Cream Legbars

[Fire Ant Farm]

I'm actually going to Secret Hills Ranch this Sunday to pick up an Isbar, Cream Legbar, and French Lavender Marans!
Will update you after as to how it goes!


Thank you so much Ant Farm! I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for you reply.
I will study pictures incessantly today so I can be prepared tomorrow!
I'm still undecided as to what I want but this definitely helped me lean towards Curtis Hale's line!


Thank you, thank you! I have asked them for more pictures and will post them here as soon as I get them!

By all means, consider Rees if you like their looks. Just don't accept any chick without really good clear pullet markings if you'd have to rheum rehome a cockerel...

(edited because of some weird autocorrect choices by the BYC editor...)

 

[windyridgefarm]

''The earlier line (Hale, I guess) is darker grey (better if free ranging with hawks), more blue eggs (again, I haven't seen numbers/denominators, just seems to be what folks say), and pretty clear auto sexing at hatch (that is, easy to tell girls from boys). For example, I ordered a group of two pullets and one cockerel from Meyer Hatchery (via My Pet Chicken), which have the Hale line best I can tell. The little girls were dark grey with obvious female markings, and the boy was almost completely yellow - a no brainer (unfortunately, the boy didn't make it). In an earlier shipment I got a more yellowish pullet, but she still pretty clear female markings (though not a perfect head vee). ''





This chick hatched from a large blue egg labeled cream legbar. After seeing pictures of other cream legbar chicks I was surprised when it hatched out all yellow. I would not have thought it was a cream legbar until reading the above comment about the hale line but even they said almost all yellow. The other chick hatched out black with obvious female markings, unfortunately she has wry neck (sp?). I would be interested in your comments.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Well, my girls aren't laying yet, though I believe it will be soon (this is actually good, since I'm working to get their new coop built and would prefer they wait to lay in the new nest box arrangement). Meanwhile, I think they overheard that I was going to establish a meat flock, misunderstood, and got nervous. So they have been working really hard to prove they can earn their keep ("See? We're helping!").

They make excellent building construction inspectors.

Paula pointing out that the henhouse framing isn't level (I know, I know):

Lissa inspecting the roof structure:

Paula then told Jenny and Lissa to check that it's level on the other side (yes, it is):


And if you have any spying you need done, they're good at that, too. Can you find them in this photo? There are three there.


How about now?

Now?


Stealth Chickens!

(Sorry - I've been working on the coop all day, so I'm a little punchy...)

- Ant Farm

 

[chicken pickin]

''The earlier line (Hale, I guess) is darker grey (better if free ranging with hawks), more blue eggs (again, I haven't seen numbers/denominators, just seems to be what folks say), and pretty clear auto sexing at hatch (that is, easy to tell girls from boys). For example, I ordered a group of two pullets and one cockerel from Meyer Hatchery (via My Pet Chicken), which have the Hale line best I can tell. The little girls were dark grey with obvious female markings, and the boy was almost completely yellow - a no brainer (unfortunately, the boy didn't make it). In an earlier shipment I got a more yellowish pullet, but she still pretty clear female markings (though not a perfect head vee). ''





This chick hatched from a large blue egg labeled cream legbar. After seeing pictures of other cream legbar chicks I was surprised when it hatched out all yellow. I would not have thought it was a cream legbar until reading the above comment about the hale line but even they said almost all yellow. The other chick hatched out black with obvious female markings, unfortunately she has wry neck (sp?). I would be interested in your comments.

This chick, if for certain is Cream Legbar, is a recessive white Cream Legbar. It would show all the same features as a Cream Legbar, body shape, crest , egg color Though would lack actual color in the feathers there for being solid white in feather color.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

My boy didn't live past 48 hours after arrival (he was not-quite-right from the start) so I can't comment on the feathering, but his down was light but with some "fuzzy" dark markings, not really pure yellow, and he did have the expected white spot on his head. Other folks on here can comment more authoritatively than I can on chick coloring variants, though.

Here are some photos of mine from Meyer/MPC right after they arrived (before he began to fail). The temporary brooder separation is from Paula, who is a week older. Paula was lighter and her head markings weren't as classic as these other two, though I'm not sure I'd call them downright ambiguous. You can see how clear the auto sexing is in this case.





(I cried like a little baby when he died...)

- Ant Farm

 

[chicken pickin]

I think I would ask for more pictures of stock lines before I chose. Curtis' birds are beautiful, and I lucked out and got a beautiful hen from the Rees line, so both have great possibilities. I haven't seen Kristin's birds in a while but I'm sure she worked hard on them too.
The hen you pictured is probably light gold or a heavy carrier of red, but she does have a nice body shape. Hopefully she is paired with a rooster with a lower tail angle to bring that down. The cockerel is young and needs to finish growing in. Looks like he'll have a nice tail and coloring. I hope he is paired with a hen with a longer keel. Best wishes!

Im not sure if you are referring to me, or someone else, but My Rees birds are nice. I don't love my Rees males (I find them very unattractive) but I find my Rees females to be very stunning and a good match to the SOP.

My 2 adult Rees hens are not looking as well as I would have hoped as they matured, though they are due for a molt this fall so time will still tell. But my adult Rees trio has given me some very nice looking pullets. All Rees cockerels were culled this Summer, I hung on to the Rees females.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

This chick, if for certain is Cream Legbar, is a recessive white Cream Legbar. It would show all the same features as a Cream Legbar, body shape, crest , egg color Though would lack actual color in the feathers there for being solid white in feather color.

Is this what is called "sport"?

 

[chicken pickin]

Is this what is called "sport"?

Yes they are often referred to as a sport, though I unsure if they decided against that term or not. I refer to them as recessive whites.

There is a Cream Legbar white sport thread here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/827877/white-sport-cream-legbars If anyone is interested on reading up a little.

 

[KPenley]

Im not sure if you are referring to me, or someone else, but My Rees birds are nice. I don't love my Rees males (I find them very unattractive) but I find my Rees females to be very stunning and a good match to the SOP.

My 2 adult Rees hens are not looking as well as I would have hoped as they matured, though they are due for a molt this fall so time will still tell. But my adult Rees trio has given me some very nice looking pullets. All Rees cockerels were culled this Summer, I hung on to the Rees females.

No, I was just trying to help out. My Rees girl is finishing her molt and I can't wait to see if the beautiful soft gray feathers return. I hope yours come in beautiful too!

On the whites, the CLC is actually working on a standard for them right now! Hopefully in the future there will be enough interested fanciers to get the White variety accepted into the APA! They are so pretty.

 

[azygous]

I finally got some pullets, real ones, from MPC in a replacement order to make up for the mistake in sexing which resulted in an unexpected cockerel. The reason I'm certain I have real pullets now is that they're seven weeks old and still have pale combs and aren't crowing or trying to crow..so blue eggs are again in my future!

But, let me tell you all, I'm totally in love with this breed! My accidental roo is now mating the hens and most of them, seem to adore the little Don Juan. The first time I saw him mate one of the hens, it took place right beside me and I hardly knew what was happening. He has the smoothest mating style of any cockerel or mature rooster I've ever seen! He slides on, then he slides off. No squawking or feathers flying all over. Just slide on, then slide off. Smooth!

He's also gorgeous! And he has perfect manners in regard to people. No aggression, no suspicious moves. He's as confident as a six month old cockerel ought to be, but not the least bit cocky. I'm kind of happy now that MPC made a mistake!