Lavender-Based Leghorn Breeding & Improvement Discussion

[ChicKat]

Thanks for the links Tbird84. I've been wondering if I got slow-feathering gene into my flock, if the cuckcoo barring would have smaller bars and look 'neater'. Fast feathering is nice because babies can go outdoors sooner, and molt takes less time right?

Different subject: Miami Leghorns researched this cool information about Leghorns so I'm sharing it here too:
http://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/standard-bred_leghorns-1911.pdf

What things do you prioritize -- all the Leghorn people here,,,, to help you select your breeders? Do you look for a completely smooth top line that is curves and no angles? What tails do you look for on females? Fan tail or a more narrow ending?

Do you look for a curve from back of the head to tip of the tail? And no broken places in that curved line?

In this shot-- she is kind of 1/2 and 1/2 sort of a point, and sort of a fan.

more tapered (same chicken I think)

Shortly after I got them back. Hen in the middle has a fuller tail - but they were just ending molt.

Hen with fuller tail....and if they were slow feathering - in theory the bars would be closer together. Right?

 

[Miami Leghorn]

What things do you prioritize -- all the Leghorn people here,,,, to help you select your breeders? Do you look for a completely smooth top line that is curves and no angles? What tails do you look for on females? Fan tail or a more narrow ending?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I do look for that smooth topline, personally, and have picked my favorite hen of the three I have in large part based on that. I find I tend to prefer a slightly lower tail set than what the "ideal" is shown as being here, and I see that was one sentiment echoed in many of the judges' comments, though some indicated they'd like even more curvature in the back. No accounting for taste, I guess.

I know I like to see a generally well-turned bird with a deep, rounded chest and plenty of body capacity. In my birds, I would like to see more of that chest development as well as better width, steering clear of pinched tails.

For comparison to the historic text, here is the standard as it is today: http://northamericanleghornclub.com/standard/

 

[Miami Leghorn]

I have a few lavender leghorn projects going. Everyone knows the old saying "don't count your chickens before they hatch" but here I have another one "don't count your breeders until winter is over" because winter is cruel here in Missouri and if you lose any birds it's always the most important ones.
That being said my projects involving the lavender genes as of now are lavenders (solid colored) cuckoo lavenders, lavender gold duckwing, lavender silver duckwing, cuckoo lavender gold duckwing and cuckoo lavender silver duckwing.
Hopefully I'll get some hatching of all those varieties next summer.
By late summer I should be moving to mottled lavenders. After that I've got a couple more ideas but I'll hold off on those till I get closer to getting chicks on the ground.
Lavender and lavender patterns are my favorite so I'll take them in every direction I can.

Jeez,
I admire your workload.
Much respect...

Let me know when you come out with a book...
I'll be the first one in line to buy one.
Working Title... "My years in the Lavender Game"...?
Or
"Quest for Mauve"
Or
"The Lavendar Labrynth"

how about "Fifty Shades of Violet"?


srs

 

[The Moonshiner]

Let me know when you come out with a book...

LOL. I'm a hillbilly so the only thing I dislike more then reading is writing. Don't expect I'll be writing any books.
@ChicKat sometimes comments about me keeping all my genetics knowledge in my head. I think sometimes she seems amazed by my ability to do that. The real truth is that I do it that way simply because I dislike writing that much so I don't write things down.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

LOL. I'm a hillbilly so the only thing I dislike more then reading is writing. Don't expect I'll be writing any books.
@ChicKat sometimes comments about me keeping all my genetics knowledge in my head. I think sometimes she seems amazed by my ability to do that. The real truth is that I do it that way simply because I dislike writing that much so I don't write things down.

Nah kid.
dictate into a recorder put it all on files and slowly but surely you can compile all of your notes and thoughts...seriously though, people that are going out there ,venturing and using their Ingenuity to create new colors I think are the ones that push things to new heights.
Imagine if all we had were black brown and white leghorns?

 

[Tbird84]

My priorities at the moment are select for type and feather quality first. Paint the canvas later. Sometimes things can get a bit muddy though. Like when a cockeral fills out so beautifully but you can't use them because of crooked toes, comb sprigs, etc...

 

[ChicKat]

So true. It's a protection of sanity to work on one or two goals for a season. Of course you always want everything improved....but Mother Nature has other plans sometimes.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Will any of you guys be breeding for a solid Lavender Leghorn?

 

[Miami Leghorn]

My priorities at the moment are select for type and feather quality first. Paint the canvas later. Sometimes things can get a bit muddy though. Like when a cockeral fills out so beautifully but you can't use them because of crooked toes, comb sprigs, etc...

Do you show your birds?