The Legbar Thread!

[chicken pickin]

Thanks for the reply. I know a lot of others have the same hatching issues. Makes me wonder if the legbars have some lethal gene that no one knows about yet. My hens do lay nice big blue eggs. My neighbor would really enjoy having them as layers if that is where they end up.

I will try another breeding season and if I cant figure out a way to get better hatches I may also get out of breeding Legbar. Im to the point where I am not even comfortable selling CL hatching eggs to customers because I have no idea if they will even get a chick from them, that's pretty bad. But I will continue to try another year and hope I get better results.

 

[ChicKat]

Someone asked if other breeds with blue eggs are hatching. Yes, I also hatch Araucana eggs and both green and blue EE eggs. 80+% in the hatches consistently. When I crossed the Legbar rooster with brown leghorns, those chicks popped out of the eggs and were eating and drinking before other hatch mates figured out they were supposed to be eating. Unfortunately while I was in ND, a dog killed all of the Legbar/Leghorn chicks but one cockerel.

So sorry to hear about your loss of chicks that were so vigorous...I was the one who asked if perhaps the blue eggs were inferior hatches... so that isn't it.

It would be nice to get to the bottom of it.

 

[enola]

The CL eggs are fertile. I do have about 5% clears. But, once the chicks start developing, they usually make it to lockdown. They are dying after day 18 or 19. I opened several eggs from my last hatch, chicks in proper position, yolks absorbed, appeared clear of deformities, just not pipped and dead......

 

[chicken pickin]

The CL eggs are fertile. I do have about 5% clears. But, once the chicks start developing, they usually make it to lockdown. They are dying after day 18 or 19. I opened several eggs from my last hatch, chicks in proper position, yolks absorbed, appeared clear of deformities, just not pipped and dead......

Same here.

 

[chicken pickin]

So sorry to hear about your loss of chicks that were so vigorous...I was the one who asked if perhaps the blue eggs were inferior hatches... so that isn't it.

It would be nice to get to the bottom of it.

Yeah I don't think it is a blue egg shell issue either. I have hatched many blue eggs from my EE and also some Blue eggs from an Ameraucana breeder down the street from me with great success.

Im hoping this hatching issue wont be in the Rees line. If my Rees eggs hatch well I will test mate a Rees pullet to my CL cock and see if the hatch results are better. If the results are better crossing bloodlines it might go to show that our CL in the States no matter what farm/breeder you get them from, are possible just too related over all.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

Wow. Just saw a Craigslist ad for Cream Legbars in the Orlando, Fl area (not near me) for a roo and 6 hens, Greenfire line, either laying or about to lay for $175 ($25/bird). The ad is even 28 days old. If I lived nearby I'd snatch them up. Even if they have fertility issues I'd probably just swap roosters and see how they do. They would basically be the same age as my flock.

 

[ChicKat]

The CL eggs are fertile. I do have about 5% clears. But, once the chicks start developing, they usually make it to lockdown. They are dying after day 18 or 19. I opened several eggs from my last hatch, chicks in proper position, yolks absorbed, appeared clear of deformities, just not pipped and dead......

I was looking at a thread here about 'stuck chicks' They did a really good job in this thread I think

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491421/shrink-wrap-vs-sticky-chick

Post 3 is a chick that was shrink wrapped. When I have done egg-topsey - it seems that this is what I see, or similar. I attribute it to me and my equipment --especially since I am very 'small time' as far as incubating goes, and since I also DO get hatches from the eggs.

My incubator was really wet inside my last hatch. I put a paper towel on top of the shelf plastic and when I pressed the paper towel it was wet...so I know that they had overly moist conditions. It also seems that the first ones hatch, and opening up my little incubator really causes turmoil with humidity and temp - more than I had ever realized. These probably aren't your issues at all -- that is just what has happened to my non-hatches..especially late.

perhaps CLs ARE more fragile that other breeds...but I think maybe Blue Isbars have the greatest challenge because that breed is so very inbred.

 

[chicken pickin]

@ChicKat maybe I got a little lost, are you saying higher humidity seemed to help the hatch or hurt the hatch.

I always seem to run my incubators on low humidity. Ive been thinking lately that for CL maybe I need to try a higher humidity. I might try higher humidity with one of my next CL hatches top see if it helps.

 

[enola]

If I am getting 80% or better hatch rates in other breeds in the same incubator, I am not going to blame the incubator or the humidity. Besides, the eggs I have opened had normal membranes, nothing dried or sticky.

 

[KPenley]

To everyone having problems hatching, do you experience the same issues/successful numbers with a broody?