Cream Legbars

[TREX]

I have a few questions for the cream legbar keepers if ya'll don't mind.

I am thinking of buying some CL chicks later this summer and raising them.I already have an existing flock of hens which consists of a New hampshire red(hatchery type not heritage) ,a Red sex link,2 barred rocks and a buff orphington.My question is this,How well do the legbars integrate into existing flocks?And how large do they get? Are they of comparable size to the hens I already have? I would LOVE to keep some of these lovely birds and have room in the coop for a max of 3 birds(don't want to overcrowd the ladies).I do not have another coop available to seperate them unfortunately once they get to be around 3 months if there is a problem with integration. I do free range almost daily in a small area in the yard and once I get a privacy fence up in the back I will give them even more room to roam.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I have a few questions for the cream legbar keepers if ya'll don't mind.

I am thinking of buying some CL chicks later this summer and raising them.I already have an existing flock of hens which consists of a New hampshire red(hatchery type not heritage) ,a Red sex link,2 barred rocks and a buff orphington.My question is this,How well do the legbars integrate into existing flocks?And how large do they get? Are they of comparable size to the hens I already have? I would LOVE to keep some of these lovely birds and have room in the coop for a max of 3 birds(don't want to overcrowd the ladies).I do not have another coop available to seperate them unfortunately once they get to be around 3 months if there is a problem with integration. I do free range almost daily in a small area in the yard and once I get a privacy fence up in the back I will give them even more room to roam.

Cream Legbars are in the "light fowl" class, about the size of a leghorn but not near as flighty in my opinion. They are very curious and can be quite friendly. They should get along well with your other birds, raise them up separately until about 14 weeks, then pen them next to the big girls' pen for a few days so they can get to know each other, then put them on the roost at night. If there is a problem take out the hen at the top of the pecking order for a day or two, that will mix things up and allow them to integrate into their own spot in the new pecking order.

 

[TREX]

Cream Legbars are in the "light fowl" class, about the size of a leghorn but not near as flighty in my opinion. They are very curious and can be quite friendly. They should get along well with your other birds, raise them up separately until about 14 weeks, then pen them next to the big girls' pen for a few days so they can get to know each other, then put them on the roost at night. If there is a problem take out the hen at the top of the pecking order for a day or two, that will mix things up and allow them to integrate into their own spot in the new pecking order.

Thanks. That makes me feel much better about purchasing some! I will try the tips you gave me.I haven't quite figured out who the top hen is yet they are only about 6 months old, but I think it may be the red sex link hen.My buff seems to be the most docile and although I don't think she is the bottom of the pecking order shes pretty close.

 

[GaryDean26]

It is a little intimidating- I was on PINS AND NEEDLES waiting for the batch of Alaska chicks to arrive, especially since they took a day longer then USPS estimated! I sent them Monday afternoon, they did not arrive until Thursday morning. She only lost one chick out of about 18! She just called me to place another order- I take it in this afternoon- and I hope the post office is just as kind with this shipment!

I submitted an article (photos included) on shipping hatching eggs for the Cream Legbar Club essay contest. Maybe it will be published next month since it was the only entry.

But the limit was 500 words so I couldn't write about shipping birds, too. Maybe next time!

I sent my first chicks this spring on a Swap with a breeder in Kentucky. I got 15+ Black Copper Marans and she got 15+ Cream Legbars. I didn't have nearly as long a shipment, but we had one CLB die in shipment too. It defiantly takes a lot more planning than shipping hatching eggs. Planning starts before you even start collecting egg to hatch. Like anything even after you have the routine down and find something that work you still could run in to some problems. I heard back yesterday from someone that ordered live CLB chick to go with the chicks she hatch from our hatching eggs and she said that 1/3 were dead on arrival and more died a few days later. Her box was only in shipment for one day too. So the details defiantly make a difference on shipping live chicks.

 

[darkbrowneggs]

I am not sure how long your chicks are journeying but until a few years ago I often bought chicks which came by rail.

They were packed in the normal chick transport boxes, but the boxes were always full of chicks, so you could only order them in 25's I think it was though you probably paid for 24.

The double boxes held 50, so I would guess 25 is an optimum number. The chicks being very close together held each other up and kept each other warm. There was often one maybe sometimes two dead on arrival and there was a possibility of losing maybe another one or two in the first couple of days, but I was never aware of any heavy losses, even when the boxes arrived one cold Feb and were left standing on a draughty train platform.

They were purchased as "dayold" so I would guess were packed straight from the hatcher once dry and fluffy and dispatched to arrive same day. Don't know if any of this is helpful but thought I would post it anyway.

 

[ChicKat]

I am not sure how long your chicks are journeying but until a few years ago I often bought chicks which came by rail.

They were packed in the normal chick transport boxes, but the boxes were always full of chicks, so you could only order them in 25's I think it was though you probably paid for 24.

The double boxes held 50, so I would guess 25 is an optimum number. The chicks being very close together held each other up and kept each other warm. There was often one maybe sometimes two dead on arrival and there was a possibility of losing maybe another one or two in the first couple of days, but I was never aware of any heavy losses, even when the boxes arrived one cold Feb and were left standing on a draughty train platform.

They were purchased as "dayold" so I would guess were packed straight from the hatcher once dry and fluffy and dispatched to arrive same day. Don't know if any of this is helpful but thought I would post it anyway.

I can just picture it. Thanks for the post.

 

[HaplessRunner]

Just noticed that GANaturals is discontinuing their breeding of cream legbars and are dispersing their flock at auction on another site.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Yes those are the same boxes we use now, I will ship as few as 10 but am more comfortable sending a minimum of 15. I put special 36-hour heat packs and some gro-gel (kinda like jello, gives them moisture and nourishment) in a small cup and a handful of chick feed in the bedding. I don't know about rail service, my understanding is USPS is the only place that will ship live birds anymore. I believe they have agreements with UPS/Fed-X to use space on their trucks/planes but you cannot sent live birds directly through UPS or Fed-X. Most USPS live birds are either overnighted by truck or flown close to their destination and then trucked.

It is a USPS regulation to ship day-old chicks only (less than 24 hours old prior to shipment). For some states they must have no access to food or water prior to shipment, so it is best to ship them ASAP anyway. After you miss the window for day-old, they must weigh at least 6 ounces for shipment and must go in the larger adult-size boxes (more expensive to ship because they are oversized), with a maximum of 4 birds in a box.

 

[GaryDean26]

Yes those are the same boxes we use now, I will ship as few as 10 but am more comfortable sending a minimum of 15. I put special 36-hour heat packs and some gro-gel (kinda like jello, gives them moisture and nourishment) in a small cup and a handful of chick feed in the bedding. I don't know about rail service, my understanding is USPS is the only place that will ship live birds anymore. I believe they have agreements with UPS/Fed-X to use space on their trucks/planes but you cannot sent live birds directly through UPS or Fed-X. Most USPS live birds are either overnighted by truck or flown close to their destination and then trucked.

It is a USPS regulation to ship day-old chicks only (less than 24 hours old prior to shipment). For some states they must have no access to food or water prior to shipment, so it is best to ship them ASAP anyway. After you miss the window for day-old, they must weigh at least 6 ounces for shipment and must go in the larger adult-size boxes (more expensive to ship because they are oversized), with a maximum of 4 birds in a box.

The regulations are there for a reason and those that know and follow them will be much more successfull at shipping chicks .

The person that I talked to earlier this week thought they were getting day-old chicks, but the breeder send a mix of ages in the box. One "extra" looked like it was was out 5 weeks old and the rest were about a week old. The photos I saw looked like they had a heat pack, but it probablly wan't required since they shipped the chicks through a part of the country that was experiencing extream tempuratures. It also looked like they didn't pack any gro-gel. It looked like they tried to use orange slices to get them through the shipment. Anyways...30% dead on delivery and and the rest weak and dropping evey day after a one day shipment show that you CAN'T just throw them in a shipping box and expect them to arrive safely. The proper number of chicks for the size of your box, timing the hatch so that the chicks are all dry and ready ship together in the best window of delivery etc. doesn't happen by accident.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Yikes... I would ask for a refund, not replacements!