The Legbar Thread!

[Thespoiledchicken]

OK, so I'm up at 5:30am this morning. I go out to do some chores. My #1 male cream legbar cockerel is chasing down and successfully mating my lowest ranking Welsummer adult female. James (#1) was born last week of February, shipped and arrived at the house March 1. That makes him about 13 weeks old and he's been working towards this for a bit. The crowing wars have begun, as there is males #2, #3, #4, #15 (blue laced red wyandotte). I have 8 mature hens, but one is broody. I have another seventeen 13-14 week old pullets who aren't ready for these teen guys. I have 2 coops, working on a 3rd, and electric netting just bought only enough for one group. This group could be where the pig hut is, giving me a short term 4th location. Choices are separating the males from the females, or dividing the males among the females. Future plans are to have some "love coops" that allow me to track progeny with a single male and small female ratio. Does anyone think it bad to have a bunch of young excited males with their young not so ready females? What would you do?

That's a tough one. I have "bachelor pads" and my roos stay there until I need them. I have found that they will stress the girls when I have too many roos with them- they tend to compete and sometimes gang up on lower ranking females. I aim for 1 roo per 4-5 hens when breeding.

Since you know they are already interested in girls I would watch to see if they are stressing the younger girls. My guess is they are and I would separate them.


Good Luck!

Trish

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Mine are about the same age. I have one cockerel who has been crowing for a month. A second just started crowing. The first one really would like to get down to business and my girls are all so little. I have gotten a new coop and hopefully have a run built for it so I can keep them separate from the big guys. I am afraid that my 3 year old rooster might just have these little guys for lunch.

I can never quite figure out my roos

They do things that surprise me sometimes. My older roos and my dominant roo are NICE to my younger roos. They don't give chase or bother them at all. Matter of fact, they even let them eat treats right next to some of their favorite ladies. Then they have some girls that are not allowed to eat treats and they give chase to- go figure.


Trish

 

[ChicKat]

Redchicken9

In my case, I separated the legbar cockerel, because I didn't want the legbar female too stressed out. Now they are all together. My legbars are 20-weeks. My little cockerel is really a fantastic guy! He has 4-hens and the pullet. She should be laying (i hope) within the next couple of weeks. So I would let the girls grow up a bit (they boys too)--but that's just me.

 

[ChicKat]

Ohhh- I LIKE this idea! Let me know what I can do.



Trish

Quote: Cool idea.
maybe people could post ideas/features to include on here, or maybe even a separate thread to get all ideas in one place. Then it could be put together.

YEA for Phage and Trish!!!!! I propose we start tomorrow, and try to have something by June 21 (because that is a good incubation/development length of time...... Hopefully some others can/will join in and we can strategize the approach tomorrow. THANKS!!! We will help get the word out about how great Legbars are. (and provide info to interested parties. )

 

[redchicken9]

OK, the roos get the electric fence and pig hut! Everyone else gets to stay put. This way, pullets stay with at grower coop. Hens stay at their house and no change to stress the broody! Plus, the ladies continue to enjoy freedom during the day. Poor guys! Thanks for the feedback.
Also glad to help any way I can on the cream legbar information. Cheers!

 

[ashandvine]

You are not mistaken. I agree with you fully.
On another note I just set about another dozen eggs from my girls but with the second roo. I know the hen chooses gender but figured I'd give it a try since they seem to be making tons of boys....

I am interested in at least one hen if you succeed in hatching any. These boys I have might end up stew rather than breeding pairs and that makes me sad.

 

[ChicKat]

LQQK at this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/legbar

in the backyard chicken forum in the breeds section there is a posting for this breed...it is ranked #61, and it is called Legbar, not Cream Legbar--which is why I didn't find it. Soooo Phage and Trish, it saves us all that toil. ;O)

If anyone wants to update or comment, they only have to go there.

One question I have about that description, however, is the blue ears...does anyone have a chicken with blue earlobes?

 

[ashandvine]

Stupid question: bachelor pads for roos? Can a group of roos stand each other?

 

[klf73]

Stupid question:  bachelor pads for roos?  Can a group of roos stand each other?

 

Each time I have tried this one roo eventually wants to be in charge and all is well for a while and another decides to challenge them. The longest bachelor pad I had was 1 year, 2 roos that were brothers....one day they decided to beat each other bloody :/ ...any time I had multiple roos, all hatchmates, no hens, they lasted 9 months.
I have only done this a few times...but it seems to work only to grow them to eating or breeding age, not permanent roommates ...

 

[Flaming Chicken]

The last 2 years with straight run chicks I have ended up with about 50% roosters. The first year I had my old rooster and eventually ended up with 9 roosters. I thought my old rooster Jack was going to go bezerk! One of the young roosters died and I sent Jack up to my neighbors house where he could be the only rooster. Out of the remaining 8 one was dominent. The others would be the guard roosters when the flock was free ranging. But they mostly got along. One in particular was very submissive and didn't even grow tail feathers. I sold off the extra roosters until I was down to 3. They lived together in cooperation quite well. When I brought in the cream legbars, I sold off 2 more roosters and now I have a senior roo and the baby roosters. I find that the young roosters if raised with an adult rooster are not nearly as aggressive. I like to keep the young guys with their clutch mates because then they become a flock within a flock. When I let them out I can clearly see the different groups split off and even the lowest of the pecking order has close alliances with in the flock.

Each time I have tried this one roo eventually wants to be in charge and all is well for a while and another decides to challenge them. The longest bachelor pad I had was 1 year, 2 roos that were brothers....one day they decided to beat each other bloody

...any time I had multiple roos, all hatchmates, no hens, they lasted 9 months.
I have only done this a few times...but it seems to work only to grow them to eating or breeding age, not permanent roommates ...