Hey yall im breeding Opal legbar chickens

[JacinLarkwell]

They're as decent as any commercial hatchery in my opinion, but most have problems with the Isabella leghorns due to poorer genetics.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I know but I’m still ordering them because of there beauty also can u Breed them togther to make another Isabelle leghorn

Yes, as far as I'm aware, they breed true

 

[paintedChix]

I would never think about culling my anmial oof I don’t know how people do it when they are living and emotional well I guess some people are strong also im Also excited for the eggs so I can know the trust if he scammed me

Hmmm... Well, I am trying for a somewhat self-sustaining "farm-stead". I purposely said yes to the offer after taking the 7 for several reasons. 1 - I needed the practice of processing & 2 - I wanted to know how extra birds would taste/dress out. O & 3 - I had a few extras in case the ones I'd paid for "didn't make it"...

Also, as I get more into breeding (I didn't do any breeding at all in 2020 - just got all my eggs to eat and processed a few birds that had gotten older and were no longer laying) - I will be breeding A LOT of birds to find the percentage of birds I want to keep to use for breeding the following season. That is how you improve your stock. Sorry, but I'm not giving away all my birds when I have a family of 6, 6 dogs, 4 in/out cats and 4 barn/feral cats that we feed. Soon, we will also have some piggies (will eat dead chicken carcass) & goats (won't eat the birds). Even the ponies have had jobs (tho currently all 7 are "pasture poodles" ...

I have gone in with some friends and done the Fry pan specials from Cackle hatchery years ago. We've raised up the male chicks on pasture and then put them in our freezers. Gives the hatcheries a way to sell male chicks that otherwise don't get sold...

 

[paintedChix]

Oh okay also should I trust Hoover hatchery currently ordering more Isabelle leghorns from Hoover hatchery are they a trust worthy hatchery

I don't know anything about Hoover Hatchery. There are threads on BYC regarding Hatcheries. I've never had birds come directly to me from a hatchery. From the main feed store, I can special order birds that they then get from Privette Hatchery out of NM. With a few friends, many years ago, we went together on Fry Pan specials from Cackle Hatchery. I was working full time, one freind wasn't. She got the birds from post office and set them up originally until we could pick them up.

When I first got started in birds, we got them from Tractor Supply in 2012. I have no idea, at that time, which Hatchery those birds came from.

In last few years, I've gotten birds from breeders all over the state of NC, WV and VA.

 

[7 Biddies]

I am confused. Opal Legbars are a project bird that was started many chicken generations ago by Candace Waldon. In 2017, she was on her 5th generation of chicks. If you read how she created them, she didn't use Orpingtons directly but used Isabella Leghorns (which can be created by crossing brown leghorn with lavender Orpington - forget how many generations it takes to get from the 2 mixed breeds to Isabella leghorns). I'm not sure why anyone would cross an Opal Legbar back to the Lavender Orpington? Are you saying that you've got chicks that are a cross between Lavender Orpingtons and Opal Legbars? Or did I totally misunderstand your above post?

Candace's Opal Legbars are beautiful. Opallegbar dot com. Not sure if she's completely bred out the white egg gene yet or what generation she's actually on now (should be 8 or 9?). A friend of mine got some of her hatching eggs last year - they were all a blue (some greenish tone) color. She should have Opal Legbar chicks this year. There are now a few Opal Legbar breeders who can ship chicks or eggs through the mail and are NPIP.

Opal Legbars also have a HUGE following on FB. You can get information from Candace's website directly or through the FB page. There is the Opal Legbar Fan Club on FB. There is also a project on Blue Legbars - PJ @ The Big R Ranch. Big contributor to the Cream Legbar FB page as well. Been breeding Legbars since 2016. Here's a writeup that was done via the CLC - The Blue Legbar Project

I recommend you check out the Cream Legbar Club, as well. There are 3 accepted varieties at this time - Cream, Creole & White.

Would love to see pics of your chicks!!

I have Cream Legbars. Want to get some Creole, Blue project and Opal project birds.

On the Opal Legbar site, it said “Breed back to good Cream Legbar stock to improve type and feather quality.” Not sure what breeding back to Lav Orp does.

 

[7 Biddies]

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.)

You're going to get a Flying Purple People Eater that lays eggs.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

On the Opal Legbar site, it said “Breed back to good Cream Legbar stock to improve type and feather quality.” Not sure what breeding back to Lav Orp does.

It would make it less of a legbars which is the opposite of what you're going for.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

It would make it less of a legbars which is the opposite of what you're going for.

There would be ZERO benefits to breeding back to Orpingtons. All the detrimental undesirable things we have in the lavender legbars are because of the lavender orpingtons however many generations ago via the Isabella Leghorns.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

There would be ZERO benefits to breeding back to Orpingtons. All the detrimental undesirable things we have in the lavender legbars are because of the lavender orpingtons however many generations ago via the Isabella Leghorns.

That's what I meant in my response to their question

 

[wf1992]

Soon, we will also have some piggies (will eat dead chicken carcass) & goats (won't eat the birds). Even the ponies have had jobs (tho currently all 7 are "pasture poodles" ...

Sorry, I realize this is unsolicited and off-topic, but we've been told (through years of 4H pigs) that feeding pigs meat can make them aggressive and spread disease. While I'm not worried about my home-grown chicken carcasses being diseased, I have seen what a 300lb feeder can do accidentally, and I'd hate to deal with an actively aggressive one! I believe a lot of places also have rules about feeding animal products to pigs, particularly if there's any chance you'll be selling them.

Quite frankly, at my house, it's the chickens who get what's leftover when I'm done making broth...