created with a minimum 5 generation breeding plan crossing brown leghorns with barred rocks)

From what I have managed to find, Pease & Punnett both created a cream line of chickens at the same time. Then when they found out, they crossed the 2 lines to see if the cream genes were the same. (they were) so they then continued selecting for the traits they liked & eventually arrived at what we now know as a (Crested) Cream Legbar

Peases cream chickens were WLH over GLB. (he was trying to inprove the laying ability of the GLB & noticed the cream chicks & bred them on out of interest)

I plan to put my white leghorn rooster over the gold legbar girls this season in the hopes that his dominant white is hiding ig (the cream gene)
If it does I will go through the process of locking in the cream gene & auto sexing to recreate the original cream legbar like Pease made. (white eggs, no crests)
His 'recipe' is fairly straightforward, assuming I can find ig in my WLH.

Punnett started with a 'yellow chilaen hen' & did all sorts of crosses. The first one being to a gold pencilled hamburg.
Its a lot less clear what process he followed but I am working on it still.

I am planning to start with gold duckwing araucana. ( I believe they are the best genetic match for what I want) I also considered wheaten & partridge but I think they carry some genes that I would have to breed out & it might make things a bit harder.

I'm considering crossing them with the gold legbar as well to make a parallel line that is cream, crested & lays blue eggs.
(maybe following the same breeding plan as Peases to lock in the required traits)

If it all goes to plan I will most likely try crossing the 2 lines to get as many as possible of the desired traits.

Easy peasy lol

 

[Alo]

I read that to increase Rhodebar egg production, you breed a RIR production hen to a Rhodebar roo-

That gives you 50% Rhodebar.

And when you breed that hen to a 100% Rhodebar, you get autosexing Rhodebars that lay more eggs.

I might've forgotten something, but it is possible to mix them and get Rhodebars.


I have some Legbar cockrels, and a white leghorn hen...

Is it possible to breed them together like Rhodebars with RIR, and eventually get autosexing Legbars with better egg production?