Legbar? Legbar eggs?

[kslizza]

I've got a friend who rents out a coop that houses Black Copper Marans and an expensive mystery rooster and hen; the rooster covers all the hens in that flock. She also has her own coop with an Olive Egger roo that covers "his" girls which includes some Barred Rocks, Ameraucanas, a blue Marans and some black Marans. They all free range, but stick to their own flocks and coops for egg-laying. I been having a lot of success hatching and wanted to find out if it was worth hatching some of this expensive mystery breed so I got some pictures of the pair. I think they might be legbars based on the pictures I found here. My friend got some eggs from the first coop, where I think just the Marans and the mystery chicken lay, that she said were from the mystery hen. But they're not sky blue. Below are pictures of the roo and hen, and the left two eggs are ones we got straight from the nesting box today - the other three she thought were from the same chicken from earlier days. She said she gets one a day in that coop of this particular egg and since the rest of the hens are Marans, with chocolate eggs, that's how she knew these were from the solo hen.

Anyone have any insight?

Thanks,
Kelly


Kelly

 

[Kelsie2290]

The two chickens do look like they could be Legbars, the eggs sure don't. If the birds are free ranging together and have access to all the coops, there is no guarantee who is laying where and what rooster is covering what hen.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

The two chickens do look like they could be Legbars, the eggs sure don't. If the birds are free ranging together and have access to all the coops, there is no guarantee who is laying where and what rooster is covering what hen.

X2

 

[donrae]

What they said. If you wanted fertile eggs from that pair, you'd have to separate the hen from the other rooster for at least 2 weeks. Separate, not just "I don't think he's breeding her cause she's not his hen". Then collect the eggs and try hatching them.

 

[chicken pickin]

The two chickens do look like they could be Legbars, the eggs sure don't. If the birds are free ranging together and have access to all the coops, there is no guarantee who is laying where and what rooster is covering what hen.

X3 they definitely look like Cream Legbars but those eggs are not the right color for the breed.

What they said. If you wanted fertile eggs from that pair, you'd have to separate the hen from the other rooster for at least 2 weeks. Separate, not just "I don't think he's breeding her cause she's not his hen". Then collect the eggs and try hatching them.

X2 Definitely this. If you all want to hatch pure chicks from these, sell the hatching eggs or sell pure bred chicks you all need to separate each mating group into its own pen. I have 4 roosters and they all have there own flock of hens and they stick with them but if they have access to a different hen and that rooster isnt looking he will take that chance to mate a new hen. I keep all pens separate and only free range together when I have absolutely no plans on hatching or selling eggs.

With all that said If you all don't mind mixed chicks then their free ranging situation is just fine though.

Also Im not quite sure those eggs all came from the same chicken the color and size on them varies quite a bit. How old is the hen are you certain she is laying eggs(she looks it but thought I would ask)

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

As others have said, no matter how the flocks shake out, the roosters are covering as many hens as they can, not necessarily those from only "their" flocks. If you watch pasture dynamics for a while, you'll see lots of poaching of another rooster's hens! Add to that the fact that a hen can store sperm in her body for over two weeks and the fact that a hen can be mated by a rooster and then reject the sperm after he's done, and the genetic possibilities of that flock are pretty endless.

I also agree that not all of those eggs came from the same chicken. Eggs from one hen just don't vary in color and size that much from day to day. Those are not only not from the same hen, they're not from the same breed of chicken.

 

[enola]

I am curious about what breeder these legbars came from.

 

[kslizza]

Thanks, all. The gal who rents out her land only knows that the chickens were some "really expensive" breed that the renter got from the "east coast." The renter has a dozen or so gorgeous BCM hens and these two. There's no selling of hatching eggs or chicks going on. But the renter's been gone for a while and between the renter's eggs plus the eggs from her own dozen or so hens, my friend's been driving around at night trying to get her 3-year-old to sleep and playing egg fairy. A lot of us fellow moms randomly find a dozen eggs on our doorstep in the morning. I'd had my incubator fired up, but my breed-specific egg supplier fell through (winter and all) so I tossed some of the gift eggs in and now have a bunch of fluffy butts in my brooder (aka pallet-sized box from Costco).

My friend thought the light eggs were from the mystery hen because that hen nests in that coop, about one egg a day of that color shows up, and she's the only non-BCM hen in that flock. I included the picture as it was one of the clues (although a red herring in retrospect). I thought the eggs looked too different to be from the same hen, also, but my friend's been collecting one a day from the same location. Every time I think she says something crazy, she turns out to be right so I've stopped second guessing her. If I am to stand by my support of her, I must conclude that the hens have a conspiracy and have been moving eggs around.

I'm just trying to find out what the mystery breed is to see I'd hatched any or wanted to pursue that breed. This is mostly just post-hatch detective work or possibly pre-hatch research. Looks like I I've got some Legbar/BCM crosses, among other mixes, but no pure Legbars for sure because I only used chocolate and green eggs (that and all the chicks came out black except for one gray!)

Great info on the poaching, sperm storage and rejection. We were going to isolate them if I wanted to hatch some, but I didn't realize I would need to keep them apart for so long!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Thanks, all. The gal who rents out her land only knows that the chickens were some "really expensive" breed that the renter got from the "east coast." The renter has a dozen or so gorgeous BCM hens and these two. There's no selling of hatching eggs or chicks going on. But the renter's been gone for a while and between the renter's eggs plus the eggs from her own dozen or so hens, my friend's been driving around at night trying to get her 3-year-old to sleep and playing egg fairy. A lot of us fellow moms randomly find a dozen eggs on our doorstep in the morning. I'd had my incubator fired up, but my breed-specific egg supplier fell through (winter and all) so I tossed some of the gift eggs in and now have a bunch of fluffy butts in my brooder (aka pallet-sized box from Costco).

My friend thought the light eggs were from the mystery hen because that hen nests in that coop, about one egg a day of that color shows up, and she's the only non-BCM hen in that flock. I included the picture as it was one of the clues (although a red herring in retrospect). I thought the eggs looked too different to be from the same hen, also, but my friend's been collecting one a day from the same location. Every time I think she says something crazy, she turns out to be right so I've stopped second guessing her. If I am to stand by my support of her, I must conclude that the hens have a conspiracy and have been moving eggs around.

I'm just trying to find out what the mystery breed is to see I'd hatched any or wanted to pursue that breed. This is mostly just post-hatch detective work or possibly pre-hatch research. Looks like I I've got some Legbar/BCM crosses, among other mixes, but no pure Legbars for sure because I only used chocolate and green eggs (that and all the chicks came out black except for one gray!)

Great info on the poaching, sperm storage and rejection. We were going to isolate them if I wanted to hatch some, but I didn't realize I would need to keep them apart for so long!

Good luck with your babies. I love cross-bred birds. I hatched some BCM+EE crosses, and their eggs are the most awesome shade of green I've ever seen. Not olive so much, but a rich bright bluey green that almost glows. I've also hatched some BCM+white Leghorn crosses, and the egg color from those hens is wonderful. A deep, rich brown--not so dark as a Marans, but stunning nonetheless.