Cream Legbars

[ChicKat]

I hatched these guys out at the beginning of the year, like January. Definitely not short days. I can understand this would affect those hatching later in the year. Im also hoping as they approach their first year that egg size improves in the 17' season. Right now I have about the equivelent of 1.6oz eggs. Similar in size to what my Hamburg is laying and she's a slightly smaller bird. I won't hatch chicks from eggs this small so it'll be at least a full year and some change before I see what my flock can really do.

Maybe a good time to infuse your flock with some bloodlines that are more productive egg layers - I have a line of gorgeous Isabel leghorns. I was surprised (since they are leghorns - hatched in March) -- they're just getting started, but they aren't as good at laying/production as my legbars that were hatched this spring. That said everyone's eggs are still on the small side - but usually my legbars level off around 2oz -- (size large according to USDA) Shown in the second chart on this BYC page:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/charts-and-quotes
check out "how big is that egg"

 

[duluthralphie]

My two that are laying started with 30-35 gram eggs and are now up to 40-45 grams. All my research on the breed said 50 grams is the average and I would think we will be at or near that by spring. We definately do not have round blue eggs though which is what the breed material said. We have egg shaped green to blue green eggs

Mine all lay very blue almost robin blue eggs. They are way bluer than the EE. They do end up around 50 grams.

 

[rottlady]

Mine all lay very blue almost robin blue eggs. They are way bluer than the EE.   They do end up around 50 grams.

I want some of those

 

[sol2go]

Well, they usually get a distended abdomen owing to their enlarged liver pushing all the other guys out of place, and they start gasping because their lungs are crowded. Since the liver becomes pink it no longer is functioning and friable means it is decaying, so the extra lobes are built by the liver in an attempt to self repair, as it's one of the few internal organs that can somewhat regrow, in a fashion. I never noticed paralysis in my 2 girls that had enlarged livers. The second one I am sure was poisoned by eating Blueboard styrafoam insulation. It took her several months to die, and I had no idea until it was too late. My dad accidentally left some scraps out and chickens loooooves eating styrafoam, although I am not sure why I threw it all away as soon as I realised but I was obviously too late. Blueboard has flame retardant in it, among other things, and her liver did not have the oil, but was still enlarged and had a mottled grayish tone, like it had been dead for a while( poison) in blotches, but not spots, and no tumors. So, fatty liver, the big tell is that yellow grease. Poison seems to be blotchy, but NOT tumor spotted. I don't know for sure, I'd have to bug my mom for more details.

Good news, bad news to have the necropsy and your Mom's expertise. It's frustrating to be able to identify the end result but not what contributed to it. Your descriptions are interesting though...

While I have had some adopted, older hens that suffered from fatty liver disease (distended abdomen as mentioned, plus the tail pump due to distress; it was nothing like Marek's but outwardly very similar to being egg-bound), I have not seen that in my CL's, happy to say.

 

[sol2go]

My two that are laying started with 30-35 gram eggs and are now up to 40-45 grams. All my research on the breed said 50 grams is the average and I would think we will be at or near that by spring. We definately do not have round blue eggs though which is what the breed material said. We have egg shaped green to blue green eggs

Also to @PDPercherons
My CL also tend to start with 30-35 gram eggs, but quickly move up to their typical size. While some come in at 55 grams, I usually see 65+ grams, egg-shaped, not round, in a range of blue-greens.

 

[sol2go]

Hey everyone. I'm just dropping in to share my news and what's been going on. Unfortunately, i lost my CCL boy a few days ago. He had gotten really listless and droopy for the past week and no matter what i did i couldn't snap him or of it. Necropsy showed nothing out of the ordinary except an enormous liver/spleen. I now know the importance of keeping a backup at all times. He was a handsome boy and will be missed.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Bantambird]

Yay! First pullet egg from the spring hatched chicks! I started hatching in April so I was a bit late, but yay! I found the first teeny pullet egg on the coop floor! Nice shell too, although it has that tannish coating over a blue egg. That will probably tone down later, it seemed to in the other ladies!

 

[rottlady]

Got my first 50 gram Cream Legbar egg today Hen is
26 weeks old started laying 30-35 gram eggs at 23 weeks

 

[Dom'sHEns]

@rottlady , NICE!!!

 

[sol2go]

Here's what a nice rooster can do for egg color.

The top 6, and 2 in the middle of the bottom carton, are from pullets that began laying this week (including the probable double yolk on the top carton).
The pullets all came from two sisters, whose eggs are on the left, and right, of the bottom carton ( 2 eggs from each sister hen).




I would say this pic looks a little more yellow or gray than it does in person, but the main point is how the pullet egg color is more saturated and generally moved towards blue.