Cream Legbar Cockerel Advice

[mockingbird]

I currently have 5 cream legbar cckerels, but I intend to keep only 3 for breeding. If you have experience with this breed, I would greatly appreciate any comments/advice you may share on the photos below. Which in your opinion would be my best three and why? Thanks in advance.

 

[junebuggena]

Could you also post pics of your breeding pullets and hens? That may help narrow down which boy has the best features to pair with your girls.
#3, 4, and 5 have the best coloring and build over all. But none are outstanding. A good Cream Legbar should have the build of a Leghorn, with coloring similar to a washed out looking Bielefelder due to the cream dilute gene.

 

[duluthralphie]

I would wait a while before making a choice as who to keep.

If I was to toss one out right now it would be the top one.

I like the color on the 4th one, You have done well getting the cream to show and getting rid of the gold-Crele.

I also like the last one, it has a little reddish brown on the wings but that is permissible. I like the full chest on him. His keel is short but should lengthen as he ages...

I would need better pictures to decide on the others.

Do you belong to the Cream Legbar Club?

Many people think the Cream legbar should be have more gold. That is not really the case. The proposed SOP allows for a little reddish gold but it is not preferred. Also watch the Combs and the crests as they develop. We on the board are still discussing the correct terminology. That said the comb should be large and straight. The lopped look is only allowed on the girls from the 2nd point back as I recall.

You have good white earlobes, (required) on all except your first one....

NOW... for breeding it all depends on what the girls look like and what you are going for. I suggest you go for body type including size first, you can bring the color back easy enough later.

The combs are always going to be a challenge. A rather large comb and still having a crest can be difficult. REMEMBER, A lack of crest is a disqualifier! It is the first and main disqualifier!

You need that crest, even if it means a tad smaller comb. As I recall the comb is only 4 points. You can live with a point or two off there. You cannot live with a DQ on the crest.

BTW #4 has the best color of the bunch. The hackles and saddle feathers are nearly perfect color.

They all seem to have decent barring for a legbar. They are after all legbars and not barred rocks or Dominiques.

You can find the SOP at Creamlegbarclub.com Good luck on all of them.

 

[ChicKat]

@ChicKat what do you think?

Hi Brahma Chicken5000 -
guess I have to say that I've moved away from Cream Legbars to what CJ Waldon is calling "Opal Legbars" -- IMO they are prettier, and there is zero confusion about what is the 'correct' coloration. Hers retain crests and for mine I'm abandoning the crests to get straight combs...so I won't make comments on the poster's birds.

 

[mockingbird]

Here are some pics of the girls. They weren't very cooperative but I think this is representative of all of them.

 

[GaryDean26]

This one is the one that I would use for breeding. You usually have to grow out 10 cockerel to find one that is worth breeding. This is the one that I would pick based on the photos.

This one has an underdeveloped tail. He also has too much red on his earlobes. There should be a dark grey color to the bottom half of the cockerel (breast, legs, fluff) and an even cream color on the top (Hackles, saddles). This one is just all running together to where there is not distinction from the top and bottom.

This one has good white color on the earlobes. He may be a decent #2, but is very heavily melonized so he will produce a lot of black crested daughters and they tend have splotchy barring on their hackles, etc. Again he has an underdeveloped tail. I like the full fanned tails. He may just be too young for evaluation but you want full well fanned tails on your cockerels with good barring (i.e. not all white).

This one also has good white earlobes and they are not folded closed like the cockerel above which is even better.This one has red color modifiers. I think that some of these are carriers of Wheaten Color patters, but most are probably just carrying autosomal red from Light Brown Leghorn ancestry. I can see for the angle of this photo that this one narrows quite a bit from the shoulders to the root of the tail. Laying breeds should be very wide through the hips. Ideally you want the hips to be as close to as wide as the shoulders as possible.

This one seems to me washed out to me.He also has a lot of red on his ear lobes and also looks to have a lot of narrowing from the shoulder to the tails.

I think I would dump the two washed out one with the red on their ear lobes and keep the last one you posted (first one I posted) as your #1 with the Melonized one as your #2, and the Red enhanced one as your #3.

Note: The most important think to start a flock with is vigor. Weight can be a good indicator of vigor so put these guys on the scale and see how they compare in weight. Also look at their activity during the day. The one that is out foraging the most is going to be a better breeder than the one that loafs by the food bucket all do. Watch how they move. A strong cockerel will strut on his toes. A cockerel that doesn't strut or who walks flat footed is not good to breed. If any of them have ever been sick they shouldn't be used for breeding. There are other considerations but this should get your started.

 

[The Moonshiner]

@duluthralphie

That's what I was gonna post.
How old are they?
I know when I'm raised them it took a while to get good color but most of yours look to be really lacking in their pattern.

 

[mockingbird]

That's what I was gonna post.
How old are they?
I know when I'm raised them it took a while to get good color but most of yours look to be really lacking in their pattern.

They are 18 weeks. This is why I am posting- to get some honest appraisals. I appreciate your input. I am new to the breed and not sure exactly what I am looking at. If none are breeding material I am not opposed to buying some better ones next season.

 

[mockingbird]

Could you also post pics of your breeding pullets and hens? That may help narrow down which boy has the best features to pair with your girls.
#3, 4, and 5 have the best coloring and build over all. But none are outstanding. A good Cream Legbar should have the build of a Leghorn, with coloring similar to a washed out looking Bielefelder due to the cream dilute gene.

I will try to get some pics of the girls tomorrow...

 

[mockingbird]

I would wait a while before making a choice as who to keep.

If I was to toss one out right now it would be the top one.

I like the color on the 4th one, You have done well getting the cream to show and getting rid of the gold-Crele.

I also like the last one, it has a little reddish brown on the wings but that is permissible. I like the full chest on him. His keel is short but should lengthen as he ages...

I would need better pictures to decide on the others.

Do you belong to the Cream Legbar Club?

Many people think the Cream legbar should be have more gold. That is not really the case. The proposed SOP allows for a little reddish gold but it is not preferred. Also watch the Combs and the crests as they develop. We on the board are still discussing the correct terminology. That said the comb should be large and straight. The lopped look is only allowed on the girls from the 2nd point back as I recall.

You have good white earlobes, (required) on all except your first one....

NOW... for breeding it all depends on what the girls look like and what you are going for. I suggest you go for body type including size first, you can bring the color back easy enough later.

The combs are always going to be a challenge. A rather large comb and still having a crest can be difficult. REMEMBER, A lack of crest is a disqualifier! It is the first and main disqualifier!

You need that crest, even if it means a tad smaller comb. As I recall the comb is only 4 points. You can live with a point or two off there. You cannot live with a DQ on the crest.

BTW #4 has the best color of the bunch. The hackles and saddle feathers are nearly perfect color.

They all seem to have decent barring for a legbar. They are after all legbars and not barred rocks or Dominiques.

You can find the SOP at Creamlegbarclub.com Good luck on all of them.

Thanks for your advice.
Yes - I am a member of the club. I have reviewed the SOP's but am not sure how that translates on the actual birds yet. In other words I'm not sure exactly what I am looking at.

My favorite is #3 - but he has the floppy comb and perhaps a bit too much red color. I will try to post some pics of the girls soon.