The Legbar Thread!

[Chickencame1st]

Here are some example eyeliner pics.

Boy:


Girl:




I picked the picture of the boy with a light gray down as that is the hardest to sex to demonstrate. The disruption of the eyeliner is caused by barring (either single of double barred). Boys are doubled barred and hence the fuzziness on the back and eyeliner. It also causes a dot on the head. However, some pullets can also have the dot but it must be small. If you learn to sex by eyeliner, you can apply it to other autosexing breeds such as Bielefelders. Take a look below at the tub of Bielefelders. Guess which ones are the boys? I hope this helps.

Thanks--Here are the chicks--looks like all three are pullets. The 1st on the left was in question--a stripe on her head, it's just not super distinct. But no spot.

 

[ChicKat]

What if the eyeliner is disrupted but the chipmunk stripes are sharp? I have 2 pullets, 5 weeks old now, only reason I am able to differentiate between the two is that one did not have a clear eyeliner. I am 99.99% sure its a pullet though. I will post some pics when I get a chance.

As I recall, the Punnett literature says that the chipmunk stripes are the dominant marker for females. If I come across where it is/was, I will come back and put in the quote or a link.

 

[ChicKat]

Thanks--Here are the chicks--looks like all three are pullets. The 1st on the left was in question--a stripe on her head, it's just not super distinct. But no spot.

i would probably say Pullett too, sometimes it almost looks like the boys have a white eye-stripe where the girls have dark.. I do agree with what DCchicken had mentioned earlier though, that if there is some doubt about gender at hatch time -- that may not be a chicken that you wish to use in your breeding pen.
cute chicks!

Did you mention the age difference? the center one makes the two on the outside look really small- so I'm guessing about 1-1 1/2 weeks older compared to newly hatched...

 

[Chickencame1st]

Chickat there is about a week difference in age between the 2 little girls and the big girl. I'm pretty happy about 3 pullets. I'll post maturing progress pics. Thanks

 

[Junibutt]

As I recall, the Punnett literature says that the chipmunk stripes are the dominant marker for females.  If I come across where it is/was, I will come back and put in the quote or a link.  

That's what I was trying to say as well that if chipmunk stripes are well demarcated, eyeliner may not count. Although that begs another discussion point, whether the ones without well defined eyeliner should be used for breeding or not. If they grow up to be great, shall the lack of well defined eyeliner be ignored?

 

[dretd]

Quote:
ChicKat, here you go:


From RC Punnett, Genetic Studies in Poultry XI: The Legbar , 1940 http://www.ias.ac.in/jarch/jgenet/41/1.pdf

pg 2: "further experience showed that the homozygous males could be distinguished from brown-stripes heterozygous for barring...by the marked light head patch, and especially by the blurring of the light striping of the rump..."

pg 3: "Possible confusion is , however, eliminated when it is recognised that the darker BB type always shows blurring of the light rump stripes as well as a light head patch, whereas in the lighter Bb the head patch is small or absent and the light rump stripes are sharply defined. Although the Legbar, the name we give to this new breed, exhibits, the Brown Leghorn, some variation in the intensity of pigment in the down of the chicks, there is nevertheless a perfectly clear distinction between the BB male chicks and the Bb females."

 

[dretd]

Our Cream Legbar Jenny came from Meyer Hatchery and is now about 6 wks old. We LOVE her!! We laugh over how it looks like she has a mohawk and although she is small she has a big personality. So smart - she already responds when called to. We can't wait until she starts to lay the blue eggs.

First of all

I will look forward to seeing photos of your girl!

 

[ChicKat]

That's what I was trying to say as well that if chipmunk stripes are well demarcated, eyeliner may not count. Although that begs another discussion point, whether the ones without well defined eyeliner should be used for breeding or not. If they grow up to be great, shall the lack of well defined eyeliner be ignored?

Seems to me that since the eyeliner is kind of 'ours' and isn't mentioned by Punnett as I recall-- I would definitely not select for it-- although it is a help since many, many female chicks do have it.

Thanks dretd--for the reference and link...but I'm thinking I saw something a bit different from another writing of Punnett's. i will have to dig a little - the gist is the same.

to everyone-- does it seem that the male stripes on the back are becoming not just diffused buy quite absent in some strains and in some male chick pictures?

 

[ChicKat]

Chickat there is about a week difference in age between the 2 little girls and the big girl. I'm pretty happy about 3 pullets. I'll post maturing progress pics. Thanks

Good, I love to see how they grow...and that comparison is really a good example of how they change in size during the first week!!!

 

[ChicKat]

First of all

I will look forward to seeing photos of your girl!

X2
If you need to rack up 10-=posts really quickly so you can -- put pictures up -- just go to the welcome link - and welcome everyone to BYC as they sign up -- and -- a quick 10 so you can post---and you can say - Hi - I'm new too.... LOL

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/44/new-member-introductions

welcome a few folks and in no time you will have the 10-posts required before you can post pictures.... (that would be my strategy anyway)