Cream Legbars

[rottlady]

looks like a cockerel to me how old is he?

 

[rottlady]

When I say " new" I mean that it entered the United States quite recently (I think 2010), and what we have over here is based on a smallish number of birds as well. As evidenced by our discussion, there is a lot about the coloring and other determinants that is still uncertain. We don't even have a SOP here yet - just a draft (unless I missed the memo). If you follow other breed discussions, things are more solidly worked out - because people have had more time to work with and breed their birds, and answer these exact questions that we re talking about here.

So, if it has only been in the US since 2010, then in United States standards terms, yep, new.

- Ant Farm

Edit to add: I do not mean to exclude or discount our fine friends in the UK. It's just that much of the discussion here has ended up centering on US birds and US SOP and US "Line A, Line B, Line C" etc."

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Gotcha!

But general all breed speaking, what makes a heritage breed?

I don't think I'm the best person to answer that question. But (in my opinion/estimation), Cream Legbars AREN'T a heritage breed. Nothing wrong with that, IMHO - that certainly won't stop them from being some of my favorite chickens in my yard. But I think "heritage breeds" are much older.

(Someone else who can better understand and explain the subtleties of these definitions will speak up soon, I hope!!!!)

- Ant Farm

 

[generaldsherman]

something from pioneer days ????

 

[rottlady]

The Delawares are called a heritage breed and sometimes I hear the Barnevelders called that too so agree Cream Legbars don't fit that category

If they were furniture LOL it would be the difference between vintage and antique

 

[duluthralphie]

I know it is arbitrary, but I consider heritage to be breed from prior to around 1870-80. Before there was mass transportation to spread a breed.

I looked up the definition from "The livestock conservatory" This is what they say:


Heritage Chicken must adhere to all the following:

1. APA Standard Breed
   Heritage Chicken must be from parent and grandparent stock of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) prior to the mid-20th century; whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations; and with traits that meet the APA Standard of Perfection guidelines for the breed. Heritage Chicken must be produced and sired by an APA Standard breed. Heritage eggs must be laid by an APA Standard breed.
2. Naturally mating
   Heritage Chicken must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating. Chickens marketed as Heritage must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.
3. Long, productive outdoor lifespan
   Heritage Chicken must have the genetic ability to live a long, vigorous life and thrive in the rigors of pasture-based, outdoor production systems. Breeding hens should be productive for 5-7 years and roosters for 3-5 years.
4. Slow growth rate
   Heritage Chicken must have a moderate to slow rate of growth, reaching appropriate market weight for the breed in no less than 16 weeks. This gives the chicken time to develop strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.

I disagree with their definition. Under their definition a CLB will be once the APA accepts a SOP for it. Any chicken the APA accepts a SOP is as everything comes from APA parent stock some where in it's past. The APA started in 1873. Why would it not be a breed that had an accepted SOP prior to another arbitrary date. say 1920?


Off the soap box.

 

[ChicKat]

I asked a question about this chick a few weeks back, but never got a response. Here is the same chick, a month later. Is it a pullet, or is it a cockerel? The color is right in between my other pullets and cockerels, it has a hen tail, and it has a cockerel comb. Help please!

IMO I'll say -->Male.
did the chick down have a white head splotch?
Sometimes males seem to almost have a white or light ring around the eyes. Your are right on the comb...and the confusion stems from the back.tail and wing feathering NOT looking like the typical male.

My first pair -- I was so surprised that the female had longer tail feathers, for a long time -- than the male....

ETA - could it be a male in which the barring gene is not expressing strongly? -- and thus the results of barring are not as visible -- it will be interesting to see the progress -- so please keep posting so everyone can learn. -- Thanks!

 

[ChicKat]

Mine are crowing at 3 weeks, so I am never confused about gender, good auto sexing at hatch or not.

(@ChicKat - ALLL the boys have been crowing insanely early - is this your fault through Dumbledore's line?!!!!

)

I'm urgently working on housing options, as my 12 week old CL boys are mounting anything that sits still too long right now...

- Ant Farm

Oh yes, definitely Dumbledore is responsible --I have lots and lots of brooder crowers. -- Must be a south Tx thing? ;O). Almost would wonder if something is wrong if they don't start to crow pretty early.

Has anyone noticed that if you have a group of juveniles/grow-outs -- that one male becomes dominant -- and then subsequent males -- grow their combs slower ? LOL -- may not be cause and effect -- could be effect and cause --

Consider this, I got 10 beautiful Isabel chicks -- and from another source I got 4. Of course without the benefit of autosexing -- (and I am too impatient to wait the 3-weeks for a crow (or more accurately a squeak)) --with a non-autosexing chicken -- it is a game of guess-the-gender. When some are obvious -- the game is easier. Larger combs by age 4-weeks.

Could I have the great good fortune that of the first 4 only 1 was male -- and of the next 10 - only 2 are male? -- I had someone else working on lavender/Isabel and so was able to provide them with an Isabel cockerel -- since two Isable males will be sufficient for my needs...

Just reading up on how some plants can repress growth of certain other plants -- and some plants stimulate growth of others....... Could chickens repress growth of possible competitors? The Isbel that went to another home was obviously the one with the largest comb -- definitely a male -- and now (and a week has also gone by--- Number 2 has gotten a significantly larger comb. In the other pen -- the definitely cockerel little guy has a Legbar and an Isbar along with assorted females -- another group of 10 --- the other males a bit younger -- seem to be developing more slowly. (But then it is an apples/oranges comparison -- because they are different breeds)--- In a cockerel grow-out pen -- three boys all hatched Valentines day -- development pretty much in step - which would shoot down the theory -- Two legbars one Isbar....but they are not intermixed with females.......

FireAntFarm - Here is a plan for housing -- may be of some interest -- fast and mobile....
http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/portable-chicken-mini-coop-plan-zmaz07amzsel.aspx?SlideShow=1

Housing cockerels together--- at some point even hatch mate brothers in my experience get mean to eachother... The are three cockerels here -- that spend a lot of time sparring.

Joan Jett -- looking like a Polish? -- tweezers?

 

[jerryse]

I asked a question about this chick a few weeks back, but never got a response. Here is the same chick, a month later. Is it a pullet, or is it a cockerel? The color is right in between my other pullets and cockerels, it has a hen tail, and it has a cockerel comb. Help please!

There is no doubt on this one . It is male . Look at the black in the breast . Legbar are basically Light Brown Leghorn color with barring and cream added . So a black breasted male pattern .

 

[Bantambird]

I am lucky in that Brother and Run seem to work together pretty well. I have not witnessed them sparring each other. But, the dominant male in our yard is a Birchen Marans named Jake. The Legbars keep together and avoid Jake mostly.

that's Jake. He's a big boy