The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[waddles99]

I now use cracked corn for leg color....

 

[Fred's Hens]

We have this discussion every month or so, as new folks come onto this thread.

Leg color is first genetic. Good genetics will produce a yellow skinned, yellow legged bird. That said, those genetics cannot do their thing without proper diet. Birds kept away from pasture for most their awake time are going to struggle to keep yellow legs. If the bird is kept on dirt or put up on shavings for showing, the legs can or will fade, as they can during the long winter months of snow cover in northern states.

Also, a female who lays heavily and for a long period will drain the color from her legs and use it to make yolk color.

So some feed companies have added marigold extracts to assist birds in these situations and FRM, (Flint River Mills) a local feed company to the SouthEast US, adds this in their Show Gold mixture to some degree because they were asked to do so by Matt and Joe Ulrich and likely others as well.

Corn has some yellowing but the amount required would make your bird fat and unfit. Alfalfa, clovers and other greens, rich in nutrients, would be a far better dietary choice. Our grass here is so potent that it turns legs vibrant glow yellow in just days, once the birds are out on the ground and have access to these grasses. Let your chickens clean up your garden and watch what happens when they gorge on old cabbage, kale, broccoli and other green plants. It is AMAZING.

Carrots are loaded with carotenes of course, and feeding cooked or shredded carrots, mixed into the feed mash, has long been a conditioning trick to yellow legs for showing.

So it is genetics, diet, and living conditions under which you keep your birds. Genetics in that some birds, of the same breed, fed the same diet will show show birds with yellow legs with others with pale, dusty colored legs. Diet and living conditions because the genetics will play off these to be all the birds was bred to be.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
FRM, a feed made in Georgia. Look for feed with marigold in it.

 

[cmom]

Now it's called Show Gold trio 2 Grower pellets.

 

[ejcrist]

A few years ago a judge at a show marked on my coop tag that the legs weren't yellow enough so I consulted my friend Matt who wins most of the time and he told me it is the feed and what he feeds his birds so I now use the same feed and it made a big difference.

The birds have been bathed today. Now they are drying and preening. Beautiful day for baths.

I now use cracked corn for leg color....

We have this discussion every month or so, as new folks come onto this thread.

Leg color is first genetic. Good genetics will produce a yellow skinned, yellow legged bird. That said, those genetics cannot do their thing without proper diet. Birds kept away from pasture for most their awake time are going to struggle to keep yellow legs. If the bird is kept on dirt or put up on shavings for showing, the legs can or will fade, as they can during the long winter months of snow cover in northern states.

Also, a female who lays heavily and for a long period will drain the color from her legs and use it to make yolk color.

So some feed companies have added marigold extracts to assist birds in these situations and FRM, (Flint River Mills) a local feed company to the SouthEast US, adds this in their Show Gold mixture to some degree because they were asked to do so by Matt and Joe Ulrich and likely others as well.

Corn has some yellowing but the amount required would make your bird fat and unfit. Alfalfa, clovers and other greens, rich in nutrients, would be a far better dietary choice. Our grass here is so potent that it turns legs vibrant glow yellow in just days, once the birds are out on the ground and have access to these grasses. Let your chickens clean up your garden and watch what happens when they gorge on old cabbage, kale, broccoli and other green plants. It is AMAZING.

Carrots are loaded with carotenes of course, and feeding cooked or shredded carrots, mixed into the feed mash, has long been a conditioning trick to yellow legs for showing.

So it is genetics, diet, and living conditions under which you keep your birds. Genetics in that some birds, of the same breed, fed the same diet will show show birds with yellow legs with others with pale, dusty colored legs. Diet and living conditions because the genetics will play off these to be all the birds was bred to be.

Thanks ladies and gents. Lots of great info. I'll be getting some SOP potential birds in a couple of weeks thanks to a lead Fred gave me - thanks much Fred, you da man!

Anyway, everything you said just helped me understand why my current hatchery birds legs changed from a dusky off yellow to a much nicer shade over the last few months. I've been feeding them Nutrena Naturewise with marigold extract for regular feed, and I also give them cracked corn on occasion and lots of greens from my gardens fairly often. I never tied the two together (leg color and diet) but I guess it really does have an influence. Maybe it's more so than I thought since my birds didn't have very good looking legs to start with.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Well, while we are sharing here is the 3/26/16 hatched male I am keeping.
What do you guys think?











@Ur-ur-ur-urrr

From what I see in the pics, he's growing into a fine specimen. You did a great job of capturing his length of back, and he looks to have nice, even width throughout. I think he'll serve you well...

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

My best pair at almost 6 months old..

 

[daxigait]

@cmom
Here is his back.

Fred,
Here is one in the morning sun. I don't see green. I will get some better ones when the sun is really up.

 

[daxigait]

My best pair at almost 6 months old..

I look forward to seeing them finish out. .

 

[cmom]

Birds I'm taking to the show in their cages drying after their baths