Cream Legbars

[nicalandia]

I'd appreciate some candid assessments of my Cream Legbar pullet and cockerel. Don't hold back, I can take it.








Many thanks!

Creasted Gold Legbar..! thats why I think when I see them, but I like their type so keep working on them even if they are heterozygous for the cream gene or lack it all together, as I said before, if you have good type birds work with them untill you can get your hands on a pair of good type and good colored birds... the you mate your best type male to the creasted cream legbar female and mate the cream created legbar male to your best type hens, this way you will be creating two lines. mate F1s together and be in the look out for the cream colored birds

 

[blackbirds13]

These are my two breeder roos this year, Macbeth and Macduff. I culled 2 other more dominant roos and since then Macbeth's comb that I posted earlier has really grown. The level of chestnut on the shoulders is minimal also to the level of gold that shows up in the wing bay on the secondaries is also pretty much not there at all. I have a theory that as the males grow the gold that shows up in the secondaries can help indicate how colorful the rooster will eventually be. I am going to try to track this in some of the boys I hatch this year. I have gotten a couple male chicks that are not my own to use as a comparison also. I have a really great Canon EOS 30D to use so I hope I can get some really good images to record the stages. I just need to remember to do it regularly. I know some make light of the difference in how pictures can alter the real colors and tones but as an artist and familiar with Photography I know it does so I am hoping that using a really good (and expensive) Digital Single Lens Reflex camera will help keep the details and colors true to life. These were taken at the end of a really nice sunny day but in the shade so the sun did not 'flash' the white/cream and lighten it more than it really is, especially with all the snow still on the ground and I was able to zoom in and get some really good close ups. They are both still young, only born in September and October of last year but I am happy with both, despite their individual faults as I had to no options but to hatch like crazy after my rooster died from a dog attack (my husband's new puppy) and live with what I got. I feel better having 1 and a spare as they say. Macbeth is my baby but not the Alpha and Macduff's comb has a very slight bend at the end but stands upright and he is also just a smidgen more colorful in the saddle and shoulders.

















normanack -

Your female seems that she may have a lighter gold hackle so she may be able to breed towards cream. And if she is from the first line she may be a layer of nicely sized eggs something you definitely want to hold on to in the future. I am not sure on the boy though he looks really gold in the hackle and saddle. The chestnut on the shoulders is separate to that but also looks a bit much but he seems to have a nice tail angle, good yellow legs but it does seem like a bit too much gold and if you look at his secondary feathers in his wing bay you will see how dark gold they are. His comb has a flop but so did my original male and he threw lots of straight combs so I don't really see that as a hinderance (though serious it is still only a fault and not a DQ per the British SOP). You may have to hatch a lot to see an improvement in the chicks but you should be able to work on type and see what you get for females from this breeding but with males needing 2 cream genes I don't think you can get there with these two and for females the ratio of cream hackles would be also very low.


One of my crazy crest girls.

 

[normanack]

Creasted Gold Legbar..! thats why I think when I see them, but I like their type so keep working on them even if they are heterozygous for the cream gene or lack it all together, as I said before, if you have good type birds work with them untill you can get your hands on a pair of good type and good colored birds... the you mate your best type male to the creasted cream legbar female and mate the cream created legbar male to your best type hens, this way you will be creating two lines. mate F1s together and be in the look out for the cream colored birds

normanack -

Your female seems that she may have a lighter gold hackle so she may be able to breed towards cream. And if she is from the first line she may be a layer of nicely sized eggs something you definitely want to hold on to in the future. I am not sure on the boy though he looks really gold in the hackle and saddle. The chestnut on the shoulders is separate to that but also looks a bit much but he seems to have a nice tail angle, good yellow legs but it does seem like a bit too much gold and if you look at his secondary feathers in his wing bay you will see how dark gold they are. His comb has a flop but so did my original male and he threw lots of straight combs so I don't really see that as a hinderance (though serious it is still only a fault and not a DQ per the British SOP). You may have to hatch a lot to see an improvement in the chicks but you should be able to work on type and see what you get for females from this breeding but with males needing 2 cream genes I don't think you can get there with these two and for females the ratio of cream hackles would be also very low.


One of my crazy crest girls.

Thank you both for giving me direction as well as assessment. Looks like I need to shop for a light roo. I wish you all were closer -- blackbirds13, yours look perfect -- so I could go pick one up.

Nicalandia, from your previous posts that was my guess -- that mine have none or one cream gene. Here's hoping for one.

 

[nicalandia]

Nicalandia, from your previous posts that was my guess -- that mine have none or one cream gene. Here's hoping for one.

we cant tell for sure, cream is one of those genes that when in heterozygous form cant be express...

some of you may also be asking yourself this questions, is my bird het for cream?(when too rich of colored) or is my Bird Silver instead of cream(also genetically possible, when they look like silver crele)

this is quite simple to test for...

for cream testing you can get your hands on a good cream colored hen and cross breed your best colored males. if 50% of the males mature to be good colored males, then you have heterozygous cream on your roosters.. now if none of your roosters come out looking like correct colored cream. then cream is absent from that rooster. so hatch as many chicks you have can(30 at least)

as to test if your males or your line is Silver or not(some UK lines look straight up silver) get your hands on an incorrectly colored hen(gold crele looking) but with good type... Cross you best looking light male to this gold colored hen.. IF ALL of you hens come out looking like silver(hatch 30 at least) then the rooster is infact Silver..


its quite notable that one could start with a Silver legbar and cross it to gold Creasted legbar stock(that lacks the cream gene) and end up with birds that look like the CCL but are infact Silver, there is basically no way to know it just by looking at them as may silver males can show chestnut on their shoulders yet retain silver hackles and saddles

example. the Silver Crele Wyandotte, its hard to get them all Silver.(autosal red is one tough gene to get rid of). not this rooster lack cream and when mate it to any gold hen will produce Silver Crele females. source http://spottedwyandottes.webs.com/lgebtmcreles.htm







so if any of you want to take the short rout to "Cream Crele" looking birds by using your already red enhanced birds(by autosomal red) you may very well be able to pull it off shorter than you think if you use a Silver Legbar Male(if you can get your hands on) or a Silver Crele Leghorn male. nobody would be able to notice the difference, would be much easier to work with(silver is dominant, cream is recessive) while improving type.. would be no different than breeding for type on a gold creasted legbar line, while waiting for those nice colored birds to finaly land on your hands...

dont flame I was just letting my Theorist side loose on you guys...

 

[nicalandia]

I like both of you males, but the left one is the one with the best color.

 

[blackbirds13]

Nicalandia, from your previous posts that was my guess -- that mine have none or one cream gene. Here's hoping for one.
Hatching is so much fun and the girls will sell no matter so go at it.
I'm where I am partially because of plain old luck of the draw with my original rooster and second hen but it's still slow going and the culling is really hard to do at times but it's a must. If I could have I'd have probably held on to one more boy but knew I should just stick with the best that I had so far so I only kept these two and the creamiest females and culled the rest - Hoping to improve with this years batch but gotta hatch a lot I think. I have not hatched anything from either of these two yet only my culled boys but hoping the ones in the incubator now will be 'fruitful' but I'm prepared for disappointment...guess I'm used to it also but hoping always for just a bit of a step forward in the right direction.
I have not sold a lot at all but I tell myself as soon as I have something that breeds true and more consistent with the SOP I'll hit the market then. I thought about selling on ebay maybe in a few weeks or maybe this summer.... but really not sure what I want to do.

nicalandia - That's my baby, Macbeth. But he's really so non-aggressive that I'd say he was maybe even timid. He hatched too early in the turner and it messed up his feet a bit so I'm anxious to see what he can do. I'm going to give him his own little harem once it warms enough for me to put together some coops and rearrange the pens. Macduff is also non-aggressive but not timid at all. He's always up and about and though darker still really nice enough that I want to see what he throws this year. Then the fun will begin I hope.

Really hoping to do some good photographic documentation this year.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Hatching is so much fun and the girls will sell no matter so go at it.
I'm where I am partially because of plain old luck of the draw with my original rooster and second hen but it's still slow going and the culling is really hard to do at times but it's a must. If I could have I'd have probably held on to one more boy but knew I should just stick with the best that I had so far so I only kept these two and the creamiest females and culled the rest - Hoping to improve with this years batch but gotta hatch a lot I think. I have not hatched anything from either of these two yet only my culled boys but hoping the ones in the incubator now will be 'fruitful' but I'm prepared for disappointment...guess I'm used to it also but hoping always for just a bit of a step forward in the right direction.
I have not sold a lot at all but I tell myself as soon as I have something that breeds true and more consistent with the SOP I'll hit the market then. I thought about selling on ebay maybe in a few weeks or maybe this summer.... but really not sure what I want to do.

nicalandia - That's my baby, Macbeth. But he's really so non-aggressive that I'd say he was maybe even timid. He hatched too early in the turner and it messed up his feet a bit so I'm anxious to see what he can do. I'm going to give him his own little harem once it warms enough for me to put together some coops and rearrange the pens. Macduff is also non-aggressive but not timid at all. He's always up and about and though darker still really nice enough that I want to see what he throws this year. Then the fun will begin I hope.

Really hoping to do some good photographic documentation this year.

Looking forward to lots and lots of picture sharing!!! You've certainly got a good start on a great breeding flock!

 

[normanack]

Dear Jett,
We need to talk. Your social security check came in the mail today, and the DMV has revoked your license on the grounds that you're too old to drive.
Jett, darling. Time is passing. You're almost 34 weeks old and haven't laid a single egg. Time to grab the bull by the horns, put the pedal to the medal, and go for the gold (or better yet, silver).
I found your Life List of top ten things to do before you die; you might want to review it:
1. Lay an egg.
2. Lay an egg.
3. Lay an egg.
4. Lay an egg.
5. Lay an egg.
6. Lay an egg.
7. Lay an egg.
8. Lay an egg.
9. Lay an egg.
10. Lay an egg.
Time's a wastin'.
Sincerely, Anne (the one who feeds you)

 

[babymakes6]

Be careful what you wish for-she may just see that list, give you ten eggs, and get snatched by a hawk!

 

[1muttsfan]

Dear Jett,

I found your Life List of top ten things to do before you die; you might want to review it:
1. Lay an egg.
2. Lay an egg.
3. Lay an egg.
4. Lay an egg.
5. Lay an egg.
6. Lay an egg.
7. Lay an egg.
8. Lay an egg.
9. Lay an egg.
10. Lay an egg.
Time's a wastin'.
Sincerely, Anne (the one who feeds you)

Come On Jett!!