The Legbar Thread!

[GaryDean26]

Got my first ever recessive white this morning- I was beginning to think I didn't have it. I think it's a girl. I've hatched about a dozen cream legbar eggs almost every week so far this year and hadn't come across it until now. Has anyone done any test breeding with the white gene? It is possible only one of my hens carry the white gene and I can find her by elimination, or do you think my rooster has it, too? They are lovely birds of their own, but I'd rather not have the white gene in my flock. Not really sure yet what I'm going to do.

I almost got some White Marans egg last week to use for test mating but held off since the incubator was full (I might see if I can get any at the Poultry Show this weekend).

If I get any white to pop out I will be keeping them to test breed my foundation stock and other breeders as needed (although the White Marans will work better because I won't mix the white carrier eggs with the Legbar hens by mistake.

To get the White Legbars both the hen and the cockerel have to have the white gene gene, so it sounds like Hugger has the white gene. I am guessing that only one of his parents had the gene it since you haven't seen any white up to this point. How many hens were in the flock Hugger came from? The more hens the more likly that it was from him mother and not his father. If only one parent had the gene, then 25% [GD26 50% as corrected by 1muttsfan. Momentary brain lapse.. of the offspring will be carriers.

 

[1muttsfan]

Actually, 50% of his offspring will carry the recessive gene -
50% will inherit the C (wild-type) gene
50% will inherit the c (recessive white) gene


If mated to a C/c hen, then
25% will be c/c white
50% will be C/c and carry it but not be white
25% will be homozygous C/C wild-type not white

 

[ChicKat]

My hen is finally laying! I am so glad that she is finally giving me some eggs, but a little disapointed about the color. She hatched out of a nice blue egg, but hers are more green then I was expecting. Here is a pic of two of her eggs I gathered today (got lucky today!), along side silkie and TetraTint eggs. Now I am happy about the size, The TetraTint eggs are usually XLarge/Jumbo size, so she is already giving me a large size egg and has only been laying since Easter. I also have some of madamwlf's eggs in the incubator set to hatch out next Monday. Six out of seven eggs are developing nicely so I can't wait. And I have four Legbar x TetraTint mixes set to hatch out Wednesday, so the rooster is doing his job!

Hi Yoie - They are pretty eggs, and they have a nice saturation. I see what you mean about being greener than you would like. Do you have an Online Auction Color Chart OAC or one of the Charts from the Ameraucana or Araucana association? Otherwise since everyone's monitor is calibrated a bit differently we may all be seeing a color a bit different from the actual eggs. Just one of those wonders of our technological age...and blue is so hard to photo.

Interesting that we are getting some odder colors coming out.

1muttsfan - I agree with you that it would be nice to have blue and only blue...and for everyone with CLs we need to be careful to let people know that there is indeed a color range---becuase what could be more disappointing than a false advertisement of the true color.

If you have seen the color charts from the clubs of the other blue-layers in the USA - Araucana and Ameraucana - they also have a range of colors for the eggs: Here's a link to show what I'm speaking of:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Arau/BRKArauEgg.html

Each square around the edge was taken from an actual eggshell - the British Araucana Society's member F. Decmar - is the person who did the original chart. Hat's off to Mr. Decmar for his insight. IMO A1 is what we all want -- and is D8 the farthest away? But scroll down and see that the prize winner in the photo is quite green..... but definitely more saturated than the other eggs it that contest. -- So -- I'm thinking that any color that matches the ones the Mr. Decmar recorded, should be acceptable. FMPs olive egg is the first I heard also of an olive in the USA, and as the USA standard is being built, olive has been omitted.

What avenues should someone take when the eggs are NOT the "correct" color. Definitely if it is way off, like white, brown or olive -- don't put those eggs in a breeding program. People would/will need to keep careful breeding records to see what pairings produced that ones that are outside the 'correct' are not bred IF there is a goal to achieve the SOP. The blue eggs hatching green egg-layers is a step back...(for all of us that experience this)--- and a real effort needs to be made to get back to blue. I'm wondering if a DNA test of the Cockerel could indicate if he has O/O - genetics. What would happen if both Hen and Cockerel have O/O -- and eggs are still green? -- then it must be within the realm of normal for the blue-eggs. We have always been told that green is due to the influence of brown pigment coating the true blue egg--- I'm beginning to think that there are other factors -- especially if the shell when first broken is identical inside and outside, that would eliminate the green coming from bloom.

 

[nicalandia]

Well...I had a 50% chance anyways. I enjoyed the game. It was a fun test of how much we are learning.

True... I have access to Hyline white leghorns(silver) and I was thinking of getting a few

 

[1muttsfan]

I have 2 of the Araucana charts now, both apparently became invisible after unpacking them

 

[ChicKat]

I have 2 of the Araucana charts now, both apparently became invisible after unpacking them

They are just in the 'Parallel Universe" right where you put them in this universe!!

 

[normanack]

They are just in the 'Parallel Universe" right where you put them in this universe!!

Yes! -- or maybe it's bubble universes bumping into each other, or possibly even an unintended passage through the Bifurcated Trousers of Time . . .

Sorry, major Terry Pratchett fan here. Shutting up now.

 

[1muttsfan]

Like so many lost things, I expect that eventually they will reappear in some obvious place where I have looked for them 10 times already.

 

[ChicKat]

Like so many lost things, I expect that eventually they will reappear in some obvious place where I have looked for them 10 times already.

That is exactly how the parallel universe works!!!

 

[ChicKat]

Yes! -- or maybe it's bubble universes bumping into each other, or possibly even an unintended passage through the Bifurcated Trousers of Time . . .

Sorry, major Terry Pratchett fan here. Shutting up now.