Leghorn Thread

[brahmabreeder]

Birds do hold their tail differently at times. Did these come from a breeder? If so you might want to contact them and ask their opinion, but I think just from pictures that their tail angle is too high and they are too small to bother with breeding.

I got them off of ebay and we all know that can be a gamble. I have noticed they are a bit on the small side so I will weigh them for the heck of it.

 

[BGMatt]

Yeah, they kind of look like hatchery stock to me. Check the tails too, leghorns should still have that nice teepee to tail when viewed from rear.

 

[brahmabreeder]

Got the pictures as promised and will weigh them after I water everyone.










Not the greatest quality but they should do. Only two of these four are laying. With the one laying her first egg today.

 

[BGMatt]

Looking much better than the previous pick, they did a lot of maturing and growth in-between. The bird in picture 2 & 3 (or the birds if different, actually look pretty decent. I posted a picture in other thread of a very nice hen I found as an example. I would be on the lookout for a male that has a really good back line, and a slightly lower than ideal tail set to pair with them.

 

[brahmabreeder]

There's a breeder out here named Greg and he said he would introduce me to a Leghorn breeder at the show I'm going to in Canfield. Forget what he said his name was

. Hopefully I can get a cockerel and start hatching out Leghorn chicks.

 

[BGMatt]

Make sure to grab a standard if you don't have one and study it, it tells you far more than anyone can over pictures. But I think if I were you I'd use the bird or birds in the second and third picture there to breed from. I really can't believe how different they look between the two sets of pictures. Really want to see that smooth sweep and transition from back to tail.

 

[brahmabreeder]

I was reading something and it was stressing how important the transition to the tail was very important. I find that usually talking to breeders is one of the better ways to learn the standard. The wording in those books tends to confuse me.

 

[BGMatt]

Length of body, depth of body and width of body are all very important, and carrying it the entire way is important too. That's why you want to see the "teepee" from behind, if the bird has a teepee that shows that the body is still wide at the base of the tail which means it's going to have an easier time laying. The standard was written as a result of the function of the bird, those that don't understand that and think it's just for "show" haven't really studied it at all.

 

[brahmabreeder]

I went and weighed them and they weigh 3.5 lbs.

 

[CnKsMommy]

Why are my leghorns so talkative this morning? It was like a leghorn only conversation... I did find 2 white eggs yesterday, which means at least one of my leghorns are laying... The Roo was in there talking just as much as the girls were... Has anyone ever witnessed this?