The Legbar Thread!

[harriedhomemaker]

Good for you!!! I'm really interested in this. Just like you, I think I am going to be in the market for hardware cloth BIG time -- in just a very short time. I"m also investigating shock wires high and low. Keep us posted.

Will do.

I'm feeling slightly paranoid about moving my CLs out into that coop. The coop has been empty of chickens for about 9 months. I bought it used from a friend and I'm pretty sure she wasn't the first owner, either. I sprayed it out with water and scrubbed the floor and roosts with vinegar/water. I am installing a sheet of linoleum over the old flooring and most surfaces will have a fresh coat of paint. The coop will be in a pen that is contiguous to my mixed layer flock's pen, but I do not intend to have them run together.

For all the knowledgeable folks out there - I don't really know how Marek's and the like are passed; is it possible that bacteria and/or viruses could still be lurking in that old coop? Since the CL has only been in the US for a short time, I know it is susceptible to the strains of diseases we have here and I'd hate to get my flock wiped out.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Will do.

I'm feeling slightly paranoid about moving my CLs out into that coop. The coop has been empty of chickens for about 9 months. I bought it used from a friend and I'm pretty sure she wasn't the first owner, either. I sprayed it out with water and scrubbed the floor and roosts with vinegar/water. I am installing a sheet of linoleum over the old flooring and most surfaces will have a fresh coat of paint. The coop will be in a pen that is contiguous to my mixed layer flock's pen, but I do not intend to have them run together.

For all the knowledgeable folks out there - I don't really know how Marek's and the like are passed; is it possible that bacteria and/or viruses could still be lurking in that old coop? Since the CL has only been in the US for a short time, I know it is susceptible to the strains of diseases we have here and I'd hate to get my flock wiped out.

Here's a good document about Marek's: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf It says it can live for months in chicken dust and litter but doesn't say how many.

If the coop's been empty for 9 months plus the paint and new flooring I would say there is very little risk of Marek's. I don't know much about other chicken diseases (besides the basic respiratory ones).

 

[normanack]

Will do.

. . . . I'm feeling slightly paranoid about moving my CLs out into that coop. The coop has been empty of chickens for about 9 months. I bought it used from a friend and I'm pretty sure she wasn't the first owner, either. I sprayed it out with water and scrubbed the floor and roosts with vinegar/water. . . . .

Okay, this is only tangentially related -- and I don't know if it's effective against Marek's and other chicken ills -- but thought it was interesting.
Using both hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, spraying one right after the other, is very effective at killing germs in the kitchen. This link cites the original study in the endnotes : http://www.cooksinfo.com/peroxide-vinegar-sterilization I use it myself because I hate the smell of bleach and the scents in some cleaning products.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Just an update on my rose comb legbars. I have lots of great looking pullets, the cockerels aren't turning out as planned yet but I have plenty growing out. I have already culled a few based on HUGE hideous combs or combs that are hollow in the center. Something I have noticed with the rose comb, is that it curves due to the crest. There are a few landrace breeds like the Russian Crested that have crests and rose combs that curve. When I first started, I had a perfect rose comb on a legbar with a crest pictured but now, I have come to the realization that I will just have to deal with it.I plan to take the best rose combed rooster and mate him over pure hens and take the best rose combed pullets and mate them to a good single combed pure rooster just to get them that much more pure. Color wise, they are looking like any other cream legbars out there, same with crest size and everything. Egg color and production are still better than my pure birds so it looks like this project is chugging right along.

My bantam legbar project has seen a few setbacks so I might just have to wait and restart it next year...

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Okay, this is only tangentially related -- and I don't know if it's effective against Marek's and other chicken ills -- but thought it was interesting.
Using both hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, spraying one right after the other, is very effective at killing germs in the kitchen. This link cites the original study in the endnotes : http://www.cooksinfo.com/peroxide-vinegar-sterilization I use it myself because I hate the smell of bleach and the scents in some cleaning products.

I use it, too, in my home and coops. Bleach only kills surface germs- in porous surfaces like wood the germs survive and can grow back to the surface. Hydrogen Peroxide followed by vinegar (or vice versa) works on POROUS surfaces to kill germs down below the surface! Just be sure DO NOT MIX THEM IN THE SAME BOTTLE- spray one then spray the other.

 

[storm2284]

Eye color will continue to change until they are about 4-5 months old, The greenish shade in young ones is normal, it will change to the red-orange as they grow.

thank goodness! thank you for that, i have been so confused.. now i do feel silly lol

 

[FridayYet]

Just an update on my rose comb legbars. I have lots of great looking pullets, the cockerels aren't turning out as planned yet but I have plenty growing out. I have already culled a few based on HUGE hideous combs or combs that are hollow in the center. Something I have noticed with the rose comb, is that it curves due to the crest. There are a few landrace breeds like the Russian Crested that have crests and rose combs that curve. When I first started, I had a perfect rose comb on a legbar with a crest pictured but now, I have come to the realization that I will just have to deal with it.I plan to take the best rose combed rooster and mate him over pure hens and take the best rose combed pullets and mate them to a good single combed pure rooster just to get them that much more pure. Color wise, they are looking like any other cream legbars out there, same with crest size and everything. Egg color and production are still better than my pure birds so it looks like this project is chugging right along.

My bantam legbar project has seen a few setbacks so I might just have to wait and restart it next year...

Thanks for the update!

I like hearing about your projects since it will be several years before I can do any of my own.

Post some pics when you get a chance -

 

[harriedhomemaker]

Here's a good document about Marek's: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf It says it can live for months in chicken dust and litter but doesn't say how many.

If the coop's been empty for 9 months plus the paint and new flooring I would say there is very little risk of Marek's. I don't know much about other chicken diseases (besides the basic respiratory ones).

Thanks, Rinda! I'll be sure to take a look at that link. The coop wasn't perfectly cleaned out for all those months. When I started working on it yesterday, there was still a bit of detritus I had to clean out. I'm hoping that all the freezing weather + prairie winds swooped all the bad bugs out of the coop.

 

[harriedhomemaker]

Okay, this is only tangentially related -- and I don't know if it's effective against Marek's and other chicken ills -- but thought it was interesting.
Using both hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, spraying one right after the other, is very effective at killing germs in the kitchen. This link cites the original study in the endnotes : http://www.cooksinfo.com/peroxide-vinegar-sterilization I use it myself because I hate the smell of bleach and the scents in some cleaning products.

Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely give that a try.

 

[horsedirt]

I'm a newbie. I love the breed! I also hatched 5 out of 6 eggs. Wonderful but 4 are roos and the 5 is white and not going to make it. Anyone want a roo chick?Parents are from Greenfire. I am located in Florida.