The Legbar Thread!

[cjwaldon]

I just don't know what you guys are talking about! My adult roo is ever so sweet. I don't handle him, but neither is he afraid of me or aggressive towards either me. And I have never ever ever seen him try to force a hen (unlike all my other breed roosters that get a hen down and successively take turns until she's all worn out.) And the juvenile boys are much more inquisitive and friendly than the juvenile pullets. The pullets mill around while I visit. The cockerels insist on being on or near me, picking my toes, my jewlery, my ears, my hair . . . I must watch where I step and shuffle my feet to avoid injuring them. I do not free range mine.

 

[redchicken9]

I guess maybe I'm painting the picture too dark. My single roo flock is ideal. Not heavy handed with the ladies and polite with me. I just never had a 2 rooster flock where they seem to work together in mornings and evenings and often go solo during the day! None of these roosters bug my son, and he bugs them quite a bit! I'm glad they're active for fertility, but they are the most active group of roos I have ever had. I'm not sure if this is because there's more of them or the breed's trait. Cjwaldon, do you only have one male? Does he see competition near by? I think my boys are young and it's monkey see, monkey do!

 

[GaryDean26]

I was hoping to get a few Marraduna Basque until I saw these pics posted on BCY (Marraduna Basque).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ed-prices-60-eggs-to-sell-3/0_30#post_9532236

I know the roosters have some Similarities with CLs but what do you guys think about this guy?

In Spain the Marrduna variety of the Basque Hen is a very uniform and produced yellow hen and yellow rooster. It is a barred Wheaton based breed.

The Maraduna variety was imported to Canada by Black Horse Ranch where it was out crossed it with other breeds (probably Penedensenca). After that they were distributed to Canada and later brought to the USA from Canada (Greenfire farm confirmed that their stock is from Canada).

Because of the out crossing there is no uniformity in the Basque breed in North America. Some people are trying to breed back to the Spanish standards for the Marraduna variety (and Gloria variety which is non-barred), but most people are keeping the diversity of colors in their flocks so if you get EO's (Euskal Oiloa) you are going to end up with grey birds, white birds, red birds and and a bunch of colors in between.

I have basque hens, but I am not going to breed them to a color standard. They are my "for fun" and personal use breed. I got them because they are supposed to be the most friendly breed in the world and are the ideal dual purpose homestead breed.

I saw photos of a wide range of colors before I got them, and assumed that they didn't have a color standard and would be similar to Icelandic, Swedish flower hens, Hemadora and other land breeds that have a wide range of traits. I was disappointed when I found out that they DO have a color standard in Spain, but since the wide variety of colors is what attract lots of people to the breed many people in North American (including myself) are keeping a variety of colors in their flock.

I do have about 50% of my rooster that are similar to the Legbar in color (Barring over a black breasted red primary color), but the rooster is not really complete without a flock of hens, and I don't have a single Basque pullet that looks even remotely like a Cream Legbar so the flocks are completely different.

P.S. Tobasco (the rooster above) is a very lovely rooster. I talked to his owner (who lives in Texas) when I was looking for a Basque Cockerel to start my flock with several months ago. She wouldn't let me have Tobasco so I ended up having to get two 10 week old cockerels trasported from Nashville, TN.

 

[cjwaldon]

I have only one CCL roo in his own pen with his own hens, adjacent to a grow out pen and a bantam pen. He will "fence fight" the bantam roo and any of the free range roos that care to come over and challenge, occasionally scuffing his comb. However, when the youngsters sneak in from the grow out pen (usually behind me while the door is open), the CCLs don't pay them any mind. With other breeds it seems there is always a scuffle when there is uninvited company in the pen.

 

[ChicKat]

So Tabasco the Basque is an eye-opener as a ringer for some of our Cream Legbar roosters..... And I agree a pretty rooster...and I do see a crest right?

Here are some questions:
1. do Basques lay eggs with the blue egg gene?
2. Are Basques autosexing?
3. Does that rooster show the ig genetics? (to any degree) correct me if I'm wrong ig for 'inhibitor of gold'....

I have also seen hens that seem to have the same/similar color pattern as/to Cream Legbar females -- here is one example of a 'silver partridge' if my translator is working:

http://www.kippenencyclopedie.nl/ph...d:Antwerpsebaardkrielen_zilverpatrijs_hen.jpg


So I guess that it goes beyond color---but at first look---- one could be mistaken for the other. Something I have noticed with a lot of the photos of cream legbars...is that as someone shows a cockerel or a pullet at a certain stage of growth---It sometimes looks like it could be interchangeable with mine at that same age/stage.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I'm no expert, but there's a Marraduna Basque rooster on feathersite.com http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Basque/BRKBasque.html
that looks a lot like this one. Scroll down to get to its photo.

look

rrr

I was hoping to get a few Marraduna Basque until I saw these pics posted on BCY (Marraduna Basque).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ed-prices-60-eggs-to-sell-3/0_30#post_9532236

I know the roosters have some Similarities with CLs but what do you guys think about this guy?

looks kinda like my Crele Penedesenca rooster

 

[debs_flock]

Thanks Deb, our thoughts crossed! While I'm thinking about roos, do you have a favorite for being polite, perhaps more dance less pounce?

I've found all my light weight breeds are more active with the ladies. My heavy weight breeds (Marans, NH, PR) seem to be the most easy going. I never see them pester the ladies and they seem to be getting along amongst themselves.

Deb

 

[Phage]

Thanks Gary, that is awesome information. I love the appearance of Tabasco too

I am still tempted to get these guys. Are they truly as wonderful as they are meant to be?

 

[GaryDean26]

So Tabasco the Basque is an eye-opener as a ringer for some of our Cream Legbar roosters..... And I agree a pretty rooster...and I do see a crest right?

Here are some questions:
1. do Basques lay eggs with the blue egg gene?
2. Are Basques autosexing?
3. Does that rooster show the ig genetics? (to any degree) correct me if I'm wrong ig for 'inhibitor of gold'....

I have also seen hens that seem to have the same/similar color pattern as/to Cream Legbar females -- here is one example of a 'silver partridge' if my translator is working:

http://www.kippenencyclopedie.nl/ph...d:Antwerpsebaardkrielen_zilverpatrijs_hen.jpg


So I guess that it goes beyond color---but at first look---- one could be mistaken for the other. Something I have noticed with a lot of the photos of cream legbars...is that as someone shows a cockerel or a pullet at a certain stage of growth---It sometimes looks like it could be interchangeable with mine at that same age/stage.

No, there is no cresting the the Basque breed.
1) No, Basque hens only produce brown eggs. No blue or green.
2) No, the chicks breed to the Spanish Standard are completely yellow so you can't see the yellow spot on their heads. Some of the non-standard one, particularly the dark red ones do show the white dots. But as a breed no, they are not autosexing.
3) No, this breed dosen't appear to carry the cream ig gene.

 

[GaryDean26]

Thanks Gary, that is awesome information. I love the appearance of Tabasco too

I am still tempted to get these guys. Are they truly as wonderful as they are meant to be?

They are defiantly lap chickens. They like people so if you are looking for a pet this is the breed for you. They will jump right up into your hand and love attention. Their greeting is a soft peck which I wasn't expecting and am still not used to. A lot of people that have had tons of chickens say this EO's are their favorite, but I just say a chicken is a chicken.