The Legbar Thread!

[Peep_Show]

FYI... Ethel (CCLxRIR) crowed this morning. So much for the egg seller's claims that the chipmunky ones at hatch are female!

 

[ChicKat]

FYI... Ethel (CCLxRIR) crowed this morning. So much for the egg seller's claims that the chipmunky ones at hatch are female!

Thanks for the update -- it helps expand our knowledge --- sorry no eggs. ;O)

 

[GaryDean26]

FYI... Ethel (CCLxRIR) crowed this morning. So much for the egg seller's claims that the chipmunky ones at hatch are female!

If they want to make sex-links they need a black cockerel. The RIR doesn't work well as you have seen.

 

[ChicKat]

Here's a story for Legbar people....


The other day, I was reading Exhibition Poultry Keeping by David Scrivener. In the chapter about "Show Bird Training and Preparation" - he explains how long ago fanciers would massage the head of their Maylays with the objective of loosening the skin to make the "overhanging (beetle) eye brows, giving a cruel and morose expression "


We know that the crest can cause the comb to be crooked.
So of two Legbar cockerels from my last hatch - one is beginning to get a slanting comb (i.e. traverse the head at a diagonal)...Knew this was possible because the father had diagonal comb.

Today I caught and picked him up and massaged the side that appears to be pulling away from straight - for about a minute.... - and when I was done -- he really was a little bit straighter, couldn't believe that a result could show up so fast...but he very quickly reverted to the way he was before. -- Both these cockerels are equivalent, one is a week younger...but I hate to see one that could have promise be destined for soup if there is a way to avoid it. -- Of the two - the older one dawdled with his hatch and took over 12 hours -- but the younger one was fully pipped, zipped and hatched within 2-minutes...so I attribute that to a lot of chick vigor. -- but he is beginning to get a slanting comb.

The fanciers way back in the day did this - one even invented a special saddle to hold the rooster while he was getting his massage.

Since there is no bone formation involved with the crests on my flock - I think perhaps stretching the skin at this young age...about 9 weeks plus - could have an effect. Isn't that interesting. Hopefully as time permits I can catch him and follow up -- but I was surprised to see the appearance of straight so quickly -- although it didn't remain - and poultry showers have used techniques to influence the appearance of their birds since the olden-days so it seems.

 

[stryker]

It will be interesting to find out how many roosters/cockerels with gigantic combs survive frost bite. It was only 28 degrees in Chicago last night with wind chills of 14 and my cockerel's comb tips were slightly blue. However I do have my coop open from 1 end at the moment. Last year I closed that when it got below 20 but I did not have any large comb birds last year. Lets see!

Last week it got down to the single digits and the wind chill was pushing -15. I am glad that I got good pictures of my roo before the frostbite. He has or had a huge comb. I would open the coop door and they would go out to the blowing side of the coop and huddle there all day.. I had to escort them back in the coop towards the end of the day. Their combs will more than likely have no spikes and a lot smaller when they heal.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

After that cold snap we had last week, I am pleased with most of my birds. The ladies did great, the rose comb males and my single comb cock from last year did good too. The cockerel I kept this year and showed is a different story. He was in the most protected pen but basically lost part of his wattles and his comb will heal as a blade with a few lumps where his points used to be. He is just a backup anyway in case something happens to his father

 

[stryker]

That is good to know. I just wish I had the perfect coop that would get the best ventilation and still help keep the chickens in good shape with these 30 to 40 mph wind gusts that we have all the time in the winter. Currently, I have the coop then a square tunnel that goes to a 36 by 8 greenhouse made out of cattle panels. It has about 4 inches of wheat screening hulls and corn mix in it. The screenings is to help keep the feet warmer. The greenhouse is more to keep the wind off of them. The water will freeze if I don't heat the water in there. I really like your coop design.

My coop is 8ft by 12ft with 4 ft walls and 6ft at highest part of roof. It has R19 insulation in it. I got the 2 by 6 lumber really cheap so I used that. I wish I had a backup roo but I have 4 roos of each different breeds. These winters suck here.. LOL..

 

[chicken pickin]

Last year was my first winter overwintering Legbars. It was a brutally cold winter. My original Legbar cock bird lost half his comb blade to frostbite, it looked like we dubbed him. My Marans faired much better and only tips of combs were lost. Im not looking forward to see how my Legbar males fair again this winter. Im hoping I can figure something better out.

I have posted these pics previously on one of the Legbar threads so I apologize for the repeat pics.

This was my last years Legbar cock before frostbite


During frostbite


After frostbite

 

[ChicKat]

chicken pickin

That is amazing documentation. Thanks for reposting.

 

[dretd]

@ chicken pickin, what a great photo progression--thanks for posting that!

Our weather changed so abruptly this time around, I think that the combs didn't have a chance to acclimate. 60+ one day then -6 the next night was too much. I was at sustained -15 for a spell last year and did not have the amount of damage to the combs that I did this year. And it seems random. Some of the ones that insisted on staying outside were less damaged than those in the hen house. Some may be due to the thickness of the comb and also to the vigor of the individual. All three of these boys were in the hen house (which is 4x8, somewhat drafty and has a ceramic reptile bulb in a reflector that raises the temp ever so slightly):

This gold-tint guy is going to look dubbed. He is a little younger so perhaps that was a factor.

Below is my second best cockerel from this season. He had fewer/broader-based points yet he will lose them. I thought the whole comb was a gonner--you can see the black line abrupt color change midway down the blade. The first night everything above that line was purply- black. Now it looks like there is color coming in above that line. In the end, I think that the central point will be the only one that makes it and the front of the blade will come off so he will look like a unicorn or dunce-cap earing rooster. Alas his show days are none--I was planning on taking him down to the Stock Show in January.

This is my top boy from this season. He has/had very tall, narrow even points. I would have expected them all to come off first because they are narrow and have little mass. That creamy green color indicates actual blisters in the comb. They are scabbing over. I think that in the end he will lose the tips of the points but may keep the areas that look cream as they are still soft.

I will repost after thanksgiving and I figure out what falls off and what re-animates!