Cream Legbars

[chicken pickin]

If the cockerels ear lobes are not fully white at 36 weeks is he done for?

In the sense of red leakage?

In my limited experience, if a male is showing red leakage at a young age it only gets worse. Earlobes aren't everything but using both males and females with the better earlobes will help the off spring. I do not prefer any males with red leakage and when I was breeding them to me they were culls. They were only culls for me because I also had males with pure white lobes that I could use as well. So red leakage might not be culls for everyone.

If you could find a source of Cream Legbar that has pure white lobes, it wouldn't hurt to try to bring them in to your flock.

 

[chicken pickin]

Yes..... thanks, can they change much as they mature. When I post the pictures I will not refer to these observations so I can learn a thing or two.

They definitely change as they mature and that is why it is advised to hold on to males for as long as you can. For me though I could spot all my CL culls (males) at around 12-16weeks of age. I kept the ones I thought had better qualities and held on to those to see who would mature better because eventually between your better males, one will rise above the rest. But things like bad combs, short backs, high tails, droopy wings and game type bodies, those don't change.

 

[caychris]

In the sense of red leakage?

In my limited experience, if a male is showing red leakage at a young age it only gets worse. Earlobes aren't everything but using both males and females with the better earlobes will help the off spring. I do not prefer any males with red leakage and when I was breeding them to me they were culls. They were only culls for me because I also had males with pure white lobes that I could use as well. So red leakage might not be culls for everyone.

If you could find a source of Cream Legbar that has pure white lobes, it wouldn't hurt to try to bring them in to your flock.

For the time being he is only being used for a blue egg project. My luck with males has been terrible so far but this guy has great temperament is great with the girls (dumb as a stump though) he is by no means a stellar breeder but I have not been able to get good stock as of yet and have not had much luck with hatching eggs. I'll breed him to my girl with full white lobes and see what we get. Ill only breed full white if I can get it going forward. He is going to cover 2 EE 1 CLB and 1 Barred Holland should be fun to see the mixed chicks. The EE's lay slightly more greenish than my girl but in the right light if the size didnt give them away you probably couldnt even tell. The holland lays white.

 

[sol2go]

Argh, rub it in. I wish it was 80 and sunny here. We just had freezing rain overnight and everything is coated.

"just right" is basically some average between weather extremes, fleeting as that may be...

 

[sol2go]

I have three cockerels. I am not sure I like any of them. They are about 19 weeks. These are some of the problems I see. I am sure there are more but this is what I see with a very untrained eye..

I will post pictures. I was hoping to keep two roosters but this seems like a lot to overcome. I can rehome them all and start over. I need some advice.

Rooster 1 (cull)
Droopy wings
Game Bird Body small build short back
Tail at 90 degrees
Good color
Comb is big and floppy

Rooster 2
Bad comb
Hardly any tail but angle looks good
Best body
Good color
Nice back length

Rooster 3 I want to cull this one
Bad comb
Droopy wings
Nice back length
Good color
Tail angle is good

Sounds like you have a plan! Hope to see more =)

 

[JulesChicks]

I have three cockerels. I am not sure I like any of them. They are about 19 weeks. These are some of the problems I see. I am sure there are more but this is what I see with a very untrained eye..

I will post pictures. I was hoping to keep two roosters but this seems like a lot to overcome. I can rehome them all and start over. I need some advice.

Rooster 1 (cull)
Droopy wings
Game Bird Body small build short back
Tail at 90 degrees
Good color
Comb is big and floppy

Rooster 2
Bad comb
Hardly any tail but angle looks good
Best body
Good color
Nice back length

Rooster 3 I want to cull this one
Bad comb
Droopy wings
Nice back length
Good color
Tail angle is good

Here is a great resource someone posted on another thread. See chapters 2 and 3 especially - they are not long and are very helpful.

http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/chicken-manual

 

[Red Banks]

Here is a great resource someone posted on another thread. See chapters 2 and 3 especially - they are not long and are very helpful.

http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/chicken-manual

Thank you for this..... I am enjoying the chicken manual very much. I plan on reading all of it. Very good information. I love the quote the best tool you can use to improve the quality of your chickens is an axe.

 

[JulesChicks]

You're welcome....unfortunately that quote is probably right I hate the idea of culling/killing when I begin to breed, but I understand it's a necessity and we will fill our freezer too. I notice you have similar breeds to what I have My only cockerels have been Marans - one we culled around 20 weeks for aggression and one is still around but not for a lot longer. He attacks my husband, not me - but I still don't trust him. How do your CLs compare for temperament?

 

[Red Banks]

You're welcome....unfortunately that quote is probably right I hate the idea of culling/killing when I begin to breed, but I understand it's a necessity and we will fill our freezer too. I notice you have similar breeds to what I have My only cockerels have been Marans - one we culled around 20 weeks for aggression and one is still around but not for a lot longer. He attacks my husband, not me - but I still don't trust him. How do your CLs compare for temperament

That is a good question and hard for me to answer. I have three CLs that have become sexually active at the exact same time. Most of the time I have roosters a few weeks or a month apart. These three are very aggressive with the hens, never with me. They are jumping everything in sight. I have never had a Marans be aggressive towards me and my main guy right now is an Ameraucana that is just great with the flock. He and I are good. He doesn't challenge me. I rehomed a beautiful Splash Marans because he and the Am were fighting all day. But that Splash was a wonderful rooster and knew I was top dog. I read on BYC how to treat a rooster and I have tried to do those things. I don't know if that has anything to do with it but I have been very lucky.

LP Marans website has a very interesting technique that she uses if a rooster has turned bad, she says it works for her and you might find it interesting.

I like my Marans and Ameraucanas very much. The CLs are curious but not as talkative. It will soon be time for them to start laying, maybe a week or two. I see a change in the pullets. Yesterday one kept following me and talking. I got the feeling she is experiencing those maturity changes and was asking me about them. Silly I know but I do think they look to us for assurance. You know they can't talk to the men about those kind of things!

 

[henless]

My girls are growing up! At least some of them. I have 3 that have been laying for about a week or so.