Interesting color......any Cream Legbar experts?

[Jetblack2004]

Hiya

This is my third year breeding Cream Legbars and for the first two years everything was normal, with the males coming out light grey and the females being darker. However, this year i've somehow ended up with three pullets that do not have the correct markings and are completely grey. I'm sure they're not cockerels as they are too dark and haven't developed as much as a male would. It's quite odd.

Just wondered if anyone else has had the same issue, and if so do you know what has caused it and perhaps how i can fix it? I'm quite disappointed as i now cant sell these pullets as show quality birds since they do not fit the breed standard.

I've attached a photo below,

Thanks!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Do you have pictures of the possible parents? Also, are you sure that another chicken didn’t breed with one of your legbars? She appears to have slate legs, which are incorrect for legbars. They’re also the result of a dominant gene, meaning one parent would also have to have slate or pink/white legs to produce a chick with that trait.

 

[Jetblack2004]

Parents as youngsters

Parents currently

One of their offspring


They are definitely from my pure stock as i've had the three hens with the cockerel in the same pen all year, so they haven't been with a different cockerel.

I hadnt noticed the slate legs actually...that is strange. Quite confusing!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

View attachment 2758844
Parents as youngsters


View attachment 2758847
Parents currently

View attachment 2758849
One of their offspring


They are definitely from my pure stock as i've had the three hens with the cockerel in the same pen all year, so they haven't been with a different cockerel.

I hadnt noticed the slate legs actually...that is strange. Quite confusing!

So you’re sure they hatched from cream legbar eggs? And no rogue cockerel/rooster got into the pen at all? All the other cream legbar hens have the correct yellow legs?

 

[Jetblack2004]

yep im certain. My breeding stock look standard; no slate legs and such. What's odd is that last year i hatch from the same group and had no pure grey offspring. Can a random gene come out of no where where breeding or is that not possible?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

yep im certain. My breeding stock look standard; no slate legs and such. What's odd is that last year i hatch from the same group and had no pure grey offspring. Can a random gene come out of no where where breeding or is that not possible?

Well, it should be impossible to get a chick with slate legs from yellow legged parents, let alone getting a black barred chick out of barred duckwing parents.

 

[Jetblack2004]

Hmm...I'll have a better look at my records to see if i've made a mixup perhaps. Thank you for the info though.

 

[GaryDean26]

I am not aware of any recessive genes that would produce both the grey color and the grey legs. I have seen recessive black pop out of the Legbar lines, recessive white pop out of the legbar lines, possibly a recessive wheaten color patterns, etc. There is a lot going on in the genetics of these birds. There is a member of the Cream Legbar Club that has actually been working on a Blue Legbar that uses the Blue/Black/Splash genes. An article on his project in a recent Cream Legbar Club Newsletter HERE.

If you really do have a recessive gene and not an accidental cross he would probably be interested in discovery. There also is a lady that developed a Lavendard based Legbar Variety that are called Opal Legbars. Your look more like the Blue Black Splash birds than the Lavender birds. The lavender gene is recessive, but it won't change the leg color.

There also was an outstanding article on the Opal Legbar in the Cream Legbar Club newsletter a few years back I can find it, but this may be the same information posted by the breeder. See HERE

Note: I did some Hybird crossed of Blue Breda and Cream Legbars in 2016 and they came out looking very much like yours do. I called my Hibirds Blue Bonnets after the Texas Wildflower in the area we lived and for the blue crest that the pullets got. Here is on of mine.

And yes they got grey legs.

 

[BigFuzzball]

Hi Gary,
Pictured is our (alleged) almost 2yr old Cream LegBar - Lexi. The place we get our birds from are brilliant and always describe and give breed names etc plus the breeder if it's not one they've hatched.
Lexi though, so we believe, shows more colouration and size of a 'throwback' bird originally from the US in the early 70's (having been told by an ex-breeder and bird-show competitor of them) - a 'Fenton', plus she doesn't lay the expected pale blue or greenish eggs but lays pink tinted ones so that probably muddies the waters even further for you, though we did see some (alleged) Cream LegBars pretty similar to yours for sale from our breeder on Thursday, same colouration but a less defined pattern and 'mottled' almost light speckledy grey..........
If any further pictures would help regarding size etc please let me know !

 

[The Moonshiner]

Is there a question in there?