Cream Legbars

[GaryDean26]

Yet Mr. Michael Pease introduced white leghorn to the CCL blood line?.. larger birds may lay larger eggs, but not always, heck jumbo eggs comes from skiny leghorns, and I wish for you to point me where it says on any of the legbar history that is a Medium sized weight laying breed?

Yes...I know that larger birds don't always lay larger eggs. I have had some 6 lbs hens (not Legbars) that never laid over 65 gram egg (they went to the cull pen) while some of my 4-1/2 lbs white Leghorns have laid eggs over 70 gram eggs. The 6 lbs hens as a whole are capable of laying larger eggs even though individuals vary in egg size. I have seen some 6 lbs hens average eggs around 75 grams, but haven't seen any 4-1/2 lbs hens match that.

Have you ever got a 63 gram egg from a Bantam hen? Of course not...so the size of the hen DOES factor into how big an egg they can lay. The size of the hens is very important in ensuring that it meets its intended purpose of the breed which is why the weights are listed in the Standard of Perfect.

The fact is that the Legbar SOP has higher weight requirements that a Leghorn. The Legbar is NOT the only breed in the world that requires 6 lb hens. It is also NOT the only laying breed in the world that requires 6lbs hens. You can't meet the intended purpose of the Cream Legbar with a 4-1/2 lbs hen. If you could the Legbar standard would have been for a 4-1/2 lbs hens.

You don't need to dig through the publication and notebooks of guys that have been dead for 30+ years to determine what weight birds are "light weight" and what weight are "medium weight", etc. Just start a thread on the BYC with a question that is something along the lines of "How heavy are light weight large fowl laying hens, vs, medium weight large fowl laying hens and heavy weight large fowl laying hens?" The Leghorns will be the first bird that people list as a light weight laying breed and their SOPis for 4-1/2 lbs birds. Breeds like the Plymouth Rock and Orpington that have hens in the 8 lbs range will probably be listed as the heavy laying hens, and breeds with weights around 6 lbs will likely be listed for the medium weight laying breeds. The Cream Legbar is not a Light weight breed. The weight requirements push it in the medium weights. There is nothing wrong with not being a Leghorn. There are 200+ recognized breeds of Chickens to prove that. There is also nothing wrong with being a 6lb laying hens. That are plenty of breed to prove that too.

 

[ChicKat]

X2 on Steen's point about length adding weight...we look for length to breed heavier cattle. I also think that there are two types of CL hens - one is the rounder, Lillian type and one is the more leghorn looking one - sleeker, longer neck and longer legs.... more similar to the original Legbar pullet in the original Punnett works.

 

[GaryDean26]

I have been lurking and following this thread. While I do not have any CCL yet. I am interested. This weight debate interests me, A 6 LB hen would compare to a 8 LB cock. I have weighed hatchery barred rock and that is what they weigh. I realize hatchery birds are not the same as SOP birds but 6 LB hens seem heavy for a laying breed more dual purpose. Hatchery leghorn hens are more in the 3 to 3 1/2 LB range. In the USA they often carry barring in the white hatchery birds.I read that in the UK they carry mottling. I guess I am rambling but I thought CCL were a layer breed more like leghorn.

Yep...I see what you are saying. I favor a 5-1/2 lbs Cream Legbar hens and 7lb cock but the standard from the UK converts the weight standards to 6 lbs hens and 7 lbs cocks. I will get the cocks to 7 lbs and let the hens be what every comes from those sized boys.

P.S. I delivery some eating eggs to a new customer at lunch today. Her sister has hatchery hens, but she wanted to get eggs from us too for some reason. She opened up the carton of eggs and was surprised how big they were. She picked up an egg from a Basque hen that just started laying 3 weeks ago and said look how big that eggs is. I don't know if she was more surprised at how big the eggs were or if I was more surprised and how small the eggs were that she though were big. I guess I get spoiled by keeping 6lbs hens that lay big eggs.

 

[WHmarans]

@GaryDean26 aww now I'm confused again because Plymouth rocks and Orpingtons are both dual purpose aren't they?

Of course there is nothing at all wrong with being dual purpose. Its just I thought this was a layer breed.

As a matter of fact, now that I'm giving it a little thought I can't think of a another layer breed besides the leghorn. What else is there? And what do they weigh?

 

[chicken pickin]

X2 on Steen's point about length adding weight...we look for length to breed heavier cattle. I also think that there are two types of CL hens - one is the rounder, Lillian type and one is the more leghorn looking one - sleeker, longer neck and longer legs.... more similar to the original Legbar pullet in the original Punnett works.

So out of those 2 types which is preferred? or is it somewhere in between the 2 where we want to be?

 

[CibolaChooks]

So out of those 2 types which is preferred? or is it somewhere in between the 2 where we want to be?

My own personal preference is the leghorn looking ones. The flop comb CL females get always remind me of leghorns too

 

[WHmarans]

My next question is going to be how much do everyone's eggs and hens weigh ;-) My 4 lb hen about 9 months old lays about 64 or 65 gram eggs. They are steadily getting bigger as normally happens I guess.

The question I'm really thinking about is type.. so I wanted to start out with the goal of the chicken. If it is a layer and we don't really need it to weigh that much then the leghorn type makes sense. Leghorns are little and lay big eggs.

If we want a bigger bird for any reason (because the SOP says so? because they might fly less and be calmer? or other reasons) then the rounder type makes sense to me.

Personally I care about auto-sexing with egg laying primarily so all that makes me think the leghorn type would be my choice. The good feed conversion and flightiness of the leghorn are good things IMO because it should enhance that "predator avoidance" skill when free ranging that's been advertised for the breed.

It detracts some from the cuteness factor that the rounder birds have and risks taking away some pet quality to me.

 

[normanack]

Would you mind posting a pic of your roo? My roos comb seems to be frost bite pretty bad like yours the entire points. Im nervous for infection. The weather a little while back was just horrible on the roosters. The CL is the worst off since his comb is emormous.

First pic is my Barred Rock's comb -- relatively undamaged.

Second and third are my Cream Legbar's comb. Two days ago the whole back end of it (the blade?) was one big blister.

I don't know why the difference. Maybe it's the microclimate of their chosen roosting spots . . . ?

 

[stoneunhenged]

This week we took a video of our Rees legbars. The video camera washes out the color a little, but you'll get the general idea. The HD resolution setting will give you more detail.

 

[chicken pickin]

He is very beautiful. I love the look of him.