Langshan Thread!!!

[rodriguezpoultry]

Hi thorleif!

Yes, there are bantams in the US! Not many are shown, but I know of a few breeders including Jim that has some! I have them in all three colors. The whites have the furthest to go in my opinion...they don't show the true Langshan blood as of yet, but this year I got some VERY nice leggy cockerels. I'm debating on holding back one for myself that is very promising. A good pullet with a longer tail and less of a cushion than her mother. Will be good to work with at least. I'm also planning on using a very nice black hen with the whites to try and get the conformation a bit better and the eye color a bit darker. I do not know how old the strain is, but I know they were Forrest's stock. He must have had them at least 20 years, but his passion were the blacks. Gorgeous birds...

I would KILL for some German Langshan bantams. They are just gorgeous. But, no way I can afford to import them, so until then...I can dream.

I will have to give up my white Langshan largefowl. I simply don't have the space to take them on AND better the breed. So, they will go to another breeder who will "hook me up" later when I have more space and am able to fully devote to them. In the meantime, I will work on the blacks and blues. The bantams on the other hand...I have lots of space to work with the whites in those!

Here is (what I'm going to call for the moment until someone can tell me what's going on): harlequin Langshan bantam:




This chick hatched out black with white markings on it's face. Just like all of my blacks hatch out. The leg feathers look exactly the same as her back and wings...Just an oddity. She is not the only bird to hatch this way this year. My first one died at about 3 months.

 

[msladyhawke]

These 2 were being silly tonight, running at each other all fluffed up. The smaller one does not back down either, LOL.

Violet looking pretty while free ranging near where I was sitting.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Gotta love how the bantams think they are just as big as the Large Fowl! Like they don't realize the big ones are looking down at them! Adorable!

They're looking great M!

 

[msladyhawke]

Gotta love how the bantams think they are just as big as the Large Fowl! Like they don't realize the big ones are looking down at them! Adorable!

They're looking great M!

Thanks! Tonite was the first time the whole group got to free range. They all did well and everyone is back in the coop for the night.
P.S. I just bought the Southern States crumbles for them as well after reading the posts on the PA thread.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I'm serious msladyhawke....HUGE difference in my birds! I was shocked! I will never feed Dumor again!

 

[tilosi]

Hi all! I am a newbie to owning chickens, but am already hooked! I have three RIR and 3 Red stars, all about 2 months old. I also acquired a bantam pair that are a Langshan mix--my thought is with a brown Leghorn....but, could be wrong--they were sold to me as Cochins, but I don't see any Cochin here. The rooster has a deep red/brown on his wings, they both have white earlobes and the hen lays between 5-6 very light beige eggs per week. We have ten eggs in an incubator now, with lock down for 5 of them on Monday--My son and I are sooooo excited!!
Is there a way to get a true breed back from these? (remember, newbie here=I have no idea about all genetics) I do plan to breed him with the others to sell as barnyard layers.
Anyone know of a way to get rid of the white lobes or are they dominant?? Also, they, the roo especially, have beautiful light blue colored feathers at the base of the larger feathers--not sure what these feathers are called....is it possible to get blue chicks?
Anyway--thanks in advance....I really love this pair and hope there are some good possibilities for them.

She is always eating....I can never get a good picture with her head up....


They both have this shimmery blue--she has some eggplant...


notice his wattles, comb and lobes...





best one of her upright...sorry bout the fence.


Very brute...I call him Elvis


Hope someone can help....even if I can't help fix the offspring, I still love them.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Even as a mix, he's not bad. What may have happened is that the person who was breeding them didn't take notice of the white earlobes that they were breeding in (if they were breeding for pure Langshan bantams). The red may simply be that he doesn't have the melanizers (black enhancers) to cover the red leakage you're seeing.

You can try and breed them and see what you get. If you're wanting to breed against the white earlobes and red color, you'll have to cull (get rid of) the next generation birds that show the white earlobes. It will take quite awhile to get rid of it if you can at all. Once white is there, it's really hard to get rid of. But if you're wanting them for pets, it won't hurt them at all.

As for the egg color, my bantam Langshans lay a beige color as well. The green color is the color you want. The more green, generally speaking, the more melanizers the bird has to cover any leakage. When you get the "eggplant" and purple sheen, you start to see different colors starting to pop in.

As for the blue, with the exception of my awkward thing up above, blue and black are generally not seen on the same bird. You'll see a few black feathers in blues, but in blacks, you usually won't see blue feathers. Blue feathers are usually more of a slate color, so if you're seeing a blue sheen (shine) you probably won't get any blues out of them. But then again, we don't know the actual history of these birds, so it may be a slight possibility.

 

[tilosi]

Thank you! He is handsome. How long does it take to see the white lobes? I'm still confused on how to use the chicks to get the traits....would the chicks be bred together or would I need some from another stock? I'm not sure, but they may be siblings for all I know.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

It's possible they are siblings? You can still breed them together. Just watch for odd traits. I had to do that for 8 years and only recently started having problems. I now have some new blood from the same line to help with the fertility and genetic issues.

Unfortunately, I've found that earlobes can change alot. I have some birds that show white in the earlobes until sexual maturity and then show red without any enamel white. I believe it is from the white skin causing the earlobes to appear white until they completely reach sexual maturity.

Of the chicks, grow out all the ones that do not appear to have any red on them(you may see a tinge of red on down feathers as chicks or brown color. I would either sell these immediately or just use them in a pet/food flock). Only the ones without red and the least amount of enamel white in their earlobes should be used. Usually, about 6+ months, you'll be able to tell if they have white in their earlobes.

You can breed the chicks together, or breed back to the mother. Since the father shows both faults of the white earlobes and red, I wouldn't breed back to him if you have chicks that are without the red leakage and white enamel as it will only set you back.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Hello guys!

I've decided to go ahead and sell a few dozen blue and black LARGEFOWL Langshan eggs. I'm waiting to hear back from someone who was first on the list, but after her of if she decides she doesn't need them now, I will have some for sale!

The males are black.

The females are blue, splash and black. I would like to get $40 per dozen. That includes the shipping. I wrap each egg in bubble wrap. I only ship on Mondays (to make sure they get there) and I will package any eggs laid within that week. I am getting about 2 to 4 eggs per day from their pens.

Please let me know if you are interested!

Here are some photos!





These are photos of some of the actual breeder birds that you will receive eggs from.