The Legbar Thread!

[ChicKat]

It is always interesting to speculate on possible causes of different genetic traits. For an adequate genetic survey, you need a LOT of chicks hatched, and unhatched eggs have to be included in the reference population (to help determine if a trait is associated with early embryonic death). I have received quite a few shipped eggs that were a nice clear blue that were not from white birds. The greenish tint on eggs is due to the deposition of pigment on the surface of the egg, most likely due to some genetic impurities (meaning there were brown- or cream-egg ancestors somewhere in the background and the brown pigment was not vigorously selected against). Green eggs have just as much blue pigment as blue eggs, just altered in appearance by the deposition of pigment on the egg surface, so it is hard for me to believe that the blue pigment itself is causing lower egg production in just the blue egg laying birds. Instead, I think it may be related to either selective breeding for appearance without regard to egg production, that the breeds involved just do not lay as many eggs, or both.

Good insights, but if the green eggs were due to a brown 'bloom' coating then, regardless of how faint, then the inside of the freshly broken shell would be the pure blue. When the inside is also green, there is something more than a coating going on. :O)

 

[ChicKat]

Try shaving your carrots, mine turn their nose up at any sort of a chunk, but peelings are hugely popular.

Thanks... I have tried pulverizing them in the food processor, and cooking and mashing - I mix them with feed & sunflower seeds...etc. (I'm cooking for chickens again)---

My next attempt will be to get baby-food jar of carrots.... If I remember next grocery store visit. You should see the looks that they give me when I try to sneak in carrots. I do think, however, that I did get a bit more color saturation -- not scientific, just experimental. ETA - the carotenoid was mixed with water and given to the birds...

I remember now, I had written an article about green eggs to be used if needed for the Cream Legbar Club newsletter - here are some of the included links:

http://webs.uvigo.es/avelando/pdfs_archivos/moralesetal2011BESa.pdf

 

[1muttsfan]

I have had people swear that their brown eggs were brown on the inside as well. This is doubtful, but maybe the external color can affect the appearance of the inside of the egg. If we had one of those portable spectophotometer thingies we could do an analysis of interior shell color.

That article is very interesting. Since blue egg color relies on biliverdin, I had heard that carotenoid supplementation would not enhance egg color. This is clearly not true, as increased carotenoid levels free up biliverdin for use in egg coloration.

 

[ChicKat]

Yes, you are right--and it seems that some species it makes a difference and some it doesn't.

There were some articles too on other effects of biliverdin - related to other reproductive functions of birds -- but they seem to come up now as 404 errors.

 

[ChicKat]

Exciting day! Just got my GFF CL chicks today; looks like 8 girls and 2 roos. From B & C lines. Of course, there is nothing
cuter than these tiny ones, but can hardly wait to see how they develop.
Now if I can just figure out how to keep the roos, or at least the best one, without annoying the neighbors!
Lynn

Congratulations - now you should post some pictures of your chicks!

Strangely if there aren't other roosters (or predators) around, my one CL hardly crowed at all. You may luck out. He isn't crowing much at his new home -- in a city BTW-- and is really a good guy - albeit pretty big and hefty for a Cream Legbar.

 

[ChicKat]

I have had people swear that their brown eggs were brown on the inside as well. This is doubtful, but maybe the external color can affect the appearance of the inside of the egg. If we had one of those portable spectophotometer thingies we could do an analysis of interior shell color.

That article is very interesting. Since blue egg color relies on biliverdin, I had heard that carotenoid supplementation would not enhance egg color. This is clearly not true, as increased carotenoid levels free up biliverdin for use in egg coloration.

Oh that WOULD be cool to get a spectophotometer, wouldn't it?? What precision. What you said, and some subsequent reading makes me think it was a big mistake to put a bright blue fake-egg in the nest box for some chickens -- it probably looks atomic-blue to them and they didn't lay yesterday - not one.. (of course only the Basque hen in that bunch has produced eggs thus far) and it may have been her day off---I think I will swap that one out for green and see what light-wave vibrations green gives their brains.

ETA - googled and came up with this (among others) ETA

http://www.opticsplanet.com/thermo-genesys-20-spectrophotometer-thermo-scientific-4001-000.html


The Cream Legbar Club should put that item in their budget and then for a small fee they should analyze peoples egg shells--- At least until cost of item is paid back to treasury....

 

[1muttsfan]

Nice that the shipping is free anyway!

My basques have suddenly gone on strike now that I have been collecting eggs for the incubator - out of 7 hens I am only getting 2 eggs a day, where before I was getting 4-5. It's like they KNOW. Can't wait until my November CL's start laying, but the girls look very immature still.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Oh that WOULD be cool to get a spectophotometer, wouldn't it?? What precision. What you said, and some subsequent reading makes me think it was a big mistake to put a bright blue fake-egg in the nest box for some chickens -- it probably looks atomic-blue to them and they didn't lay yesterday - not one.. (of course only the Basque hen in that bunch has produced eggs thus far) and it may have been her day off---I think I will swap that one out for green and see what light-wave vibrations green gives their brains.

ETA - googled and came up with this (among others) ETA

http://www.opticsplanet.com/thermo-genesys-20-spectrophotometer-thermo-scientific-4001-000.html


The Cream Legbar Club should put that item in their budget and then for a small fee they should analyze peoples egg shells--- At least until cost of item is paid back to treasury....

Had no idea those things were so EXPENSIVE! LOL I WISH the CLC had a budget that could accomodate it, though!

 

[ChicKat]

Had no idea those things were so EXPENSIVE! LOL I WISH the CLC had a budget that could accomodate it, though!

Ho ho -- there's one on ebay for 1/10 that price. (do you get what you pay for?) -- Makes the $5.00 color charts look like a REAL bargain!

 

[ChicKat]

Nice that the shipping is free anyway!

My basques have suddenly gone on strike now that I have been collecting eggs for the incubator - out of 7 hens I am only getting 2 eggs a day, where before I was getting 4-5. It's like they KNOW. Can't wait until my November CL's start laying, but the girls look very immature still.

Yep! they KNOW. Animals KNOW so much more than we give them credit for. -- My Basque didn't lay yesterday in sympathy strike to all the other non-layers out there. From immature CLs there were two shell-less and membrane-less eggs in the coop door -- maybe was a double-yolk egg. This is the second time that there has been the same thing in the exact same spot in the doorway. These chickens need a talking to about the perils of being a big slouch. Thus far they are the worst producers I have ever seen. Born in Oct. -- Wonder just how they were raised... Big chickens - nice plumage - no eggs. This is their third week here too.