Hey yall im breeding Opal legbar chickens

[Allthefloofs]

I gave you the ORIGINAL Opal Legbar website as well as the OFFICIAL Cream Legbar Club website in my first post... Along with several other links for information about Cream Legbars and some other "project" varieties (how new colors are made - takes years to introduce a new color that brings in the body color but then you have to breed back to the Legbar body type and back to getting BLUE eggs).

If someone was crossing 2 brown egg layers, that may be similar in body type (using Blue Orpingtons to Black Australorps will start you on the path to Blue Australorps -but it still takes a couple generations to get fully back to the Australorp body type and good blue coloring, too. But you don't have to worry about that egg color. Orpingtons were used to help create the Australorps, so it's a bit easier with that one).

Did you get chicks? Can you post pics of them?

But wow, for that cost, you could have gotten your CLB chicks directly from the original importer down in Florida! Greenfire Farms - CLBs

If your chicks are a cross between CLBs and Orpingtons, and you are thinking that you have pure CLBs, then YES, you were scammed and that farmer might be laughing all the way to the bank. On the other hand, the resulting female chicks from that cross should lay a beautiful sage (?I think, since Orps lay a lighter, pinkish beige egg) colored egg. Have no idea what type of chicken you will have though in appearance. And crossing your females back to a male in same group - will probably produce a completely different looking bird. Crossing her back to a purebred CLB, might get you a similar look to CLBs but will take quite a lot of work to get back to a blue egg layer.

Here is another link for information. This is how one guy created the Isabella Leghorn. I don't know if this is the only way to create the color for the Isabella Leghorn. The Isabella Leghorn was what Candace used to create the Opal Legbar. Notice how many generations (years) it took to create the "lavender type colored" Leghorn (and bring it back to Leghorn type and a white egg layer) that was then crossed with CLBs to bring in the color (lavender w/ "leakage" ) that became her Opals. THEN look at how many generations Candace took to get her birds to where they are today... I want to say she did her first cross in 2011? or 2013? Can't remember!

Leghorns were ONE breed that was used to create the Cream Legbar. There were other crosses, too, many many years ago that brought the Legbar into "being"... I personally think crossing a Leghorn in, now and then, can improve the Legbar. But then it takes a while to get your Legbar type and blue egg color back.

Edit to add - The Opal coloring/variety designation was "coined" (or named) by Candace when she created her fabulous birds. It is not an accepted variety (YET) in the Cream Legbar Club. The Cream Legbar breed is not yet an accepted bird breed in the American Poultry Association. There are breeders working to get the CLB accepted into the APA - whom is the governing breed association with all the breed SOPs for shows.

Personally, if I'd known more when I joined the CLB, I'd have voted for a different name. The name of the club was being voted on when I joined. Knowing what I do now, I honestly think it should have been called the Crested Legbar Club - then allowing for the current 3 varieties (colors) of Cream, Golden Crele & White and the new project varieties (Blue & Opal). I think that would have been so much less confusing overall, but... All American Cream Legbars are supposed to be crested. Occasionally there is a non-crested bird that pops up. If that happens, it is recommended that that bird be culled from a breeding program and the parent bird (S) figured out to so as to not cross those two birds again. A non-crested bird has no gene for a crest. The light or small crested bird probably only carries one crested gene(not always!) and the big, "floofy" crests (I had one pullet like that, she was ADORABLE) most likely have 2 genes for the crest tuft. May not be that simple, may be some other genetics that tie into it... I have only studied the basics on that one.

Also - there are probably other breeder/creators dreaming of new colors to bring into the CLB!

Edit to correct variety spelling
3rd Edit - Sorry! - I'm not highlighting or capitizing to show anger but to highlight or emphasize a point or many points. Please don't think I'm angry as I'm not. It's actually refreshing to bring up all these points about a type/breed of bird I've fallen in love with as this helps me to remember those same points, LOL.

This is so incredibly interesting! I stumbled onto CCLs when I was looking into forming a small personal flock and the one I got is one of my favorite birds. She's hatchery quality (MPC) but I adore her looks and her personality. Those Opals are just breathtaking! Your knowledge of how many generations it takes and the history is so great! I'll be interested to know how it goes when you start your project birds. I'm a biology nerd (have a degree) but we are banned from owning roosters and we don't have enough space for me to project out a breeding program here, so I have to live vicariously through others. I hope you post somewhere here on your progress, I'd love to be able to follow it!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

This is so incredibly interesting! I stumbled onto CCLs when I was looking into forming a small personal flock and the one I got is one of my favorite birds. She's hatchery quality (MPC) but I adore her looks and her personality. Those Opals are just breathtaking! Your knowledge of how many generations it takes and the history is so great! I'll be interested to know how it goes when you start your project birds. I'm a biology nerd (have a degree) but we are banned from owning roosters and we don't have enough space for me to project out a breeding program here, so I have to live vicariously through others. I hope you post somewhere here on your progress, I'd love to be able to follow it!

I got into Lavender Legbars because I'm a genetics geek too. I can't think of any other breed/variety that has as many fun things going on... but I'm working on one, lol. (Lavender + Barred + Mottled + Crested + Bearded + Muffed + Five-toed + Duplex Combed + Blue Egg Layers! This is what happens when you spend too much time looking at your Houdans and Legbars.)

 

[The Moonshiner]

I gave you the ORIGINAL Opal Legbar website as well as the OFFICIAL Cream Legbar Club website in my first post... Along with several other links for information about Cream Legbars and some other "project" varieties (how new colors are made - takes years to introduce a new color that brings in the body color but then you have to breed back to the Legbar body type and back to getting BLUE eggs).

If someone was crossing 2 brown egg layers, that may be similar in body type (using Blue Orpingtons to Black Australorps will start you on the path to Blue Australorps -but it still takes a couple generations to get fully back to the Australorp body type and good blue coloring, too. But you don't have to worry about that egg color. Orpingtons were used to help create the Australorps, so it's a bit easier with that one).

Did you get chicks? Can you post pics of them?

But wow, for that cost, you could have gotten your CLB chicks directly from the original importer down in Florida! Greenfire Farms - CLBs

If your chicks are a cross between CLBs and Orpingtons, and you are thinking that you have pure CLBs, then YES, you were scammed and that farmer might be laughing all the way to the bank. On the other hand, the resulting female chicks from that cross should lay a beautiful sage (?I think, since Orps lay a lighter, pinkish beige egg) colored egg. Have no idea what type of chicken you will have though in appearance. And crossing your females back to a male in same group - will probably produce a completely different looking bird. Crossing her back to a purebred CLB, might get you a similar look to CLBs but will take quite a lot of work to get back to a blue egg layer.

Here is another link for information. This is how one guy created the Isabella Leghorn. I don't know if this is the only way to create the color for the Isabella Leghorn. The Isabella Leghorn was what Candace used to create the Opal Legbar. Notice how many generations (years) it took to create the "lavender type colored" Leghorn (and bring it back to Leghorn type and a white egg layer) that was then crossed with CLBs to bring in the color (lavender w/ "leakage" ) that became her Opals. THEN look at how many generations Candace took to get her birds to where they are today... I want to say she did her first cross in 2011? or 2013? Can't remember!

Leghorns were ONE breed that was used to create the Cream Legbar. There were other crosses, too, many many years ago that brought the Legbar into "being"... I personally think crossing a Leghorn in, now and then, can improve the Legbar. But then it takes a while to get your Legbar type and blue egg color back.

Edit to add - The Opal coloring/variety designation was "coined" (or named) by Candace when she created her fabulous birds. It is not an accepted variety (YET) in the Cream Legbar Club. The Cream Legbar breed is not yet an accepted bird breed in the American Poultry Association. There are breeders working to get the CLB accepted into the APA - whom is the governing breed association with all the breed SOPs for shows.

Personally, if I'd known more when I joined the CLB, I'd have voted for a different name. The name of the club was being voted on when I joined. Knowing what I do now, I honestly think it should have been called the Crested Legbar Club - then allowing for the current 3 varieties (colors) of Cream, Golden Crele & White and the new project varieties (Blue & Opal). I think that would have been so much less confusing overall, but... All American Cream Legbars are supposed to be crested. Occasionally there is a non-crested bird that pops up. If that happens, it is recommended that that bird be culled from a breeding program and the parent bird (S) figured out to so as to not cross those two birds again. A non-crested bird has no gene for a crest. The light or small crested bird probably only carries one crested gene(not always!) and the big, "floofy" crests (I had one pullet like that, she was ADORABLE) most likely have 2 genes for the crest tuft. May not be that simple, may be some other genetics that tie into it... I have only studied the basics on that one.

Also - there are probably other breeder/creators dreaming of new colors to bring into the CLB!

Edit to correct variety spelling
3rd Edit - Sorry! - I'm not highlighting or capitizing to show anger but to highlight or emphasize a point or many points. Please don't think I'm angry as I'm not. It's actually refreshing to bring up all these points about a type/breed of bird I've fallen in love with as this helps me to remember those same points, LOL.

Just a couple FYI notes. Candice didn't start her project birds as far back as 2011 or 2013. It was much after that. She also didn't coin the name "Opal". There were two separate breeders working simultaneously on the same idea of a project.
The other breeder was very informative and has a thread documenting the project here. Even shows when and why she first used the term Opal. Candice commented every so often on the thread and maybe elsewhere on this forum but for the most part kept silent about her progress.
The other breeders thread is long but a great read for an "Opal" legbar enthusiast.
If interested I can go hunt down a link to it.

 

[Allthefloofs]

I got into Lavender Legbars because I'm a genetics geek too. I can't think of any other breed/variety that has as many fun things going on... but I'm working on one, lol. (Lavender + Barred + Mottled + Crested + Bearded + Muffed + Five-toed + Duplex Combed + Blue Egg Layers! This is what happens when you spend too much time looking at your Houdans and Legbars.)

. I already want one!!!!

 

[SweetLittleChicks]

I gave you the ORIGINAL Opal Legbar website as well as the OFFICIAL Cream Legbar Club website in my first post... Along with several other links for information about Cream Legbars and some other "project" varieties (how new colors are made - takes years to introduce a new color that brings in the body color but then you have to breed back to the Legbar body type and back to getting BLUE eggs).

If someone was crossing 2 brown egg layers, that may be similar in body type (using Blue Orpingtons to Black Australorps will start you on the path to Blue Australorps -but it still takes a couple generations to get fully back to the Australorp body type and good blue coloring, too. But you don't have to worry about that egg color. Orpingtons were used to help create the Australorps, so it's a bit easier with that one).

Did you get chicks? Can you post pics of them?

But wow, for that cost, you could have gotten your CLB chicks directly from the original importer down in Florida! Greenfire Farms - CLBs

If your chicks are a cross between CLBs and Orpingtons, and you are thinking that you have pure CLBs, then YES, you were scammed and that farmer might be laughing all the way to the bank. On the other hand, the resulting female chicks from that cross should lay a beautiful sage (?I think, since Orps lay a lighter, pinkish beige egg) colored egg. Have no idea what type of chicken you will have though in appearance. And crossing your females back to a male in same group - will probably produce a completely different looking bird. Crossing her back to a purebred CLB, might get you a similar look to CLBs but will take quite a lot of work to get back to a blue egg layer.

Here is another link for information. This is how one guy created the Isabella Leghorn. I don't know if this is the only way to create the color for the Isabella Leghorn. The Isabella Leghorn was what Candace used to create the Opal Legbar. Notice how many generations (years) it took to create the "lavender type colored" Leghorn (and bring it back to Leghorn type and a white egg layer) that was then crossed with CLBs to bring in the color (lavender w/ "leakage" ) that became her Opals. THEN look at how many generations Candace took to get her birds to where they are today... I want to say she did her first cross in 2011? or 2013? Can't remember!

Leghorns were ONE breed that was used to create the Cream Legbar. There were other crosses, too, many many years ago that brought the Legbar into "being"... I personally think crossing a Leghorn in, now and then, can improve the Legbar. But then it takes a while to get your Legbar type and blue egg color back.

Edit to add - The Opal coloring/variety designation was "coined" (or named) by Candace when she created her fabulous birds. It is not an accepted variety (YET) in the Cream Legbar Club. The Cream Legbar breed is not yet an accepted bird breed in the American Poultry Association. There are breeders working to get the CLB accepted into the APA - whom is the governing breed association with all the breed SOPs for shows.

Personally, if I'd known more when I joined the CLB, I'd have voted for a different name. The name of the club was being voted on when I joined. Knowing what I do now, I honestly think it should have been called the Crested Legbar Club - then allowing for the current 3 varieties (colors) of Cream, Golden Crele & White and the new project varieties (Blue & Opal). I think that would have been so much less confusing overall, but... All American Cream Legbars are supposed to be crested. Occasionally there is a non-crested bird that pops up. If that happens, it is recommended that that bird be culled from a breeding program and the parent bird (S) figured out to so as to not cross those two birds again. A non-crested bird has no gene for a crest. The light or small crested bird probably only carries one crested gene(not always!) and the big, "floofy" crests (I had one pullet like that, she was ADORABLE) most likely have 2 genes for the crest tuft. May not be that simple, may be some other genetics that tie into it... I have only studied the basics on that one.

Also - there are probably other breeder/creators dreaming of new colors to bring into the CLB!

Edit to correct variety spelling
3rd Edit - Sorry! - I'm not highlighting or capitizing to show anger but to highlight or emphasize a point or many points. Please don't think I'm angry as I'm not. It's actually refreshing to bring up all these points about a type/breed of bird I've fallen in love with as this helps me to remember those same points, LOL.

Woops I’ve been scammed I already have Isabelle leghorn from cackle hatchery from 2015 but sheesh pretty old and idk if I can use her to breeed

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Woops I’ve been scammed I already have Isabelle leghorn from cackle hatchery from 2015 but sheesh pretty old and idk if I can use her to breeed

Can you share pictures of the chicks? What color legs do they have?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

If your chicks have yellow or at least yellowish legs, chipmunk stripes, and the boy has a big white splotch on his head the odds are they're Opal Legbars.

If they have dark legs or white/grayish legs and not very good chipmunk stripes or head spots for barring, odds are you have a cross.

 

[SweetLittleChicks]

Can you share pictures of the chicks? What color legs do they have?

The opal legbars order was comming but I argued my way to canceled the opal legbars because people said I’ve been scammed

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Ummm... ok. Did you ever have any pictures of what the parents or chicks looked like?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I think there's a good chance of a massive miscommunication in all this.

Because basically, the Lavender Orpington WAS used to introduce the Lav gene to Leghorns, and the Isabella Leghorns were used to introduce the Lav gene to Legbars. So depending on how they worded things, they might have just been explaining the origin of the variety. Who knows. Wish you could have given us more clear info.