Cream Legbars

[PDPercherons]

Since it is a complex breed, and old timers have their commitments elsewhere -- it is the newer people who are gravitating toward the CLs -- and there are some years of work ahead to 'perfect' the breed for everyone. 

Each time I see your sig - I want to see some horses!    -- but I guess that wouldn't be too Cream Legbarish would it?

I've gotten my start so far from Tim and definitely don't regret the decision as he's already started the perfection of his flock.

I raise "colorful ponies" too I specialize in preserving bay and blue roans with the Percheron breed. If you have Facebook you are welcome to add me. Diane Blanzy. Choose the profile with the horse pic. I keep business and family separate. That will give you plenty of eye candy.

 

[Red Banks]

I fully understand Greenfires reason for rotating to the Rees lines, they are in the business of importing and flipping the offspring for a return on profit until the hype dies down and then they move on to the next new import... IMO GFF is not really a breeder, more so a bulk wholesaler...

But, that same reasoning doesn't resonate with me for the casual breeders that followed suit and mostly stopped breeding the earlier CL lines once GF stopped...

The limited gene pool and makes it harder if not impossible to correct the flaws of any line, sometimes you just need some fresh outside blood to do that...

Thank goodness for Greenfire. They give us opportunities. Couldn't the same be said if they had not brought in Jill Rees and we just had the old lines. Aren't the old lines now established and viable sources? What you do after getting your first birds is all on you. Linebreeding, inbreeding, bringing in a new line...... the decisions you make as a breeder. I can't imagine I am the only person sitting here with a yard full of Rees CLs but I can't take any credit for how good they are or blame for how bad. It is where I go from here. The sentiments I read here are the same with BCMs.

One day I hope you write about me in the same manner as GFF or Jill Rees...... it will mean I am making a difference. I don't think I will live that long but it is my goal. I want to look in my yard..... generations down the road and like what I see and know I made the right choices.

If I sound presumptuous I don't mean to..... I am humbled by the knowledge I read on this list. I am new to chickens, I have bred livestock, I understand the information presented here and what I read. You can dismiss me or forgive me, I hope it will be the latter......

 

[ChicKat]

I fully understand Greenfires reason for rotating to the Rees lines, they are in the business of importing and flipping the offspring for a return on profit until the hype dies down and then they move on to the next new import... IMO GFF is not really a breeder, more so a bulk wholesaler...

But, that same reasoning doesn't resonate with me for the casual breeders that followed suit and mostly stopped breeding the earlier CL lines once GF stopped...

The limited gene pool and makes it harder if not impossible to correct the flaws of any line, sometimes you just need some fresh outside blood to do that...

I'm thinking I agree with most of what you are saying...and by casual breeders you mean non-commercial CL raisers I'm guessing.

So as an old timer with the breed (Jan 2012 is the hatch date of my foundation pair) - I want to keep and improve these.

One thing I was trying to convey is those who are new to the breed -- don't have quite the same options as those who started earlier....

 

[PDPercherons]

I think to get those options one has to do some shopping and likely making some phone calls amongst the CL community. While I won't count my chicks before they hatch, I'm hatching out as many eggs as I can right now, not only afford, but house as they grow. That way I have options to pick through a bit if I can when it comes time to choose my beginning breeding stock. I genuinely like the Rees birds as they're usually lighter all the way around and those I've seen by photos have the kind of crests I like, but I feel the few times I've seen previous lines they're beautiful birds too. It's just they're a little different in type, color, and eggs? I wouldn't call the C line eggs truly green, but a slightly more intense color than the Rees line eggs. Size though is something that has me sold. I weigh everything and every egg is 2.0oz and up. I intend to do some return business too when late winter heads into spring. This breed is exciting to me as it's almost the beginning of something new. Plus side is obviously beautiful colored eggs to add to my collection

 

[Red Banks]

I have 14 pullets, these are the two that I think have the best coloring..... just over 10 weeks. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

Pullet #1









Pullet #2 in front of Pullet #1

 

[MeepBeep]

One thing I was trying to convey is those who are new to the breed -- don't have quite the same options as those who started earlier....  
   

And that is my point as well, many 'old time' casual breeders simply discarded their previous lines when GFF imported the Rees and I don't personally believe that was a good long term decision for the breed in the US...

To be clear I'm not picking on the new comers who now have limited options to choose from and are mostly stuck with the Rees line as their only viable option... I'm one of those new comers, but by personal choice I have went out of my way to secure non-Rees lines and will continue to outsource any different line I come across if practical...

 

[Red Banks]

And that is my point as well, many 'old time' casual breeders simply discarded their previous lines when GFF imported the Rees and I don't personally believe that was a good long term decision for the breed in the US...

To be clear I'm not picking on the new comers who now have limited options to choose from and are mostly stuck with the Rees line as their only viable option... I'm one of those new comers, but by personal choice I have went out of my way to secure non-Rees lines and will continue to outsource any different line I come across if practical...

I am a newcomer and don't understand why my options are limited. I don't feel stuck with Rees lines. That is what I am missing here. Help me understand...... what is wrong with Rees CLs?

 

[terrip824]

I have 14 pullets, these are the two that I think have the best coloring..... just over 10 weeks. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

Pullet #1









Pullet #2 in front of Pullet #1

They are beautiful! Not an expert but the cream looks good on both. Is pullet #2 chest lighter than #1? They look good to me. Pullet 1 looks like she has bangs on her crest.

 

[Red Banks]

They are beautiful! Not an expert but the cream looks good on both. Is pullet #2 chest lighter than #1? They look good to me. Pullet 1 looks like she has bangs on her crest.

I think #1 has a better tail and she is just delicately beautiful.... bangs and all! Most of the pullets I have are darker, darker barring, very dark crests. The most beautiful pullet I have is gold. I keep thinking of someone here that posted a story about her Legbar that was gold colored that she loved so much named Ginger. I have a Ginger and she is beautiful.

These two pullets are very much alike.

Here is a darker pullet.

 

[MeepBeep]

I am a newcomer and don't understand why my options are limited.  I don't feel stuck with Rees lines.  That is what I am missing here.  Help me understand...... what is wrong with Rees CLs?

It appear you are taking my opinion personal and you should not, it's simply my opinion... Of course no one is stuck with the Rees line, and working with just the Rees line alone can produce great birds...

As for "what is wrong with Rees CLs" nothing is technically wrong with them they are what they are, overall they have a lot of better features then the earlier lines and you can get nice looking birds... But like all lines the gene pool is limited and they have their line quirks and are not 'perfect' and 'perfect' varies all over the place depending on opinions...

If my account is correct the US Rees line all originates from only 4 birds, IMO that is a limited gene pool for long term breeding success and hampers breeders ability to 'fix' or 'change' things or at least prolongs that... This is why many breeders occasionally outsource a new line into their breeding stock to improve on a specific trait they desire...

I know for me the egg color of pretty much all the US lines, including the Rees disappoints me... I personally would like to see a deeper true blue color in the egg and would love to introduce a new CL line with better egg color, while maintaining a larger size and good production... For many breeding for a SoP bird egg color/size/production isn't all that important, to me it is...

I also want to breed a white line (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong) but I don't believe the Rees line has been shown to carry the recessive white gene?