Cream Legbars

[normanack]

To those of you who have CL in cold climates, any comments on the conditions that your birds can handle, or extra measures you take?
I was really surprised to see the photo of a CL in snow!

Michigan (mid-lower-peninsula):
Frostbite on comb tips and wattles. No effective measures I've heard of.
All my chickens hate snow. No effective measures I've heard of.
Frozen, cracked eggs. Collect eggs more often, or feed them to the dog, or throw them against trees in the woods.

 

[1muttsfan]

My CL's are young, about 2 1/2 months old, and really prefer to be in the coop. They are in with a group of bantams, and the bantams are out in the snow all the time ( I do shovel for them, their little legs are so short), but the CL's only join in when there is food involved - they get all their treats outside.

Frostbite is related not just to cold, but to moisture and drafts - a very cold, dry coop with good ventilation will be much less likely to produce frostbite than a cold coop with excess moisture and/or drafts - usually if you are seeing condensation or frost inside the coop anywhere but on the windows there is not enough ventilation.

 

[normanack]

Frostbite is related not just to cold, but to moisture and drafts - a very cold, dry coop with good ventilation will be much less likely to produce frostbite than a cold coop with excess moisture and/or drafts - usually if you are seeing condensation or frost inside the coop anywhere but on the windows there is not enough ventilation.

I'm going to have to work on that. I don't see frost, but I bet there's enough moisture and drafts to need some work. Thanks!

 

[blackbirds13]

Sometimes no matter what you do they'll lose tips. This winter my Jubilee Orp boy and my BCM boy will lose tips and maybe even the back blades. My Legbars are young and their combs may make it through just fine but their coop is much bigger so I did put a heat lamp in there to alleviate the cold a bit as there numbers may not be enough to add any real warmth. My first Legbar roo lost most of his tips the first winter I had him while the BCM's that year made it through just fine but his comb was HUGE and they were all in a nice draft free coop. The Jubilee is in the same coop this year and still frost bite. The BCM boy is in a make-do dog house coop since he was given walking papers by the Jubilee when i tried to overwinter them together earlier this winter. That coop has issues so I'm not surprised by the frost bite on his comb... though I really wish it was not so bad.
My CL's prefer to remain inside their coop for the most part when it's snowing. The oldest hen is a trooper and she'll venture out more than the rest but this is her second winter.
When the temps get below freezing and below zero there's not too much you can do. I just use neosporin to prevent any infections when the bits drop off and the birds are none the worse for wear.

 

[NUHistorian]

I'm also interested in hearing more about cream legbars in cold climates. My little flock has weathered this very cold winter without ill effects. If I'm going to spring for legbars, I'd like to be sure they can handle Vermont winters.

Also, I'm curious about how legbar eggs differ from aracauna eggs; bigger? more consistently blue?

 

[babymakes6]

I'm also interested in hearing more about cream legbars in cold climates. My little flock has weathered this very cold winter without ill effects. If I'm going to spring for legbars, I'd like to be sure they can handle Vermont winters.

Also, I'm curious about how legbar eggs differ from aracauna eggs; bigger? more consistently blue?

I have lost 2 little roos to the cold, but they were only about 2 months old at the time and in a coop that is not as draft-free as it should be. In all, they seem to be very hardy birds. The only problem I can see is the large comb getting frost-bite.

The blue eggs are something I am going to be working on. So far, most of the eggs are more green than blue, but they are nicely saturated.

 

[heirloomorps]

I'm also interested in hearing more about cream legbars in cold climates.  My little flock has weathered this very cold winter without ill effects.  If I'm going to spring for legbars, I'd like to be sure they can handle Vermont winters.

Also, I'm curious about how legbar eggs differ from aracauna eggs; bigger? more consistently blue?

We had a problem when we put our CL chicks outside for the first time. We put CL, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte and Black Copper Maran chicks outside all at the same time. All the same age. We lost 2 CL chicks (of 6) the first night and had to move them back inside for a couple of weeks. We lost none of the BLRW or BCM.

We live in TN so I can't really comment on cold!

 

[KPenley]

We had a problem when we put our CL chicks outside for the first time. We put CL, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte and Black Copper Maran chicks outside all at the same time. All the same age. We lost 2 CL chicks (of 6) the first night and had to move them back inside for a couple of weeks. We lost none of the BLRW or BCM.

We live in TN so I can't really comment on cold!

How old were the chicks when you put them outside?

 

[heirloomorps]

How old were the chicks when you put them outside?

7-8 weeks. When we put them out there it was getting into the 50s during the day and 30s at night, and they had no heat lamp on them in our brooder (which is enclosed in a shed, but still outside).

 

[KPenley]

7-8 weeks. When we put them out there it was getting into the 50s during the day and 30s at night, and they had no heat lamp on them in our brooder (which is enclosed in a shed, but still outside).

When did they eventually go out? I'm getting nervous with my current chicks who are 7-8 weeks old and still inside. Our first chicks were used to the cold by 6 weeks, but these I've babied.