Langshan Thread!!!

[Juan Valdez]

This was Slick.

This was Margaret. She went broody pretty quickly. We thought she was sick at first.


These guys were given to us by someone so that we could have a mature rooster and hen while our other little chicks were maturing. We have 21 various Black Astro, Buff Orp, Rhode Island Red, and Ply Rock that are due to start laying soon.



Slick and Margaret were killed a couple of weeks ago via a raccoon which has since met its demise as well. We never knew what kind they were but I thought they were Langshan after looking at lots of info.


They were very friendly and lovable. They are missed. We were fortunate enough however for my sister in law to have some of their eggs to hatch. Two of them survived and you can see them below. They did not cooperate with the camera but hopefully you can see well enough.

My question is simple I believe. Is there a way to tell by looking at their colors whether or not they are male/female? The one is visibly darker than the other. Almost like different breeds. We are hoping for one of each to carry on the line. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help
Juan

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Juan, where are you located? At first glance your female looked to be a Langshan, but her comb looks more like a Brahma or Brahma mix. Slick seems to have either a very good pea comb or a very small single comb. The Brahma blood would give the feathered legs and could explain why your chicks have yellow parts to their feet and combs. If you are in an area that has Black Brahmas available, I would hazard a guess that you could have had some black Brahmas. If you are in the US though, Slick and Margaret were probably Brahma mixes.

As for the chicks, depending on the parents background, the brown one could be showing red leakage, when it matures, it will probably show some red or "copper" feathering in it's hackle or saddle feathers. It might also be showing a partridge coloration. I'm not familiar with the genetics of partridge at all.

Was Margaret the only hen laying and is the only possible mother to the eggs that were hatched?

Welcome to BYC and the Langshan Thread!

 

[SugaryinMD]

Hello All...I have two langshans and my question is about housing them. I built a coop and a 15 x 15 run for them because they were messing up their feathers running around the yard. Even though I put them in the pen my rooster still messes up his tail feathers (almost like they are shredding). How do you avoid this? How do you house your show Langshans to keep them from destroying their feathers?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Shredding usually happens when the male is breeding. His tail will hit the ground repeatedly when he breeds a hen. Are try kept on grass or is it on a dirt pack? What are their sleeping quarters like? Also, photos are always welcome!

what kind of fencing are you using for the run and coop?

 

[Juan Valdez]

Quote:
I am located in NE Ohio. As far as Margaret, yes she was the only laying hen and Slick was the only rooster. That is what is so strange I guess because they were both completely black with the green sheen and no other markings except the feathered feet. At first I thought they were Astralorps. I looked at the pictures of the Brahma mixes and they all seem to have fairly heavy feathered feet. Ours did not so I do not know what they might have been mixed with.

 

[Juan Valdez]

Ok, I have tried to zoom in on their combs. Here is Slick

And Margaret

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

They do appear tO have Brahma blood in them. See the tip of the beak on the male? It's a bright yellow color. Langshans are a white-skinned breed and do not show yellow in their legs, beaks or skin. Also, the comb "looks" to be a modified pea comb, where they've been mixed with something. The amount of foot feathering is dependent on the parents. If a Cochin and a Brahma were bred together, the foot feathering will be heavier than if a Brahma were bred to a Plymoth Rock. It's also possible the parents of Margaret and Slick were some type of EE or Cochin cross.

If there were a Langshan as a parent, the white-skinned genes would take over and mask all yellow color. It might be that the parents were a Brahma and Jersey Giant. That would give the sparse feathering on the legs with the black plumage. It could also be why one chick is red in color and one is black. One is showing leakage of red even though both parents were black.

 

[acid_chipmunk]

Quote:
Those birds look really familiar! Wonder where I've seen them before...

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Haha! They should! Unless J has tried to kidnap Mongo!

I'm debating putting photos of the possible splash up, but I know as soon as I do, it'll die or turn black or something.

 

[acid_chipmunk]

Quote:
LOL! There's more than one, though...