The Legbar Thread!

[ChicKat]

My CL haven't layed yet. Egg size is determined by weight per dozen. I think .25 oz variance is allowed for any given egg. For example Jumbo's are 30 oz per dozen (841g), therefore averaging 2.5 oz (70g) apiece. Extra large are 27 oz/dozen (764g), 2.25 (64g) oz average. Large are 24 oz/dozen(680g), 2 oz (57g) average. Medium are 21 oz/dozen (596g), 1.75 oz (50g) average. Small are 18 oz/dozen (512g), 1.5 oz (43g) average. Peewee are 15 oz/dozen (428g), 1.25 oz (36g) per dozen. I'm sure about the weight per dozen but I don't remember for sure how much variance is allowed. I know you can't put a couple Smalls in with 10 Jumbos and sell them as a Large dozen because it comes out to 28 oz.. There's a standard for how uniform the size are in each dozen.
I had a barrred rock that on two occasions laid a 4 oz egg. I went out and checked on her to make sure it didn't injure her, but she was good. I looked to see if it was a world record but not even close from some accounts I saw online.

Here's a reference chart based on the USDA sizes for eggs..... (with the exception of the last two categories named by fellow BYC ers -- specifically Nonny in Queensland Aust.)


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/charts-and-quotes
It is based on the 1/12 of the dozen sales weight for eggs...and the huge exception size eggs don't come by the dozen. :O)

 

[redchicken9]

DISCLAIMER: I have a 99 cent diet scale that is pretty old and beat up. It has a lever and is not digital, so reading finer that +/- 2 grams is a challenge. I was at my sister's home two weeks ago and took her some Black Copper Marans Eggs for her kitchen use. I noticed that she had a digital scale so I weighed some of the BCM eggs and from that I think my lever arm diet scale may be a few grams heavy but below are the results I have in my flock book.

"A" Hen: 1st pullet egg = 37 grams (A7 color)
"B" Hen: 1st pullet egg = 47 grams (C17 color)

Largest Egg to date: 80 gram double yolker from hen "B".

Note: I have a White Leghorns that is about 18 months old that consistently lays very large eggs. Every time I get a particularly big egg from my white Leghorn I weigh it to see if it is over 80 grams, but it always comes up short. My 80 gram Legbar egg is the Largest egg I have ever got from any of my breeds. I am very happy with my Cream Legbars.

GaryDean,
Those are nice sized eggs! Congrats! Are you saying you started out with 37g and 47g eggs with CL? or with BCMs? I'm wondering if the size CL egg size increased for you or started larger. My other breeds seemed to start with either large or medium sized eggs and maintain their size roughly. Of course, I may not be paying as much attention as I do now! Also, have you incubated any of yours?

 

[redchicken9]

Dirt Farmer, Thanks for the egg size info! All others, what size weight egg is average for your CLs?

 

[redchicken9]

Since I am going to bleach my flock out I am also interested in what others are doing especially if others are bree does but ding more towards the gold roosters and females. I am curious if it's possible to get and keep the cream in the female hackle while breeding more colorful males. I like the slightly more colorful males but prefer the cream females. I'm also looking forward to those roo pics PapaBrooder - wish my breeding plan had the scope yours does but I need to find a second rooster that I like...maybe in time.


Congratulations on the egg Flaming Chicken!

Flaming Chicken, Also congrats on your first egg! Egg citing, eh?

Blackbirds12, I also like the cream/salmon female. My roos do have the rust in them. Would love to see a really nice US lighter roo to give me some more to think about. I bought them with the colors in mind, because that is what I first saw. When I look at the very light roos, they don't look as showy to me. Once again, it goes back to does anyone have a good example other than the one UK site side by side birds. I guess also need to think some more about form. First build then landscape then paint it, right? I also wonder why GFF choose the birds they did originally. Was it an educated choice or otherwise?

 

[GaryDean26]

Dirt Farmer, Thanks for the egg size info! All others, what size weight egg is average for your CLs?

Yes my average Cream Legbar egg size is much smaller than the largest Cream Legbar Egg I have seen. I weighed the two eggs I got today and one was 60 gram and the other was 49 grams. This is very typical. One hen is much smaller and consistently lays about 10 grams lighter eggs than the other hen.

Note: Is is 105+ Deg F. and both of my hens are averaging about three weeks of daily eggs before they take a day off. They are very reliable layers. Only my White Leghorns match them in production.

This is what I call 60 grams.



Quote:

GaryDean,
Those are nice sized eggs! Congrats! Are you saying you started out with 37g and 47g eggs with CL? or with BCMs? I'm wondering if the size CL egg size increased for you or started larger. My other breeds seemed to start with either large or medium sized eggs and maintain their size roughly. Of course, I may not be paying as much attention as I do now! Also, have you incubated any of yours?

The Marans and Leghorns 1st eggs were around 49 grams and are consistently laying 70 gram eggs now.

My Cream Legbar hens are complete opposites from their size, color, production, etc. Even though they are from the same Greenfire flock it is like they are two different breeds. One started with a 37g egg and the other with a 47g egg. They still show a 10 gram difference in egg size (and a difference in egg color).

The one laying the bigger eggs increased in egg size rapidly for the first two weeks, and then when it got hot and seemed to drop size for a while. I am hoping for bigger eggs come this fall when things cool off. I feed them 24% protein feed. I was told on a Marans forum that the higher protein diets help the Marans produce larger eggs (and keep fuller feathers, etc), so I am trying it on the Legbars too. I wanted to try a 30% protein game feed that another breeder had had really good results with, but was not able to find it in my area.

Yes, I have incubated eggs. The fertility and overall hatchrate has been out standing. We did see one chick that someone else hatch from our eggs have a leg problem, but other than that all the chicks have been healthy and growing well.

 

[Johnn]

Melow is no longer a mother, she is back to laying a egg a day and looks so much better after recovering. She lays WHITE eggs daily -__-

 

[ChicKat]

Dirt Farmer, Thanks for the egg size info! All others, what size weight egg is average for your CLs?

Just got my stats For the last few days no cl eggs, but my temps are 105-degrees even now at 6PM it's 101. So I'm just glad that they are alive. Prior to that she settled in at the 1.5 to 1.7 range.... The heat is definitely a factor.

July 14th 2.015 but July 15th 1.298

Here are some dates and weights: 7/22-1.579; 7/23-1.746; 7/24-1.612; 7/25-1.534, 7/26-1.439; 7/27-1.585; 7/28-1.505; 7/29-1.577 7/30-no egg;7/31-no egg; 8/1-no egg; 8/2-1.693; 8/3-1.585; 8/4-1.506; 8/5-no egg; 8/6-1.565; 8/7-1.573; 8/8-1.673; 8/9-no egg; 8/10-1.656; 8/11, 12, 13, 14-no egg

I keep mine in oz. And as I said the temps are pretty brutal. She just started laying June 15th.

My conclusion-- CL are capable of large eggs..... and I'm not sure that my heat doesn't skew the numbers down that a milder climate wouldn't have the same stress on the hen.

 

[ChicKat]

Melow is no longer a mother, she is back to laying a egg a day and looks so much better after recovering. She lays WHITE eggs daily -__-

Mellow is a character.

 

[Johnn]

Mellow is a character.

I know she is isn't she? theres just something about her iv'e never seen in a hen before..., shes done well with the orp bringing up the chicks as you can see behind her, but the chicks are older enough for her to leave and the orp is still with them anyways, so the rest of the summer is hers. It's good to have my best layer back

 

[Wolf-Kim]

What seems to be the average time for legbars to start laying?

I've seen some post that their flock began laying at 14.5 weeks and some say their flock didn't start for a year. What does the consensus say?