The Legbar Thread!

[ChicKat]

Finnie- either way she's adorable and I love the coloring! But if you paid for a legbar you should get a legbar. I've been chronicling mine as she grows. She's not show quality, but that's not what I have her for. We put her in the same brooder with chicks already 1 week old and it was fine. They accepted her immediately.



3 wks, looking a bit scraggly with her new feathers. She's out growing the Welsummer who is one week older.

Nice photos French Cuffs - thanks for posting -- I see in the last picture Bee is developing some nice salmon feathers! She is a pretty chick.

 

[ChicKat]

I suppose there is a chance she won't get a new rooster in the next hatch, in which case I guess I would keep the old one. I have been loving on him anyway, since I figure he needs to be socialized whether he lives with me or with somebody else. He took a little snooze in my palm while I watched TV this evening.

Sounds like a good strategy. My first males always matured before the females and so I separated the male so they would quit harassing the not-ready-yet females.

Glad you are a Cream Legbar person....the blue/green egg layer that is part Cream Legbar -- (especially this one with pea comb and probably muff) has been dubbed 'Easter Legger' by the Club's former newsletter editor Anne Norman!

 

[racinchickins]

I called the breeder today and here's what we decided to do.

She has more cream legbar eggs in her incubator that are due to hatch in another week. When they do, she will replace these two chicks with brand new, correct ones. And that way, I won't have a male that is three weeks older than my female.

Next time we will both make sure the chicks look like photos we have seen of real legbar chicks. When I picked these up, I was surprised that there was no chipmunk stripe or eyeliner, but I thought she knew what she was doing so I didn't question why the chick looked so different. And these are her first legbar chicks, so she figured the dark chick had to be one of them.

As far as what the mystery chick is, she is positive it came from a blue egg from her legbar pen. She thought maybe it came from her lavender Ameraucana hen. Which would mean half legbar, half Ameraucana. She also sent me this photo of her legbar hen, and there is a black and white hen next to her. So maybe that is the mother of the mystery chick. In any case, she is planning to keep the mystery chick to see what it turns out like, and see if she can figure it out.



And the mystery chick seems to have no comb at all, which would be consistent with Ameraucana.


I suppose there is a chance she won't get a new rooster in the next hatch, in which case I guess I would keep the old one. I have been loving on him anyway, since I figure he needs to be socialized whether he lives with me or with somebody else. He took a little snooze in my palm while I watched TV this evening.

The black and white bird you see is an Egyptian Fayoumi hen.

 

[Finnie]

The black and white bird you see is an Egyptian Fayoumi hen.

Thank you! She did show me some of her Egyptian Fayoumi chicks in the brooder, so I knew she had that breed. I wonder what an Egyptian Fayoumi-Legbar cross would look like.

ChicKat, Easter Legger is a cute term!

I was slightly tempted to keep the little EL, but I don't want the space taken away from other chickens I have on my wish list. And it's cute now, but I rather think it's going to grow up and be funny looking. And, it might not even be a female.

Besides all that, next year I'll have my legbar rooster all grown up, and if I want, I could hatch out my own Easter Leggers. I do have Lavender Ameraucanas of my own, and hmm, a Welsummer, and my new Splash Marans chicks... I could make Easter Olive Leggers!

 

[ochochicas]

This is probably a dumb question, but do just the pullets feather out with salmon on their chests, or do the cockerels have it as well? Thanks!

 

[ChicKat]

This is probably a dumb question, but do just the pullets feather out with salmon on their chests, or do the cockerels have it as well? Thanks!

actually I think it is a good question. Some of my cockerels have had a tinge that looked salmon as they went through their multiple plumage changes as they matured. The ones that did - turned out to be the lightest as adults.

 

[Finnie]

Next time we will both make sure the chicks look like photos we have seen of real legbar chicks. When I picked these up, I was surprised that there was no chipmunk stripe or eyeliner, but I thought she knew what she was doing so I didn't question why the chick looked so different.  And these are her first legbar chicks, so she figured the dark chick had to be one of them.

I have been looking up photos of leg bar chicks to educate myself, and now I have a new concern. I've seen some photos of mixed breed chicks with a legbar father, and it appears those females can also look like purebred females. How will I know for sure that I get a purebred pullet if a mix breed might look the same?

Can I hope that whatever non-legbar hens she has in that pen will be a type that doesn't make look-alikes?

 

[ChicKat]

I have been looking up photos of leg bar chicks to educate myself, and now I have a new concern. I've seen some photos of mixed breed chicks with a legbar father, and it appears those females can also look like purebred females. How will I know for sure that I get a purebred pullet if a mix breed might look the same?

Can I hope that whatever non-legbar hens she has in that pen will be a type that doesn't make look-alikes?

It's a tough question. She should know the parentage of a bird that she sells as a particular breed.

She should either pen the Legbars together, or she should know by egg color -- such as allowing brown or white layers to run in the same pen with the Legbar but know that the only one that produces blue eggs in that bunch is the legbar.

 

[ChicKat]

If you are in the UK - and you are raising Cream Legbars - would you please send me a PM?

 

[Finnie]

She should either pen the Legbars together, or she should know by egg color -- such as allowing brown or white layers to run in the same pen with the Legbar but know that the only one that produces blue eggs in that bunch is the legbar. 

That is a good point, and I think might be what led to her mix up. Because she was positive she had only set blue eggs from that pen. And then she said the only other possible mother would be her lavender Ameraucana. She's a very friendly person. When I go to swap chicks, I know we will talk about a lot of chicken and turkey related things. When we discuss the mystery chick, I'm sure she will figure out to take the extra blue egg layer out of there without me having to tell her.