The Legbar Thread!

[KPenley]

Do I understand correctly that all of the CLs in this country were originally imported by Greenfire Farms? I wonder how many they imported at that time. If all the Legbars go back to them, and they only imported a few, then I would think the gene pool is pretty small. A small gene pool in itself would probably create these problems??

Most of the CLs came from GFF. One other family imported them earlier, but had to close their flock. One other person in TX recreated Gold Legbars from scratch and used some GFF birds to bring cream, cresting, blue eggs in. At least 4 lines have been imported by GFF since 2010, but yes the gene pool is limited.

 

[ochochicas]

I will say that I have two roosters and no pullets out of the seven eggs I hatched. They don't really forage at all, in fact, today in the coop I caught a bug and put it in front of them and they just pecked at it but didn't eat it! My hens would be fighting over any bugs they found. As with yours, mine don't venture more than ten feet from the coop and stay inside most of the day. I will say that they are very handsome and I think one of them could turn out to be close to the breed standard if his comb doesn't flop as he grows.

Sorry to hear about you're troubles. Keep us posted!

Yours sound like mine! They will come out of the coop sometimes for scratch grains, but usually the CCLs want me to bring it to them. They are so shy and unsocial. I assumed it was because they were raised by a breeder and probably never got out of the coop or cage they were raised in. When I picked them up they were running around in a yard and hiding behind the shed. That lady didn't have them very long though (she bought them from the original breeder). Maybe my house is just to hectic for them. When I open the coop, the rooster takes all the other hens down through the pasture to the horse shelter where there is dry dirt to roll in. He is very active, digs up treats for the hens, etc. He is actually a very good flock rooster. Too bad he attacks us and we have to watch him all the time.

I decided to try CCLs but sometimes you find a particular breed doesn't suit you. I tried a lot of different breeds to see what I like best. I like the red stars, ameraucanas and australorps. I love my turken, plymouth rocks and Rhode Islands. I really love the Marans, and I truly adored our late rooster who was half CCL and half Ameraucana. He's the reason I decided to try CCLs. I doubt I'll find another rooster that is awesome as he was, but I'm going to try!

 

[ladycat]

That's funny. That first CCL I hatched with Serama eggs is still in the house with the Seramas (I don't want to put her outside all by herself). She's getting pretty big, and the only handling she gets is when I pick her up to put her back in the box. It's a big box and she has plenty of room, but she gets out all the time so she can go walking around the mudroom. She doesn't mind me picking her up and she enjoys being petted, but she doesn't run to me for attention or anything like some of the Seramas do.

Come to think of it, maybe she gets out because she knows I'll pick her up and pet her when she does lol.

 

[sweetdreaming]

Happy New Year everyone! Wow, all this talk about bad dispositions and poor hatches! My 2 Jill Rees hens are in a pen w/ GFF Line D roo. My JR roo is w/ some original stock and 4 Line D Girls. I figured I would try an outcross first and will start a hatch as soon as my brooder gets freed up -it's been too cold to move last Marans hatch outside!!
Re: dispositions: all my CLB's are pretty nice, good free rangers (I stagger range days between each pen), and come a-runnin when called --but I hand raised them w/ lots of treats and contact. They are a bit more "flighty" than my heavy breeds (but one of my JR hens is almost toooo friendly!). My JR roo and Line D roo so far hv been gentlemen. When they're still very small, and I'm handling them and if the boys act "cocky" to me, I "snap" them a bit on their beak and they soon seem to lose their bravado (maybe that's why the 2 CLB Roos avoid me now!). Seems to have worked, time will tell (there's always the spray bottle!).... I hate being terrorized by little feathered dinosaurs!
Re: JR sizes being smaller: I hvn't weighed mine, but they seem to be average compared to any others I've had. A bit slower to mature. The line D hens started POL at 20 weeks, the JR's 24-26 weeks.
Re: hatch rates: I hv an RCom 20 digital incubator and hv had pretty good luck w/ my own eggs. It's completely programable (don't know if really IS accurate, but the display SAYS it is!). I just use the standard chicken program (but increase turning angle to 120, cuz sometimes the eggs "stick" a bit on the tray...seems to guarantee at least 90 degrees). I got 80% hatch rate w/ my original stock last summer (I got 100% w/ 20 India Blue peafowl x 2 hatches this summer), I guess we'll see w/ new stock. The girls are laying well but the Roos are only 7 mos old... and it's been a cold wet winter. Wish me luck, I'm getting excited!! I'll keep ya'll posted!

 

[ChicKat]

Good Luck Sweetdreamin - it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job...and as always... Pictures? :O)

 

[ChicKat]

That's funny. That first CCL I hatched with Serama eggs is still in the house with the Seramas (I don't want to put her outside all by herself). She's getting pretty big, and the only handling she gets is when I pick her up to put her back in the box. It's a big box and she has plenty of room, but she gets out all the time so she can go walking around the mudroom. She doesn't mind me picking her up and she enjoys being petted, but she doesn't run to me for attention or anything like some of the Seramas do.

Come to think of it, maybe she gets out because she knows I'll pick her up and pet her when she does lol.

Ladycat -
that is adorable. I love how our chickens can train us. I have the runt in the brooder who knows if he screams long enough and loud enough I will be over there...and I think he just wants to be picked up and get attention. Took is 'hobbles' off today. The one a day older are getting around as fast as lightening and the little oldest male is already patrolling and protecting, and he jumped on top the warmer today--- then was so proud of himself. They are so cute!

 

[ochochicas]

@sweetdreaming I don't think all CCLs are unsocial. I think personality depends on how they were raised. My hens came from a large breeder and I'm sure they were never handled and never went outside. They just sat in a cage all day with the other birds. After a year of doing nothing all day, that is what they are used to doing. I just wish they didn't bite though. LOL

Roosters are hit and miss no matter what breed they are. Our first cockerel was an Ameruacana. At 7 weeks he was so aggressive that he tried to kill one of the other chicks. He didn't last much longer after that. All our other boys have been easy to be around.

 

[KPenley]

Who was it that said that handling early on was a great way to separate the birds who would be easy going from the aggressive ones? They said that early handling would make easy going birds even nicer and agressive birds even more agressive.

 

[sweetdreaming]

Who was it that said that handling early on was a great way to separate the birds who would be easy going from the aggressive ones? They said that early handling would make easy going birds even nicer and agressive birds even more agressive.

You know, I heard that somewhere, too... Can't remember where.... I haven't had a huge sample of chicks I've tried to train w/ "negative reinforcement", I just know the 4 Roos I hv now are "nicely" vigilant but avoid me (which is fine). I'm hoping maybe it's cuz I "nipped it in the bud" they were but a few weeks old. I also know (as I'm sure ya'll do), too, that fighting with an adult roo only makes him worse!! I wonder if there's any correlation between fertility and aggressiveness? Cuz I am not going to keep a roo with a bad temperament.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

I'd be willing to bet that more testosterone equals more aggressiveness and higher fertility.