Lavender-Based Leghorn Breeding & Improvement Discussion

[The Moonshiner]

Wow, that's a nice looking bird! I've read your thread and really admire the work you've done!

Thanks. And big thanks for checking out my thread. Its probably gonna be a bit slow over the winter but hopefully in the spring I'll have some interesting birds/projects to work with through the next season.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Thanks. And big thanks for checking out my thread. Its probably gonna be a bit slow over the winter but hopefully in the spring I'll have some interesting birds/projects to work with through the next season.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Here is one of my young Lavender Crele roosters.

 

[alknoll]

Yes, definitely the discussion of (IMO) everything related to our experiences with the lavender gene in our birds.

Which makes me wonder -- did anyone ever get a (or see) a Porcelain d'Uccle plumage pattern. ( I realize the bantam wouldn't be a match for a Leghorn).

Of course I know who would know -- the Moonshiner . Wouldn't it be Mille Fleur with the lavender gene? And I hear that's a tricky pattern. Seems it could be really pretty though. Territory I know zilch about.

My hooligans are molting. Today was a zero egg day. In over a year of pretty good laying. The 6 youngest females shouldn't molt for another year. They must be stress molting. Predator hanging around the pens? Some chicken owner mis-management? (I know there is a red fox as a regular visitor -- and lately have seen a stray cat or a feral. I don't have neighbors anyplace close that tabby could come from.) The awful hot dry summer that just passed? Feed issues? Less daylight? Stress?
Dunno.

alknoll -- please tell us about your chickens. This little thread had been dormant. Thanks for waking it up.

Hi @ChicKat , nice to meet you. I currently do not have any Legbars or Leghorns, but would like some Opal Legbars you have been working on. They are just beautiful!

Currently, I have 6 standards, all crosses: Pearl Star Leghorn, 2 EEs, Mystic Marans, Isa Brown, and a Plymouth Blue Rock. I have 3 Mille Fleur d'Uccles and my neighbor has a Porcelain d'Uccle rooster (LOVE that patterning and have been thinking if I ever did a project, some day it would involve that little buddy). I have 7 chicks: 4 Silkies, 2 OE crosses (one clearly is a half Silkie...interesting), and 1 BCM.

I was hoping to get some Opal Legbars from High Valley Hatchery - she said she got hers from you - to go in with my existing chicks hatched 11/6. So far no luck getting OL pullets from her most recent hatch, so I'm still waiting. I would love to get some blue eggs for my egg basket and I love all lavender/Isabel birds but currently don't have any. Might have to be patient and wait until Spring... but I don't wanna! Haha.

 

[ChicKat]

Opal Legbars are becoming more wide spread, that's for certain. The only source I know of them is CJWaldon. Right around the same time we were aiming to get lavender genetics into Legbars. CJ kept crests and blue eggs. For my projects I ditched crests, didn't care too much what color the eggs were, as long as they were plentiful. At that time I had Legbars = blue eggs, Silverudd's Blues = green eegs, so I was really pleased when mine ended up with tinted colored eggs.

Sounds to me like you have a really nice flock going on there. Yay. It's hard to wait for spring...but just envision what you will end up with !! Can't wait to hear more and see any photos you would care to share.

 

[alknoll]

Opal Legbars are becoming more wide spread, that's for certain. The only source I know of them is CJWaldon. Right around the same time we were aiming to get lavender genetics into Legbars. CJ kept crests and blue eggs. For my projects I ditched crests, didn't care too much what color the eggs were, as long as they were plentiful. At that time I had Legbars = blue eggs, Silverudd's Blues = green eegs, so I was really pleased when mine ended up with tinted colored eggs.

Sounds to me like you have a really nice flock going on there. Yay. It's hard to wait for spring...but just envision what you will end up with !! Can't wait to hear more and see any photos you would care to share.

Thanks, @ChicKat. If I end up getting some Opals soon, I'll post photos of them here! I am quickly learning the road to rainbow eggs is paved with dollar bills...lol

 

[ChicKat]

Thanks, @ChicKat. If I end up getting some Opals soon, I'll post photos of them here! I am quickly learning the road to rainbow eggs is paved with dollar bills...lol

No kidding!

 

[alknoll]

No kidding!

also I mistakenly thought you were Candice. Oops. So High Valley Farms got her Opals from her. Do you breed too?

 

[ChicKat]

Some of my first Isabels were from Candice. Her chicks are Excellent! It was as we were both starting down the road to creating autosexing lavender birds. Wish she would drop by BYC more often, but I think she spends time on other platforms.

Autosexing female chick --- awwww.

Autosexing male chick...(so macho! LOL.)

And then of course they grow up. Above is my present flock roo. I'm writing an e-book How-To on this. Kiki did heroic work last year at this time to tee everything up -- and all I have to do is digest the 3-years project into something readable (Reader's Digest version of this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...roject-and-genetic-dis.1153068/#post-18062724)

Amazing to think that way back then, there were none and determining their appearance was an artist's concept.

Candice kept crests -- which are cute but they mess with the male's combs. So cute puffy headed females - I traded off for straight combed males.

My flock roo was about 7-pounds last time I weighed him -- same for his son "jr."

The son is showing higher tail carrage...but overall a nice bird - the father is just coming out of molt - or his tail sickles would be more impressive.

The females are pretty too.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I set my first lavender X cream split legbar eggs today, as well as a few from the leghorn pen which is all brown and lavender mixed together so I'll have splits and browns and won't know who's who... so I guess that's just a test batch for them.

My legbar pullets are blowing the egg production out of the water. They're basically the only thing on the farm still laying aside from a VERY occasional Leghorn egg. I'm happy with them, even though they're ugly.

I was trying to add a video of Leroy and one of his gals from my FB page, but it won't stick. Here's one more shot:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=218496512968023

Other weird "what if" idea... I don't know if I've mentioned it here before but I am going to throw one or two of my "spare" mottled Houdan hens in with Leroy the lavender cream legbar cockerel. They have high percentages of white and are too light built for my Houdan line, so I'm just gonna play around.

Goal would be an autosexing (a la 55 Flowery Hen-style) small combed/wattled/crested lavender mottled crele blue egg layer. I don't see any reason to retain five toes, and while yellow legs are aesthetically pleasing I have enough to fight against without trying to maintain that.

I love that this thread is a perfect place to discuss such wild things. The end result will be more Legbar than Houdan in every way aside from the comb and mottling.