Discussion of Legbar Standard of Perfection for -Alternative- Legbars - SOP discussion

[sol2go]

Looking at the SSC rooster, how many points are on that comb?
Does their SOP say 5-7 points?

I was wondering if a 5 point comb for the APA SOP would
1) reflect a more typical comb and
2) may stand straighter because it has more structural strength and less divisions to counter the effects of the crest?

Not to change anything, just wondering what anyone else thinks/sees?

 

[ChicKat]

Looking at the SSC rooster, how many points are on that comb?
Does their SOP say 5-7 points?

I was wondering if a 5 point comb for the APA SOP would
1) reflect a more typical comb and
2) may stand straighter because it has more structural strength and less divisions to counter the effects of the crest?

Not to change anything, just wondering what anyone else thinks/sees?

Good question, but I don't think fewer points correspond to more strength. My Isbars don't have floppy combs and they tend to have numerous points....Just shorter combs. (Country of Origin Sweden - cold cold cold)

There was some talk about exposing little Cream Legbar cockerels to cold weather to help reduce comb growth - Part of the theory is that the comb is larger in hotter-weather breeds-- like African Elephants have larger ears......

 

[GaryDean26]

Sol2go,

I agree with you on the longer legs. I wish I had put my 2-1/2 year cockbird on the scale when I had the chance. I think he must have put on another pound from when he was a mere 18 months old.

The 5 points was discussed briefly by the Cream Legbar working group. FMP wanted the APA standard to have 5 points. He though it was a more attractive comb. 6 points was chosen to keep the SOP as close as possible to the English standard which allows 5-7 points.

The APA Leghorn and APA Plymouthrock (which were the main foundation breeds in the Legbar) both have 5 points in the APA standard so the 5 points would make a lot of sense as it would make developing new strain easier, but I really don't feel that the number of points is a very big deal. In reading one of the old breeding guides for APA leghorns there was several pages on the head of the bird and it discussed the pro's and con's of 6 point, 5 point, and 4 points combs. It never once said that you had to have 5 points on your leghorn because that is what the standards says but rather said that it is more important that the comb be the right look for the particular birds and that it have an element of beauty. Having read that I feel that if a 5 point comb or even the 7 point or 4 point combs looks better on my bird than the 6 point comb that I will not worry. Yes it will be a deduction if I want to show the bird, but having an attractive looking bird in the cage is more important to me than the 1/2 point for the correct number of points.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

So another question that may have come up already about the light brown/crele colored birds is crest color. I prefer the look of a colored crest that matches the hackle compared to the dark brown/gray/black crest that so many have. I have a few of each but the gold crested pullets stand out to me.

 

[ChicKat]

So another question that may have come up already about the light brown/crele colored birds is crest color. I prefer the look of a colored crest that matches the hackle compared to the dark brown/gray/black crest that so many have. I have a few of each but the gold crested pullets stand out to me.

These are questions that we may need to resolve and then discuss with APA judge(s). Sam Brush indicated at the Texas State Fair that the Club could write the SOP that fit the actual birds that we have here -- and that the wording/language could fine tune what the Legbar would look like and still be correct.

We do seem to have a wide range of crests...as you said the ones that are dark, the ones that are cinnamon/chestnut - and the ones that are predominately 'cream'.

could you post a pict. when you get a chance of a hackle-matches-crest example?

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Sure. I was out observing birds this morning which made me think about it. A majority of the females I have seen have the dark crest which is related to the extra melanizers that seem to be dominant.
I am hoping to get new pics of them all since they are really finally filling out, plus I need pics of my spare sale birds so when I am out, I'll get pics comparing dark with light crests

 

[sol2go]

So another question that may have come up already about the light brown/crele colored birds is crest color. I prefer the look of a colored crest that matches the hackle compared to the dark brown/gray/black crest that so many have. I have a few of each but the gold crested pullets stand out to me.

Is this in reference to only the proposed crele or the cream or?

I thought the cream variety is a matching cream/gray crest?

How can we make use of the lovely dark crested ladies? It seems like they would be a natural for the crele version, and help differentiate that variety from the cream.

I have a pullet who I am hoping is double for cream. She is showing a lovely gray bouffant...waiting and watching to see how her colors develop...
Here she is at about 6 weeks, I'll see if I can get a more recent one.

 

[chicken pickin]

I also like the lighter crests, and when the crests matches the hackle. When I first started hatching, all the pullets I have were developing a darker crest and at that point I thought it looked nice and I thought I liked it better than the light crests. I was wrong lol and I definitely prefer the lighter matching crest to the hackle.

Here are a few pics of my cream CL (I don't have "crele" birds to give examples but I like to follow along with you guys )

Here is my youngest pullet and the only pullet so far to hatch from my own flock to have the light crest (She is my favorite pullet in my flock, I cant wait for her to mature)




My original hens also have light crests







Here is another example of 2 other colored crests one light gray/cream on left(I like this also) and the other the darker gray.

 

[sol2go]

I also like the lighter crests, and when the crests matches the hackle. When I first started hatching, all the pullets I have were developing a darker crest and at that point I thought it looked nice and I thought I liked it better than the light crests. I was wrong lol and I definitely prefer the lighter matching crest to the hackle.

Here are a few pics of my cream CL (I don't have "crele" birds to give examples but I like to follow along with you guys )

<edited>

So I've noticed! I really enjoy all the cream rooster/hen pics you post...are you a member of APA? I would imagine your hatches exceed the 50% minimum requirement for type & color which breeders need to meet as part of the APA requirements for acceptance...

For those in the know -
Does the Cream Legbar club have a list of APA breeders and proposed method of documentation to facilitate this part of compliance?

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Is this in reference to only the proposed crele or the cream or? I thought the cream variety is a matching cream/gray crest? How can we make use of the lovely dark crested ladies? It seems like they would be a natural for the crele version, and help differentiate that variety from the cream. I have a pullet who I am hoping is double for cream. She is showing a lovely gray bouffant...waiting and watching to see how her colors develop... Here she is at about 6 weeks, I'll see if I can get a more recent one.

To be honest, I haven't looked at the proposed standard in a few months so I am not sure about the crest color in cream birds. I haven't really noticed a difference in male crests except for one cockerel I hatched this year- he had a HUGE crest that was colored, he had a very high tail and the big crest so he went down the road. I need to do some studying to see how the genetics work. I know in my phoenix, we had a single hen that was overly melanized and it was a mess trying to breed it out. I like the dark crested birds but I like the light crested birds more Just like many of the things we are doing at this stage of legbar-dom, it comes down to personal preference.