Cream Legbars

[ChicKat]

Okay, as a person who may will be getting these birds sometime next year and are getting Isbars this spring is inbreeding a high issue with both breeds? If so would it be best to get different substrains to make each breeding flock more "diverse"?

I am slowly developing my flock of black Swedish hens and I hold suck plans on doing that with them in hopes of developing my own strain

Miss heny,

When I got my first two CL from GFF, I got one yellow band and one green band (two different lines -- I think maybe C was better egg layers and was green band that was my female, and the male yellow band (and I don't fully remember I'd have to check notes)---- In these years, I haven't had any inbreeding depression....that I know of. Legbars.

Isbars a different story -- if you read the Isbar threads here on BYC early on -- you can find a lot of distress in old old posts. Read recent posts -- or inquire there about what success people are having at present. My view is that most people who have Isbars now with the intention of raising them -- do have some diversity in their genetics -- and the same problems from those years ago aren't occurring. Probably shouldn't talk so much about Isbars in a Legbar thread---but I brought them up as an example of what could happen from what we theorized were thin genetics that people are now - or have already fixed. HTH

You won't regret getting either CL or Isbars in my opinion -- both are lovely breeds to have around.

 

[miss heny]

Haha yea perhaps could I PM you more about the Isbars?

I been looking at cream legbars for a few years, and the farm is moving to bigger land which would allow me to get the breeds I love to work with (12 total... ATM :hid )

 

[ChicKat]

Haha yea perhaps could I PM you more about the Isbars?

I been looking at cream legbars for a few years, and the farm is moving to bigger land which would allow me to get the breeds I love to work with (12 total... ATM :hid )

Oh definitely!!! more space, more chickens -- I love the assortment you already have -- you need to get these two breeds too. ;O)

 

[miss heny]

lol my parents would probably disagree...

but I hath my ways!

And now i return the thread to the legbars, forgive me on my trespassing

 

[country lovin]

So I am looking for opinions. I have one cream legbar that hasn't laid and is at least 22 weeks old. Today I caught her laying in a box and thought for sure she was going to lay. This is what I found when I went out an hour later. Could it be here or my Olive eggers first who is only 15 weeks. The bigger egg is a light green from my ee. They look a lot darker in person.

 

[ChicKat]

So I am looking for opinions. I have one cream legbar that hasn't laid and is at least 22 weeks old. Today I caught her laying in a box and thought for sure she was going to lay. This is what I found when I went out an hour later. Could it be here or my Olive eggers first who is only 15 weeks. The bigger egg is a light green from my ee. They look a lot darker in person.

Tough call, it could be either pullet. Cream Legbars generally produce eggs right around 24 weeks -- some earlier, some later -- but surprisingly consistent from what I have heard. Since EEs could be anything it isn't impossible to get an egg from a 15-week old -- but that is really early -- even Gold sexlinks usually come in to lay at about the 16th week, and it is winter time and days ARE shorter. --- It's very green-looking for a CL - although photos don't really show us etc.etc.etc --- is your pullet a Rees line? From a lot of the postings Rees CLs have a greener egg.

If you have Rees I would guess your CL if you have non-Rees -- I would guess your EE.

Check their behinds for width between the pelvic bones, see if the cloaca of each bird will give you your answer -- and of course the very red comb and wattles may let you know which pullet is naughty and which one is nice...... good luck with your sleuthing.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Haha yea perhaps could I PM you more about the Isbars?

I been looking at cream legbars for a few years, and the farm is moving to bigger land which would allow me to get the breeds I love to work with (12 total... ATM :hid )

miss heny, you will NOT regret getting Cream Legbars. (ESPECIALLY if you get any from ChicKat). Great birds, great production of pretty blue or green eggs. (I have one laying a pale green, one laying a more saturated blue-green, and now one laying a fairly blue one). I'm super pleased with mine.

- Ant Farm

 

[chicken pickin]

Tough call, it could be either pullet. Cream Legbars generally produce eggs right around 24 weeks -- some earlier, some later -- but surprisingly consistent from what I have heard. Since EEs could be anything it isn't impossible to get an egg from a 15-week old -- but that is really early -- even Gold sexlinks usually come in to lay at about the 16th week, and it is winter time and days ARE shorter. --- It's very green-looking for a CL - although photos don't really show us etc.etc.etc --- is your pullet a Rees line? From a lot of the postings Rees CLs have a greener egg.

If you have Rees I would guess your CL if you have non-Rees -- I would guess your EE.

Check their behinds for width between the pelvic bones, see if the cloaca of each bird will give you your answer -- and of course the very red comb and wattles may let you know which pullet is naughty and which one is nice...... good luck with your sleuthing.

I agree with this. My Rees CL lay green eggs, where as my other CL are blueish green. I will get a pic from my newest Rees pullets egg, she started 2 days ago at 28weeks

 

[country lovin]

 I agree with this. My Rees CL lay green eggs, where as my other CL are blueish green. I will get a pic from my newest Rees pullets egg, she started 2 days ago at 28weeks

I am not sure what line she is from it was from someone who didn't know who from or when it was laid. I thought for sure she as laying when I peeked in but having it be so dark I instantly thought is was my Olive eggers

 

[GaryDean26]

Okay, as a person who may will be getting these birds sometime next year and are getting Isbars this spring is inbreeding a high issue with both breeds? If so would it be best to get different substrains to make each breeding flock more "diverse"?

I am slowly developing my flock of black Swedish hens and I hold suck plans on doing that with them in hopes of developing my own strain

Don't start a flock with stock from the same breeding group. It is okay to start a flock with stock from the same breeder as long as they are breeding multiple pens of cream legbars and you pair hens and cockerels with mates from different breeding pens. If someone has one cockerel and a pen full of hens then don't breed them together to start a flock. The same it true for any breed. Generally, working with in the same line will give you the best results but you want hens that are all closely related (full sisters is preferred) and a cockerel that is a few generation removed from the hens in the same line. You can use an unrelated cockerel if one from the same line isn't available. From crosses we made within the A,B,C line the problems that we saw were red ear lobes, a wide range of down color and markings, floppy combs on the cockerel, a wide range of crest shape and size, I wide range of mature weights, a wide range of body shapes, etc.