The Legbar Thread!

[chicken pickin]

Very well said . Guys/Gals I misread "ochochicas" post about not having success rate and misread the roo being sterile. I reread the post again and of course didn't misread it this time

. . What I was trying to say was some of the stuff that Chicken pickin just said.

I read the entire 779 pages from this legbar thread and I guess I misinformed people by saying blog instead of this legbar tread and the wrong wording. Chicken Pickin could have not said it any more clearly and better about the sterile/incubation problem that people are having. I guess I should have paced myself when reading all the pages in this thread before posting something like that.

The good part is that this thread has been really hopping today! By the way, I am that person who is terrible with hatching eggs. The best hatch from my incubator has been around 20 percent. I hope I didn't offend anyone on that post. Should I remove it?

Your post was fine no need to remove it. It was and easy mistake because there is a lot of chatter about not being able to get chicks to hatch so that is easily misread to some people. Oh and often Im terrible at hatching eggs too

Im still trying to learn things to do it bettr.

I hope you continue to read along with us and definitely chime in or say Hi! on occasion.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

I wonder what kind of hatch rates the Europeans are getting from their Cream Legbars. I just candled a bunch of eggs last night and it seems like there were a lot more clear Cream Legbar eggs than anything else (but they also seem to lay more eggs so that's part of it).

 

[dheltzel]

My experience is that the CCL eggs develop and hatch at a higher rate than say, my Welsummers, or even the Rhodebars. I only have 2 hens, so fewer chicks than the others in the end. One hatch was 10 of 10, and 7 were pullets. Future hatches made up for that great sex ratio with a lot more males, but still, I've had very few clear eggs.

 

[tdhenson86]

I was able to get a decent pic of my (only) RC legbar cockerel. He seems to be hitting a growth spurt since the others are gone and is filling out. His comb is huge and hideous but I'll use him anyway.

How cool! I recently got Jill Rees Legbars which have smaller combs, but about 25%-50% of them still get frostbite of some kind. It would be nice to have a more cold-hardy variety!

 

[tdhenson86]

I have had someone ask me one time if I had problems with my Cream Legbar males being sterile. That was the first I have heard of this Cream Legbar are "sterile" thing.

I have had a few Cream Legbar males now, and none of them have been sterile. Cream Legbars are definitely able to fertilize females Cream Legbar and other breeds just fine. I think the confusion for some people starts when they are seeing others get less than ideal hatch rates from some Cream Legbar flocks. This is NOT a sterile issue but rather a getting chicks to make it past the 18 day mark during incubation issue. Issue all the same. People get confused or misunderstand, it happens. This could be genetic, or maybe we are experiencing stock too closely related to each other being bred together, or many of us could just be bad at hatching eggs

(just kidding on the hatching eggs part lol). If that article is available for us to read Im sure many of us would love to read it, maybe there is something in it we dont know. But as far as we know as a whole, Cream Legbar are not sterile.

Same here. I've never had a sterile male. It's interesting that this has either happened or is being reported. I do agree it is probably the issue of closely related birds causing lower fertility or genetic abnormalities in the chicks.
Quote:
Thanks for clarifying! I was really confused as I have not had any sterile males and have had very good success so far with fertility.

 

[ChicKat]

Here is a question then,

How many hens do people combine with roosters? I have 2 to 3 hens per rooster in my CL flock -- and 4 to one rooster in my Isbars. seems like my fertile egg rate is pretty close to 100% - but that would be expected with these ratios. Strangely, I just had a rooster disappear while I was gone. The strangest strangest thing. Yesterday we found some feathers -- quite a LONG way away from the coops. I will never know the mystery I guess -- But I have a fox in the back yard now - and that may have been the culprit -- Brings electric wire up to the top of the to-do list -- or near the top.

I will be combining his two females with another rooster's so that pen will be 4 to 1.

 

[Flaming Chicken]

I have had someone ask me one time if I had problems with my Cream Legbar males being sterile. That was the first I have heard of this Cream Legbar are "sterile" thing.

I have had a few Cream Legbar males now, and none of them have been sterile. Cream Legbars are definitely able to fertilize females Cream Legbar and other breeds just fine. I think the confusion for some people starts when they are seeing others get less than ideal hatch rates from some Cream Legbar flocks. This is NOT a sterile issue but rather a getting chicks to make it past the 18 day mark during incubation issue. Issue all the same. People get confused or misunderstand, it happens. This could be genetic, or maybe we are experiencing stock too closely related to each other being bred together, or many of us could just be bad at hatching eggs

(just kidding on the hatching eggs part lol). If that article is available for us to read Im sure many of us would love to read it, maybe there is something in it we dont know. But as far as we know as a whole, Cream Legbar are not sterile.

I had issues in my first year. My flock was from a second breeder who probably had offspring from GF's first imported birds. Both roosters died before a year of age and the second one was infertile. I had a decent hatch rate from my first generation but not the second. When I brought in eggs from other sources the problem was solved. The talk of most roosters being infertile confused me as well. I'm glad this was clarified.

 

[Flaming Chicken]

Here is a question then,

How many hens do people combine with roosters? I have 2 to 3 hens per rooster in my CL flock -- and 4 to one rooster in my Isbars. seems like my fertile egg rate is pretty close to 100% - but that would be expected with these ratios. Strangely, I just had a rooster disappear while I was gone. The strangest strangest thing. Yesterday we found some feathers -- quite a LONG way away from the coops. I will never know the mystery I guess -- But I have a fox in the back yard now - and that may have been the culprit -- Brings electric wire up to the top of the to-do list -- or near the top.

I will be combining his two females with another rooster's so that pen will be 4 to 1.

I have a six to one ratio. I wonder if I should split them up. I have a spare rooster who is on his own. I don't like his barring as much as my number one.

 

[ChicKat]

Since your eggs are fertile -- seems like there wouldn't be a reason to have a smaller ratio - I think some flocks are something like 25-30 to one. We used to run cattle that way - 30 cows per one bull.

ETA - I keep mine that way because I am a control freak and I want to know exact parentage. :O)

 

[jerryse]

How cool! I recently got Jill Rees Legbars which have smaller combs, but about 25%-50% of them still get frostbite of some kind. It would be nice to have a more cold-hardy variety!

It must not be much of a problem in the UK . In the USA it is . I am wondering why nobody has added a V comb . Most crested breeds have them . It solves 2 problems at once . No frostbite and no scrunched combs from the crest . Maybe we need a American CCL .