Cream Legbars?

[JadeFarms]

Why do you say this?
I never experienced this when I had them.

I have had a couple of them get pecked to death. Only one of them didn’t get pecked a lot and is still alive. The head feathers are like a target for pecking.

 

[GaryDean26]

I have two hybrid hens and want to add two more chickens, and I’m wondering if cream legbars will do well in my setup as I’ve heard they like to range.

I have a run that’s 6 feet x 12 feet and during the day the chickens can also roam in an area that’s about three times the size of the run (so I guess that would give them about 290 square feet if my math is right). Occasionally they will spend the day shut in their run, but that’s unusual. There’s no vegetation left in the area they roam in, but there’s plenty of loose stuff to scratch about in.

Has anyone had any experience of Cream Legbars, and if so do you think this would suit them?

How many hens do you plan to keep?

The rule of thumb is 2 square feet per hen in the coop and 8 square feet per hen in the run. With 72 square feet in the run your maximum flock size should be 9 hens assuming that the coop is at least 18 square feet. If you have 290 square feet then you maximum flock size would be 36 hens assuming that you have at least 72 square feet in the coop (which I am guessing you don't if your primary run is only 72 square feet). Any healthy chicken will like to range. We have 9 Legbars, 1 Marans, and 2 Astralops in an 8' x 4' coop with four nesting boxes and 1000 square feet to range. They are pretty happy with the setup. We see them chasing bugs in the field, taking dust baths, and scratching on the ground. They do great when they can range.

 

[IamRainey]

Yea but they are way more prone to getting pecked on.

I don't understand this.

I have a Cream Legbar who is smaller than most of my other chickens. Some of them are specific breeds. Some of them are barnyard crosses. My CL has no problems with any of them. She also lays a lovely blue egg. At least it was distinctly blue when she was younger. At 3yo it's more a bluish tinged white. In any case, she's been a trooper consistently laying through all seasons without any supplemental lighting.

I have really enjoyed having her and I'd recommend the breed.

 

[GaryDean26]

I think they would like that fine. But the problem you may have is with their head floof. Although it’s cute, it’s dangerous. They have a high chance of getting pecked on because of it so you will have to make sure your chickens don’t do that.

I have never had problems with crests being targeted for pecking.

I think they would like that fine. But the problem you may have is with their head floof. Although it’s cute, it’s dangerous. They have a high chance of getting pecked on because of it so you will have to make sure your chickens don’t do that.

Feather pecking can be a sign of a vitamin deficiency in the diet of those doing the pecking. What level protein is in their feed? I have our pullets on 20% crude protein (plus free-range) and hens over 2 years old on 18% protein. I wouldn't go any lower than that unless you have very lightweight commercial laying birds that don't have any muscle on their body to maintain.

Overcrowding also will encourage feather pecking. The 2 square feet coop space and 8 square feet run space are a starting point for minimum space, but if you have feather pecking try giving them more space per hen and see if that helps.

Others probably have more information on feather pecking than I do and can give better information than me (because I really don't have any problems with this).

I will say that if you keep males in your flock that they will hold onto the crest feathers when they mate the hens and break them. that is no different than them holding on to hackle feathers of not crested hens and breaking them through. To keep nice crests separate the males from the females.

 

[AppleMomma65]

I have a mixed flock and LOVE my CCL - should be getting a blue egg from her soon. She's not flighty as has been noted on sites, she's not overly chatty and she occasionally let's me holder her. She's very curious. My coop and run measure 204 sq feet and while the chickens free-range most of the day, there've been days where they've had to stay in the coop/run and had no problems, no picking. She ("Hen Solo") is in the middle of the pecking order. She does have a buddy - my olive egger "Picholine" - she also has a crest.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Thank you, I hadn't thought of that. I'm trying to deal with a feather pecker at the moment so it could be problem.

I have a young flock of nine girls raised together with three Creme Legbars in it and three Swedish Flower hens and three Black: Lavender Orpingtons and they were all a day or two old when they came to me from Meyer Hatchery. They think they are all sisters and get along great. I don’t really see anything terrible other than normal young pullet pecking order rituals. I don’t see any problems with the plumage with the Legbars. My Flower hens are not the type that have plumage on tops of their crowns either. They have smooth heads. My setup is a very large run. 15 wide by 30 feet and 12 high and our coop is 12 high and slopes down to 9 feet and is 9 wide. They have eaten down most of the vegetation inside it now since late July but they get fresh greens of various types daily and have fresh insects coming inside daily even though they aren’t out because it’s so rural where we live and we have several garden areas around them to draw them in. They are fully shaded with a metal roof and hardware cloth sides and trees close by. We give them regular fresh grass clippings and hang cabbage tether balls and veggies from our gardens. I feel they are very happy. The Legbars are my most easygoing of all my chicks and they are the easiest to catch most of the time and love petting and to be hand fed and they are not mean. They are sweet to my other hens also. These are the most heat tilt of all my hens and they have done exceptionally well on all the different feed changes I have introduced. They don’t mind change and I will always try to have some of them. They are very pretty birds also looking like large pheasants. I recommend them. If they can take heat and humidity in MS. They can withstand anything.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

That feather pecking business I have been told from experienced old timers is from mainly these things: no space, no food, no activity- meaning boredom, and not anyway to get away from one another as well. They are all so closely tied to one another and also when the habit gets started it is hard to break. One bad apple can spoil the lot. It really can have very little often times to have to do with the plumage and the breed. Cull the ones responsible as soon as possible. However, don’t keep them cooped up too much in a small space as little as often as you have to. Also if you have too many birds for your space then you are at fault. If you aren’t feeding them well enough then try to change that with what resources that you can as soon as you can. Times are hard for lots of folks right now but it might be that you can remedy this problem with nothing more than some cat food if that’s all you can get your hands on. It doesn’t take a lot to bump up their protein. Cans of sardines or mackerel aren’t high even cheap tuna will help.

 

[aart]

Overcrowding also will encourage feather pecking. The 2 square feet coop space and 8 square feet run space are a starting point for minimum space, but if you have feather pecking try giving them more space per hen and see if that helps.

4/10 is the more common rec nowadays....and even that can be a minimum.

 

[JadeFarms]

I have 20 chickens on a couple acres if land... but I didn’t raise the flock and the legbars together. Mine all don’t have crests though so they were not used to them. I have some aggressive hens in my flock that really hate any chicken with feathers on their head. It’s just their personality. I was just telling her to watch out because chickens that aren’t used to it might not like it.