Cream Legbars

[ChicKat]

Ive noticed a number of cockerel pictures now where the comb extends over the beak. My boy does to and I have found that he has a hard time judging where food is when he pecks at it often missing the food the first time often undershooting so to speak so it hits his comb instead. He often has to make several attempts. Is this comb over the beak supposed to be standard?

Has anyone else noticed that the large comb and forward nature make their cockerels look clumsy when eating?

Maybe -- will have to look for it --- to see if any do

 

[Blingchix6]

It looks like he is well on his way to being healthy. I had a chicken attacked by a dog in Sept and I spent a month getting her healthy. You did a great job! he looks happy.

 

[caychris]

I noticed how much my boys comb gets in the way of eating today. I fed them a wet mash and an hour later I went out and looked at him and the whole front edge of his comb is covered in food.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I noticed how much my boys comb gets in the way of eating today. I fed them a wet mash and an hour later I went out and looked at him and the whole front edge of his comb is covered in food.

You know, when I had Dumbledore inside, I got a better look at him when he ate. Now that you mention it, yeah, he did get food on the front part of his comb. I don't think it interfered with him eating, but it was messy - he had scrambled egg on it - egg on his face!!!

OK, I'm getting loopy - I should go to bed.

- Ant Farm

 

[caychris]

You know, when I had Dumbledore inside, I got a better look at him when he ate. Now that you mention it, yeah, he did get food on the front part of his comb. I don't think it interfered with him eating, but it was messy - he had scrambled egg on it - egg on his face!!!

OK, I'm getting loopy - I should go to bed.

- Ant Farm

Yeah he obviously can eat but I think he has to work harder at it.

 

[ChicKat]

You know, when I had Dumbledore inside, I got a better look at him when he ate. Now that you mention it, yeah, he did get food on the front part of his comb. I don't think it interfered with him eating, but it was messy - he had scrambled egg on it - egg on his face!!!

OK, I'm getting loopy - I should go to bed.

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

OK, my batch of CL babies has hatched. I had the eggs separated in baskets per hen, but the babies climbed all over the place in the incubator (little mountain climbers), so I have to guess between Lissa and Paula's babies. (Jenny's babies hatched late, so they all got green sharpie marks on a toe.)

I don't have a baby picture of Dumbledore to see his specific down pattern but I understand that he had very good auto sexing. Of mine, Jenny and Lissa had perfect auto sexing markings, and Paula was fairly obviously female, but was blond and had an interrupted head vee. As I only have three pullets, with pros and cons with each, and I setting after the rooster injury, I set everything at once rather than being more selective as originally planned. I was hoping that Dumbledore's influence would improve the auto sexing some (but I suspect I don't completely understand these genetics - I've read and read, but seem to have a hole in my head when it comes to that).

Here's a group photo - you can see the different markings pretty well from here (no individual photos yet - I've been swamped). 6 boys, 6 girls, one that I think is a girl but especially rotten auto sexing.


Here's a photo showing one of Jenny's (left) and two of Paula's girls (two on right) a little better (heads up more):



Paula's chicks were earliest and strongest (and eggs most normal shaped) - she's also been the strongest (earliest and most consistent) layer (though paler and more green). But her female babies look like little carbon copies of her, some with rotten auto sexing. Actually, her markings were clearer than any of her babies (at this point, at least). Of six eggs, five girls, one boy. This was Paula as a chick:



Jenny's chicks were late, a few malpositioned (I had trouble with incubation conditions, but the eggs were also more round, though big and blue) - but the girls once again are little carbon copies of her as a chick, and have excellent auto sexing. Of five eggs, two girls, three boys (one boy culled at hatch, one wearing hobble for spraddle legs). This was Jenny as a chick. I don't have up close photos yet, but trust me that they look JUST like her, good head vee.



Unfortunately I don't think I have a girl from Lissa in this hatch (Lissa also had excellent auto sexing). (There was all that climbing, but still - I know the two good auto sexed girls are Jenny's, and the only ones left look like Paula.)

So, two girls with good auto sexing, four that are clearly girls but have non-optimal markings on the head, and one that may be a girl but has pretty rotten markings. And 6 boys (all with clear head spot, not sure that there's any other subtlety I should look for.

Sooooooooo, all this to ask - for auto sexing quality, and indeed, for down appearance is the influence primarily maternal? (Or is that just how my chicks turned out.) That would help a lot when choosing pairings (if the male half cannot contribute to better auto sexing markings). (I will probably try to get some girls from Lissa in a hatch later.) It's just for my back yard, but I still for sure want to preserve the auto sexing as best I can and not propagate these less ideal/more ambiguous markings at hatch.

- Ant Farm

 

[ChicKat]

You really got a good hatch....way-to-go

As always, it is the juggling act - of what you are aiming for most at the time...... bluest eggs, best type, as you have mentioned - strongest autosexing. Sounds to me like your flock of Cream Legbars has a lot of vigor -- and you may just have to sell some of your CLs to people in your area who want them -- or you will become overrun with zillions of cute chickes -- and then again -- you are providing people with the breed which is always a good thing isn't it?

Bravo for your success!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

It's been a while since I posted any pictures of Sunny, Cher, Luna, and Stormy so I took some today. Cher never developed a crest but Stormy and Luna have nice ones




Luna looks rather grumpy in this one lol





Sunny didn't really want his picture taken but I managed to get him a couple times.

 

[Red Banks]

It's been a while since I posted any pictures of Sunny, Cher, Luna, and Stormy so I took some today. Cher never developed a crest but Stormy and Luna have nice ones




Luna looks rather grumpy in this one lol





Sunny didn't really want his picture taken but I managed to get him a couple times.

So sweet..... how old are they now?