Chicken Breed Focus - Legbar

[duluthralphie]

I love our sweet little Legbar, but I don't think she is very healthy. I got her for blue eggs, and being able to know she was definitely a pullet. Since her comb grew she has always done a lot of head shaking, which I attributed to her comb or crest bothering her. Now I'm thinking something else is wrong. She is 8 months old and still not laying. She has heavy breathing and when I listen to her back it sounds liquids or like if you inhaled and exhaled into a paper bag.

For Legbar owners,
do your birds shake their head more than other breeds?
Do you find possible health defects in the breed?
Do they sometimes take more than 8 months to,lay eggs?

I don't know if I'd get another, not only because I think she's unhealthy, but because the others seem to pick at her extra large comb. As far as personality, though, she is one of the calmest we've had.

Here is a list of common diseases that plague poultry, along with some treatment options. I hope this helps.
http://www.poultrysupplies.com/index_files/Page398.htm






I did not notice this line (bold line) until reading the response from @DocumentedPure , I do not think you have pure Legbars @amanda1 . If you did the hen would not have a large comb. The combs on Legbars are relatively small with the crest taking up much of the space the comb would occupy.

The actrions and laying you describe are not traits of legbars or mine anyways. All of mine lay around that 25 week mark.

 

[Tim Tim]

what breed of chicken is this

 

[DwayneNLiz]

what breed of chicken is this

very hard to tell in this picture, also not sure which one you mean
you may want to start your own thread in the What Breed Or Gender is This? forum

good luck!

 

[ChicKat]

Meet "Robin",

She was hatched Jan 9 of 2012, at Greenfire Farms. Robin was from the green-legband line -- I think that may have later been named line C. That line was famous for good egg layers.

Tell you what she has been a good egg layer life-long. Her egg yesterday was 2.01 oz. So her eggs are in the "Large" category according to the USDA. The color of that egg, according to my handy dandy phone app is hex color #d4ecf0 - You can see it here on this link:
http://www.color-hex.com/color/d4ecf0
Isn't that a beautiful shade of blue?

She has slowed down now to only 2 - 3 eggs a week - but when she was a youngster, she was a laying machine. It's hard to believe she is old - because she looks so good. When I first got chickens, I didn't even think that they could live to be over 5-years old and look that good, much less continue to lay.

She went from GFF to Highview Ranch in the TX hill country after she was won by Samantha K. on a rare breeds auction - and shipped along with a number of other chicks.

When she was about 8 weeks old I got her from Samantha. At one point, I had sold her off -- but subsequently was lucky enough to get her back.


When R.C. Punnett developed Legbars, this is what I think he had in mind, a small, thrifty chicken that is high performance, docile and pretty to view. Clear-eyed intelligent face, high egg production, good forager, good mother hen (broody once for me ) -- she still has really nice clean shanks, smooth salmon coloration in breast feathers and mostly white in her earlobes. Her comb and crest don't interfere with her vision - and although not cuddly, she isn't crazed either. She has always had a lot of presence.

Robin is the chicken here on BYC for the breed's image, she was the Legbar image on Eggzy for the breed, and someone even informed me that a seller at Poultry Show Central is using Robin's image to promote their chickens.
She passes along her traits to her daughters and granddaughters. It would be nice to have a flock of chickens just like her. I wouldn't trade her for her weight in gold -- weight just over 5# pounds. Here are some of her offspring in the pens:


And that IMO is what a Cream Legbar should be like.

 

[amanda1]

Thank you for the information. I'm pretty sure she is pure, I have met and talked with the breeder. He got her parents from Greenfire. She looks a lot like many of the photos I've seen. Thank you for,the sickness info. Her only symptoms are raspy, heavy breathing. She's been on docytetricycline for 4 days now and no changes. She eats, drinks, and spends most of her time with the rest of the flock. She goes through the motions of laying, but has never laid. I am at a loss!

 

[duluthralphie]

Meet "Robin",

She was hatched Jan 9 of 2012, at Greenfire Farms. Robin was from the green-legband line -- I think that may have later been named line C. That line was famous for good egg layers.

Tell you what she has been a good egg layer life-long. Her egg yesterday was 2.01 oz. So her eggs are in the "Large" category according to the USDA. The color of that egg, according to my handy dandy phone app is hex color #d4ecf0 - You can see it here on this link:
http://www.color-hex.com/color/d4ecf0
Isn't that a beautiful shade of blue?

She has slowed down now to only 2 - 3 eggs a week - but when she was a youngster, she was a laying machine. It's hard to believe she is old - because she looks so good. When I first got chickens, I didn't even think that they could live to be over 5-years old and look that good, much less continue to lay.

She went from GFF to Highview Ranch in the TX hill country after she was won by Samantha K. on a rare breeds auction - and shipped along with a number of other chicks.

When she was about 8 weeks old I got her from Samantha. At one point, I had sold her off -- but subsequently was lucky enough to get her back.


When R.C. Punnett developed Legbars, this is what I think he had in mind, a small, thrifty chicken that is high performance, docile and pretty to view. Clear-eyed intelligent face, high egg production, good forager, good mother hen (broody once for me ) -- she still has really nice clean shanks, smooth salmon coloration in breast feathers and mostly white in her earlobes. Her comb and crest don't interfere with her vision - and although not cuddly, she isn't crazed either. She has always had a lot of presence.

Robin is the chicken here on BYC for the breed's image, she was the Legbar image on Eggzy for the breed, and someone even informed me that a seller at Poultry Show Central is using Robin's image to promote their chickens.
She passes along her traits to her daughters and granddaughters. It would be nice to have a flock of chickens just like her. I wouldn't trade her for her weight in gold -- weight just over 5# pounds. Here are some of her offspring in the pens:


And that IMO is what a Cream Legbar should be like.

Robin may be a cool bird. but she is not a good example of a standard for the breed. Sorry.

 

[ChicKat]

Robin may be a cool bird. but she is not a good example of a standard for the breed. Sorry.

What a good example of how differently people can interpret the SOP. In 2012, I was one of the people working on the USA-version - which we released to the public in 2013.

duluthralphie, You got right that Robin is a cool bird. You could be right that she isn't a good SOP example, and you could be wrong. Obviously our opinions are vastly different on that.

Here is a link to the Cream Legbar Breed Guide. In the guide there is an item-by-item walk-thru of the SOP. Anyone who cares to read and reference the SOP can do so with diagrams that point to the part of the chicken that is referenced by the SOP.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11GCI_f69Hd5P5w5m7GGUTCwH2Os6iWys9KqKHf2bJnk/edit?usp=sharing

ETA- check out page 17 of the breed guide for a start of the walk-thru.



For people new to the breed, always take critique of your birds with a few grains of salt, unless it is an APA judge.

 

[duluthralphie]

I am not a judge. I have showed my legbars a couple times. I have whites and cream. My whites are better than my creams.

I was not going to say all the things I see wrong with "robin" Now I have to because of your post discrediting me. It is still my opinion she is not the "perfect" and I would not even breed her if she was mine. That is my opinion and not anyone else's.

Her comb in my opinion has too abrupt of a flop, it is not the gentle flop IMHO the SOP's allow. The crest is not pronounced enough for my liking.

Also I do not care for the encroachment of the red into the ear lobes. The barring on her neck hackles is too spotching looking for me. Her chest is too redish/gold.. This is a problem in my birds also Trying to get that lighter without the dark spotting.

The tail appears to be closer to 90 Degrees than the 35 the SOPs call for.

She carries her wings well, over all I think she should have lighter colors on the hackles and the saddle area. She has nice eyes and an excellent shape to her beak.

Also I think I see white in her wattles and comb. I do not think these are desirable. As I said this is my opinion and I am not a judge. I do not think anyone should think it is a perfect CLB, that was my only point.

I have a bunch of these none is perfect in my eyes. I had a rooster I thought was approaching it but at puberty his crest nearly disappeared. and he turned a tad too orange/gold for me.

I was not meaning to diss her bird at all. I have went from hating Legbars to loving them in the time I have had them. I find them amazing birds. I have some that I do not breed that our my favorites.

Until I get more feedback from what the judges think in this area I will not know for sure if I am headed the right direction or not. One of the things I like about the whites is they either are white or not. With the legbars and all the barring and color changes (which is what makes them beautiful) they will be harder to judge and more open for interpretation than a white will be.

I have some strong feelings on the SOP and what some breeders are doing to, I have discussed them in the legbar threads.

I will go one step further on your last line:

For people new to the breed, always take critique of your birds with a few grains of salt, unless it is an APA judge

Take even what a judge says with a grain of salt. Until several judges say the same thing you cannot be sure if it is one person opinion or the collective opinion.

I am sorry if you took my comment wrong or I did not say it as delicately as I should of. I just felt pointing that bird out as a standard for the breed is not correct.

However, other people have done that too, Go to Myers Hatchery and look at their description of the "frost white legbars" and the picture. I find that far from the perfect bird and description too.

Thanks and sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Saying a bird is what the breed should look like is a high standard, it had better be able to hold against all criticism if you hold her out as the standard. my point was she is not that.

 

[room onthebroom]

Hi all.

As was mentioned I have legbars. I have a fairly large flock of legbars. I have them in all three of the proposed colors by the legbar club to the APA.

I have 25 in my Colored legbar breeding flock. 3 roosters and 22 hens. I hatch them weekly. I am working towards the proposed standards, I have a body size and shape now that I like. I have had them for 4 years now. (I think, time sure flies)

When I first got them I almost dumped them as a breed, I did not like the shape of the body, they seemed flighty and not at all friendly. I wanted the blue eggs so I kept at them. Each year they got a little better and those blue eggs can not be beat!

The current flock I have I can reach in and pick up at most times. Some are a little skittish some are not. That is the same for most flocks. As far as hardiness, I live in Minnesota, my birds free range except during breeding season. Of course, breeding season is a little longer for me that most people. I start hatching in December for show birds. I showed Legbars last year in both the Cream and White colors.

I am thinking of cutting down on the legbar numbers. I have pretty well saturated the market around here with legbars. I am an NPIP licensed Hatchery so I send them or their eggs all over the country, however, I am getting to old to continue this.

Back to the "free ranging" I find them quite hardy and just spooky enough a predator has a hard time getting one of them. They run like road runners when they want to. They will always be a part of my flock.


Now for the truly beautiful birds, I raise the white legbars. They are a double recessive white, which means they will breed true. I have an adult flock of around a dozen whites at this time and about 50 white chicks. They are a stunning bird that lays the same blue egg. My regular flock of colored legbars will give me around 15% whites. When @DwayneNLiz mentioned she got eggs from me I have figured there is a 15% chance in the eggs she got of getting a white.

Some people will say they can sex the whites, I do not make that claim. However, I have not kept track enough to know for sure. With the whites I sometimes do not know until 10-12 weeks which sex they are.

I wish I could take as good of pictures as Holm's does, I do not. Will post a few here of the ones I have.

One of the things, I would like to note is the weight, I do not have the Proposed SOPs in front of me, but as I recall the roosters are 6-7 pounds. I thought that was extremely large, it is not if you give the roosters time, they are extremely broad chested when adults. I worry about cockerels being able to reach that. Also because of the single comb, it will be hard for us northerners to show them, they do take a nasty winter trimming from frostbite.

I am building a "warm" area in my pole barn to try and keep some decent combs over winter, but the cost could make that impractical.

Also when buying these, and breeding try to keep the combs and crests in line. You will notice Meyers hatchery, does or did advertise their whites as "Frost White Legbars" a name play to gain customers, and they stated the combs fell to the side halfway back. That is a defect!

That is not something to brag about. Those of us breeding legbars work hard to get straight medium size combs with crests on our roosters. Small combs and crests is what I want on my girls.

If you have questions join us on one of the several legbar threads. Or just ask me, and hopefully I can direct you to the right person if I can"t answer you.

I caution you to not read too much into these pictures, the blue of the eggs is hard for a cheap phone camera to pick up and the other birds are just pictures of legbars I have taken over the year for whatever reason. Some were taken to show faults other to show high points.

I do have some very nice white earlobes on some of these, it seems in some case I have lost the whiteness when going for other traits. A White earlobe is a must on a show bird to me.

Thanks for the info & the pix of the whites. I'd never even heard of them until you mentioned them on another thread a few weeks ago. Sadly, the whites wouldn't be ideal for us do to the lack of sexing, but my kids are gonna completely freak out when they see these!!!

 

[mandelyn]

I was super impressed with 5 pullets I hatched from shipped eggs. They started laying on the dot of 6months of age, these gorgeous blue eggs of a bigger size than I expected from the size of bird.

Now we have a group growing out direct from GFF. The others came from someone who had gotten theirs from them.

I have found them to be slightly flighty but mellowing out with age. Can't wait to see what the new batch is like! Haven't had any major health concerns or unexplained losses with them. If it's an issue it will become apparent with time. Saw more issues from the Isbars. Ordered some more, have 3 left. Will likely be moving away from Isbars.