Cream Legbars

[GaryDean26]

Sadly, it seems to many, the CCL is just the newest fad bird. Many of the urban owners are only after egg color, and are using the excuse that it's "rare" and that there is no standard, to not cull birds with split wings, no crests, poor coloring, type etc. How can this nonsense be discouraged?

There will always be fads. Some of the fads are new color variety, a new breed, a renewed interest in a rare breed, etc. Everyone wants to try them, then after a few years when they find that they aren't sociable birds, or aren't very productive, or lay too small of eggs, or aren't hardy, etc. They move on to the next fad and the once popular breed is largely forgotten.

The Cream Legbar has the utilities to make it past the initial fad. One of my foundation hens is currently laying three day on one day off and averaging 65 gram each. The Legbars handled the 103+ deg summer heat better than any of our other breeds did last year, they are good foragers, will come looking for treats when I am out in the yard and eat out of my hand. I know one person that sold off all of their Americanas after keeping Cream Legbars in side-by-side coops because the Legbars out preformed the Americanas in about every measurable category. I think that most people are going to be selling off the next fad and the one after that long before they will let their Cream Legbars go.

Note: Selling poor quality birds will NOT help the breed. If people get split wings birds, non-crested, poor coloring, poor type, etc, that is going to move them up on the list of breeds that they get rid of to make space for the next flock. Once they have tried them once they aren't likely to try them again. I don't know what others do with their culls, but we keep ours in a laying flock (or give them to the farmer across the road who it working on a purely production flock of CLB and will NOT be selling stock to anyone). We want good example of the breed going out to people getting them for the first time.

 

[normanack]

Interesting discussion. Apparently even in England there is a problem getting people to understand what a Cream Legbar should look like (color obviously, but also type). While I'm confident that the serious CL breeders (such as club members) will adhere to the standard, there's probably no getting around there being, like in other breeds, two classes of Cream Legbars: those one might term "heritage" quality (here meaning bred to the standard or ideal of the breed) and "hatchery" quality -- meaning raised more or less willy-nilly with a predictable downturn in quality (not limited to actual hatcheries).

 

[lonnyandrinda]

True. But we need to be careful throwing around the title "Heritage" as it is only used to refer to breeds that were created and bred prior to a certain time period in the US. Cream Legbars would not fit into that category. But I know what you were meaning.

Rinda

 

[sol2go]

X2 about a place for culls to go. Even with the best breeding program only a portion of your birds are going to be useful breeders.

I do think that there is a place for Gold Crested and White Crested color varieties of Legbars that lay blue eggs (Gold and Silver Legbars are not crested and lay brown or cream eggs). The efforts to establish them with the APA should not prevent people from working to improve their chosen color varieties. However, as far as getting them accepted, you need to start with one color variety, and even then it is going to take some time.

I agree with everything in this post, especially if it maintains a diverse genetic base and preserves the blue eggshell gene.
As long as we are talking about healthy productive chickens, laying eggs is a useful purpose, even for culls.

If Gold Crested and White Crested varieties of Legbars are productive and meet standards, why not?
I'm glad to know there are people who want to excel at show standards, because we all need to buy from them.
But like any top tier, there are valid layers below that. Hmm, no pun intended.

Also, thanks to GaryDean26 for a very thoughtful and encouraging post.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Tracking the growth of my little two little guys that hatched very light.

Here they are at hatch. I noted they hatched Feb 17, the more gray boy got a yellow band and the light chestnut boy got a pink band. Did not keep the dark boy.




They are just over 5 weeks old now. Yellow band boy is noticeably darker and his wings seem to big for his body. Hopefully he'll grow into them! Pink band boy is lighter and has a much more pleasing body shape and wing size. Also he has a larger comb and wattles.

 

[dretd]

Tracking the growth of my little two little guys that hatched very light.

Here they are at hatch. I noted they hatched Feb 17, the more gray boy got a yellow band and the light chestnut boy got a pink band. Did not keep the dark boy.

They are just over 5 weeks old now. Yellow band boy is noticeably darker and his wings seem to big for his body. Hopefully he'll grow into them! Pink band boy is lighter and has a much more pleasing body shape and wing size. Also he has a larger comb and wattles.

There is a remarkable difference between the two. Pinkie looks like he is going to be awesome--I can't wait to see what he will look like when he matures!

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I know, me too! He is just so pleasing to the eye. I hope poor yellow band boy grows out of his ugly duckling phase!

Rinda

 

[redchicken9]

Sweet little boys, Rinda!

 

[Bama1]

My first cream legbar zipping right now.

 

[redchicken9]

My first cream legbar zipping right now.

Excellent, Bama1!

Oh, by the way where is ChicKat?