Cream Legbars

[TherryChicken]

I think were going to keep the last 3 hens that are not spoken for. Thinking about keeping their 6 week old cockerel and then buying fertile eggs and keeping 8 pullets. Hopefully by the time they are old enough we will have 2 nice big coops for them

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Looks to me like both #1 and #2 Have 6-points on their combs. #1, a tail angle that looks at 45-degrees or very close.... number 3-can't tell crest but it looks bigger crested than the other two. looks like nice yellow legs/feet on #2 and #3. The white wing triangle on #1 would be very attractive to some folks- there was a thought at one time that this was an indicator of cream - but I think it has since been disproven as inaccurate.

Of the three---I would sell or give or process #3 first. Most likely I would keep and grow out #2. It looks to me as if he will have a better comb in adulthood, he looks like an intelligent mellow little guy. Depending upon what is most important to you right now, comb, crest, size etc. -- factor those in as you select. Look for symmetrical crest and comb, nice clear yellow feet and legs, room for the comb to grown in - coloration if you are working on that and size -- -

good luck with your choices...hope you get other evaluations so you have a LOT of food for thought.

X2 these are my gut feelings, too. If I had to cull/sell one NOW it would be #3. His comb is going to be way too large, his earlobe is very red, and he is way too colorful. I would hold on to 1 and 2 as long as possible, a lot can change unexpectedly as they mature. I am slightly favoring #2 but it is hard to be sure what will change.

 

[ChicKat]

Thank you i did get five cream legbar pullets they are beautiful four have a crest and one doesnt they also sent me five isbars that i didnt expect two blue three black i also ordered and received four sfh so my flock is really cool . What do you think of the mix

I think your mix is Fantastic.

 

[ChicKat]

X2 these are my gut feelings, too. If I had to cull/sell one NOW it would be #3. His comb is going to be way too large, his earlobe is very red, and he is way too colorful. I would hold on to 1 and 2 as long as possible, a lot can change unexpectedly as they mature. I am slightly favoring #2 but it is hard to be sure what will change.

You know that old saying...'great minds think alike'...

Can't stop playing with emoticons---sorry.

Rinda's point is REALLY good-- we sometimes don't take into consideration that Cream Legbars have a lot of plumage changes during their lifespan - from what I have seen - well particularly the males - and especially at those growing out stages.

 

[chicken pickin]

X2 these are my gut feelings, too. If I had to cull/sell one NOW it would be #3. His comb is going to be way too large, his earlobe is very red, and he is way too colorful. I would hold on to 1 and 2 as long as possible, a lot can change unexpectedly as they mature. I am slightly favoring #2 but it is hard to be sure what will change.

I was having these same thoughts as lonnyandrinda and ChicKat. Looking over the pictures I was also liking 1 and 2, but Im favoring num 2 even though hes not standing, I like his smaller crest he may end up with the better comb, he also seems to have a little whiter of earlobes. Num 1 Im not liking his fuller crest, I bet he will have twist in the back and he had reddish earlobes also. I was liking num 3 less than the others. I am not a fan of his already very large comb and seemes to be lacking a crest and as mentioned, the red earlobes.

Colorwise I find they all look similar but number 3 is slightly brighter in the color.

 

[chicken pickin]

You know that old saying...'great minds think alike'...

Can't stop playing with emoticons---sorry.

Rinda's point is REALLY good-- we sometimes don't take into consideration that Cream Legbars have a lot of plumage changes during their lifespan - from what I have seen - well particularly the males - and especially at those growing out stages.

Im sure it has already been mentioned before. But has it been said at what ages, or how often are good times to evaluate lets say for example 2 weeks old than 9weeks than 12weeks etc. Im not sure if that makes sense. I do agree they are always changing as they mature. You may like your male for one reason and then a few weeks later dislike him for a whole new reason.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Im sure it has already been mentioned before. But has it been said at what ages, or how often are good times to evaluate lets say for example 2 weeks old than 9weeks than 12weeks etc. Im not sure if that makes sense. I do agree they are always changing as they mature. You may like your male for one reason and then a few weeks later dislike him for a whole new reason.

I take a good hard look at my boys at birth (I don't keep reddish/cinnamon tinted boys), again about 8 weeks to cull obvious DQs, extreme color, severe size difference, etc and again about 4 months for size, comb, crest, body shape. At 4 months I will try to keep a "maybe" on body type because they fill in nicely over half the time. I haven't gotten any farther than that yet.

 

[blackbirds13]

A few more pics of my boys. Feel free to offer any opinions as I really can't keep all 3 ( realizing that these arent great pics for evaluating, but if you see anything good or bad let me know!)

[quote name="ChicKat" The white wing triangle on #1 would be very attractive to some folks- there was a thought at one time that this was an indicator of cream - but I think it has since been disproven as inaccurate.
[/quote]


I like #1 and # 2 best also. At this juncture I like #1 for his barring and he seems to have the best color so far but they all look like they may develop some color. His comb will need watching. The barring on #3 looks like it could turn out well but he will be a colorful rooster. Some folks like the gold birds. His earlobes do look too red, especially this early but he looks like he could turn out with a nice tail angle but that can change very late. #2 has some obvious color on the wing bay so you should watch his color, his barring also does not seem as precise as the other two but his comb is smaller. That may remain so but it could indicate he is low man on the totem pole or be a precursor of his size potential, meaning he may be a smaller sized adult. The comb is not the most important type factor to me. I am more concerned with barring, size, having a crest, leg color and type issues like tail angle and stance. So long as it’s not flopping over the eyes, a bend is not such a big deal at this point of the breeds evolution here in the US for me. With the right hens you can try breeding forward the good points and alter the ones you want in the next generation.

You can look at the wing bay for telling cream or gold. The secondary feathers that make up the wing bay are a good place to look and see if the bird carries cream. You want to see a nice dark gray and cream barred area. That is also what is called for in the SOP. I’ve not heard of it being disproven anywhere and Punnett mentions it in his article as a way to indicate if gold is present in the bird. If there are issues there it probably has more to do with the melanizer or enhancer issues we have with the birds here and may mean color issues may arise in other parts of the phenotype. It has proven to be a pretty good indicator for me in the last 3 years, but I cannot speak to anyone else’s flocks and whatever color concerns they may have.

 

[BuffyBugSlayer]

Hi everyone, I am pretty new to this forum and pretty new to chickens as well. I have been really interested in cream legbars and just recently purchased three day old chicks. I was going to order some from Greenfire but found some day old chicks locally. I wanted three pullets to start but he only had two pullets and he convinced me to take the little roo as well. He got his breeding stock from Greenfire farms so I decided I might as well take the plunge.

I am not sure what I am going to do with them yet. I like the idea of selling fertilized eggs and perhaps chicks but I feel like I have so much to learn still! I also have so many questions and I am still learning what to look for in nice Cream Legbars. Also these chicks are all related. Is it good practice to breed related chickens? Are there different lines that provide more diversity?

I won't overwhelm you with all my questions at once. I have also been reading a lot and trying to absorb as much info as possible. I am so happy to have found this forum.

Here are some pics of my little ones. They are about a week old in these pics:
Group shot

Pullet 1

Pullet 2

Roo

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Adorable!

It is possible to breed related birds- half siblings, cousins, or parent-child matings are allowable for a few generations, the exact number of generations depends on who you talk to. Direct sibling matings should be done with care if at all, it is a method that can have its place if you know what you are doing and looking to fix specific traits in your flock. Most likely the man you bought from has a single flock and your birds are half siblings, you could ask him how many roos he runs in his flock that may increase your diversity. Why don't you wait to see how they look when they grow up, and even do a few hatches with them, before you decide you need an unrelated rooster. "Unrelated" is a relative term since all the US Cream Legbars source from GreenFire Farms in the last 4ish years. They imported 4 lines, the first ones being "production" lines and the last one being a "show" line.