The Legbar Thread!

[dretd]

Thanks for the info on egg size--I knew it was weight, not size, that determind the egg size, but it never occurred to me that eggs would be more/less heavy (dense).
I need to get the scale out. That's an excellent idea, to track the weight.
I've gotten some great info from the member insight on this board. THANK YOU!

I actually think its the shape of the egg, not the density that makes CL eggs deceptively heavier. I think CL eggs seem more rounded/less pointy on the ends so the volume is greater. I have heard some folks say they think the air cells are smaller, too, but I suspect its another artifact of the shape.

 

[normanack]

Color question.

I have two young cockerels, pretty much identical, who are Cream Legbar rooster x buff-laced Polish hen. They have barring in their crests and red-brown markings on their wings/sides:








Note wild crest.


And I have three Cream Legbar rooster x buff-laced Polish pullets. They are white with occasional small black markings, no buff/brown/red, and smooth white crests:





The question is, with such uniform appearance among the boys, and similarly uniform appearance among the girls (but different from the boys), is this likely a sex-linked coloration? Or is it merely chance in a too-small sample size?
Or, for that matter, do you think I have the parentage wrong? (The other possible roosters are Silkies.)

 

[dretd]

Scroll down for information on best age to start laying, and great info on identifying your best layers

http://albc-usa.org/documents/ALBCchicken_assessment-2.pdf

Thanks for posting this link!

I am a little confused about the rate of production linked to the size of the pelvic bone spread and thickness of the bones.

The chart basically says that the narrower the pelvic bone spread, the lower the production rate, and additionally the thinner the pelvic bones are, the lower the production. I did not see a link to a research study to prove these numbers are correct--did I miss it? I can see a link between egg size and the pelvic outlet diameter, but I am not sure the link is valid for the rate of lay? What's your take on that?

 

[Bullitt]

About how many eggs per year do Gold Legbars and Silver Legbars lay per year?

Are these breeds available? If so, how much do they cost?

 

[dretd]

Color question.

I have two young cockerels, pretty much identical, who are Cream Legbar rooster x buff-laced Polish hen. They have barring in their crests and red-brown markings on their wings/sides:

And I have three Cream Legbar rooster x buff-laced Polish pullets. They are white with occasional small black markings, no buff/brown/red, and smooth white crests:



The question is, with such uniform appearance among the boys, and similarly uniform appearance among the girls (but different from the boys), is this likely a sex-linked coloration? Or is it merely chance in a too-small sample size?
Or, for that matter, do you think I have the parentage wrong? (The other possible roosters are Silkies.)

I would find it highly unlikely that a Silkie sired these babies (unless they are not purebred and even then very unlikely). Silkies have 5 toes which is a dominant trait. All of the babies will have 5 toes. I would also expect pigmentation in the skin. The close-up on that cockerel comb looks hybrid, but a single comb x v comb, not v x walnut (or whatever the Silkie has)

I will have to look up the genetics to say for sure, but it looks like with this combo, white is dominant but because of the way boys vs girls are expressed boys always have red feathers bleeding through on the shoulders and wing bows. Its really common to see that and in my cross-bred roos that was always the first thing I could see that would help sex them. A few stray brown/rust/chestnut feathers on the shoulders of the chick=roo. So I would not call it sex-linkage but sex dimorphism since you can't sex them at hatch based on the red coming out later as they mature.

 

[GaryDean26]

Thanks for posting this link!

I am a little confused about the rate of production linked to the size of the pelvic bone spread and thickness of the bones.

The chart basically says that the narrower the pelvic bone spread, the lower the production rate, and additionally the thinner the pelvic bones are, the lower the production. I did not see a link to a research study to prove these numbers are correct--did I miss it? I can see a link between egg size and the pelvic outlet diameter, but I am not sure the link is valid for the rate of lay? What's your take on that?

Read Call of the Hen by Walter Hogan. You can find it on-line. He discovered and perfected this method and it may make more sense with the photos, charts, and instructions in his book. He tested this method at dozens of agricultural research centers in California in the 1920's and all of them found it be be accurate.


Thin pelvic bones make for more eggs, thick bones for less eggs. The other measurement that I do is from the pelvic bones to the keel bone. This is called capacity and I measure it in fingers. My best hen measure at 4 1/2 fingers and I saw as low as 2-1/2 finders (from a hen I logged 165 eggs in the first year of laying, she had the thinnest pelvic bone of the flock though 1/8"???) but the average was at 3 fingers. I am still not proficient at gaging the pelvic bones by hand, but the best I could tell I was getting an average at 1/4" with some a little thinner (3/16") and some a little thicker (5/16"). In Hogans book he said his favorite birds were the 3/8" type because the lighter birds were not as sturdy in the barn yard. I would like to so 1/4" to 3/8" hens with 6 finger capacity. That shows to be 235 eggs to 265 eggs on the chart.

 

[dretd]

Read Call of the Hen by Walter Hogan. You can find it on-line. He discovered and perfected this method and it may make more sense with the photos, charts, and instructions in his book. He tested this method at dozens of agricultural research centers in California in the 1920's and all of them found it be be accurate.


Thin pelvic bones make for more eggs, thick bones for less eggs. The other measurement that I do is from the pelvic bones to the keel bone. This is called capacity and I measure it in fingers. My best hen measure at 4 1/2 fingers and I saw as low as 2-1/2 finders (from a hen I logged 165 eggs in the first year of laying, she had the thinnes velvic bone of the flock though 1/8"???) but the average was at 3 fingers. I am still not proficient at gaging the pelvic bones by hand, but the best I could tell I was getting an average at 1/4" with some a little thinner (3/16") and some a little thicker (5/16"). In Hogans book he said his favorite birds were the 3/8" type because the lighter birds were not as sturdy in the barn yard. I would like to so 1/4" to 3/8" hens with 6 finger capacity. That shows to be 235 eggs to 265 eggs on the chart.

Thanks for the additional info--I will for sure check it out.

Do you know if fingers is defined more specifically in some way? ie In horses a hand is defined as 4 inches. In chickens, my guess is that the finger is a larger handed male's interpretation of fingers vs a small ladies hand? Have you measured your finger measurement off a ruler for comparison--like 4 fingers= 3 inches or something like that (using my index finger's second joint of 1 1/4 inches length, I measure the width of my fingers to 2/3 of a inch

)? Boy I think the thickness of the bone is a toughy and will have a pretty long learning curve. Once I catch and manhandle the girls, that is!

 

[pginsber]

I actually think its the shape of the egg, not the density that makes CL eggs deceptively heavier. I think CL eggs seem more rounded/less pointy on the ends so the volume is greater. I have heard some folks say they think the air cells are smaller, too, but I suspect its another artifact of the shape.

Thanks. I'll check. Their eggs really are the perfect shape (if there is such a thing)

 

[GaryDean26]

No, fingers are not defined more specificaly in the book, but yes they use man hands and yes my 4 fingers measure at exactly 3". The hard part about measuring the pelvic bones is that you have to be able to feel the bone. I tried capillars, but you can't feel where they are going so you don't know if they are placed right. I had lines on a paper measure 1/8 and inch apart and tried eyeing the lines with my thumb and pointer finger at different distances and then when to the pens and back and forth. It is a feel thing and I will keep practicing.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

About how many eggs per year do Gold Legbars and Silver Legbars lay per year?

Are these breeds available? If so, how much do they cost?

As far as I know, they are not available in the US, and one of them- I'm thinking the gold- are considered extinct but could possibly be recreated.