The Legbar Thread!

[LiAuEv]

Wow thank you for all the responses so soon! Yes the 2 month old is the same bird as the red colored chick, I was just showing him at two different ages. He had chipmunk striping on orange down as a hatchling, so I thought it was a she, and then started feathering in barred like a male. I do not know much about the background of the eggs, they were acquired off of Ebay, should I name the name? I havn't yet in case of impurity I did not want to slander anyone, this bird just looks very different from my others. This is the only bird I have from this source. I'll keep him in with the EEs just because he looks different. It'd be great if he is a pure Cream Legbar & just from another line.

 

[LiAuEv]

Well I just went & looked up the ad, and in the farms newer ads there shows pics of their young birds & my bird in question looks like their young ones. It is just a much darker grey than my rooster; but the bird's down as a hatchling is still odd, and I never saw a head spot. Just for this reason he should not be among the breeding Legbars, since he was not sexable at hatch. Here is a pic of my rooster as compared to this bird just to note the color difference. My rooster is the top pic & bird in question is the bottom pic.

 

[madamwlf]

Something isn't right with their birds. I wouldn't use him for breeding. Maybe find out where they got their stock from.

 

[LiAuEv]

I agree, since he wasn't sexable at hatching then he doesn't have a place in the Legbar pen. I truly thought it was a girl, until recently, because of the markings at hatch. Even the white ones are sexable. Anyhow he'll have a place with the EEs, he was out of a blue egg and I love blue eggs! Maybe in the future I'll get some cute and interesting crested Easter Eggers...

 

[madamwlf]

One of the reasons why I stay away from ebay eggs unless I know the seller is on here. Cute boy though.

 

[phasianidae]

Congrats on all the babies! Lots of whites too

Did any of your whites hatch with leg feathers? I had one White Legbar girl hatch with light feathering on her legs- she lost those feathers though and is now completely clean legged- weird.

I wonder what bird was used in their creation that was feather legged?

Here she is at a couple days old.





All 3 now at 2 months old




Trish

None of the breeds in there ancestry would have had to been feather legged. It is caused by a recessive gene and occurs quite often in most any breed if you hatch enough of them.

Ryan

 

[Hangtown Farms]

maybe breed him with a welsummer , maran or penedesenca for a cool olive egger

Well I just went & looked up the ad, and in the farms newer ads there shows pics of their young birds & my bird in question looks like their young ones. It is just a much darker grey than my rooster; but the bird's down as a hatchling is still odd, and I never saw a head spot. Just for this reason he should not be among the breeding Legbars, since he was not sexable at hatch. Here is a pic of my rooster as compared to this bird just to note the color difference. My rooster is the top pic & bird in question is the bottom pic.

 

[LiAuEv]

That's a good idea, I already have BCM! Actually I want to get some birchen Marans too, but that is besides the point. We had a beautiful sunny day for once and I went to spend some time watching them and he was missing. I searched & searched and figured somehow he must of squeezed through the wire somewhere, and thought to myself how ironic- I just post a pic of him and he's gone. We've had a nasty coon prowling around lately so I figured he must be a goner, and then I found him wedged between a bale of hay and the fence safe and sound. He is quite little. I have realized the hardest thing about keeping chickens is protecting them, just since our young flock has been outside this spring we have had dogs, hawks, turkey vultures, snakes, and just lately, and the worst, raccoons. We've had to double up on the wire and reinforce some areas. Anyhow, I noticed that he is developing some very pretty blood red patches on his back. It is very striking against the dark grey barring. So long as raccoons or nothing get him, it'll be interesting to see how he turns out.

 

[blackbirds13]

we also have coyotes...one strolled across my driveway last week with either a chipmuk, squirrel or kitten in it's mouth. I have a camera up on the back of the pen to see what's been back there. I lock everyone up at night. I went out this morning and the youngest ones were strolling around - I forgot to close up their coop door but they have a large dog crate in front of the door with a small gap so they can go into the bigger pen but it also keep bigger things away from them if they need it. Made my heart skip. It is a 24/7 job protecting them.

Also LiAuEv - I agree your bird looks more rooish and not quite right, something else could be in there or perhaps it's the stance in the picture. But that comb and those wattles just say roo to me. His original color is off too much as a chick. I hatched out some mixed roos earlier this spring that I had to cull but they were definitely different looking but all had the tell tale spot on the head so it is puzzling he does not - but genetics is something I am working on understanding.

 

[LiAuEv]

Yeah it's too bad not everyone is honest when this is supposed to be a fun thing. We hear the coyotes yipping down across the road, but so far not too close. At my parents 30 miles from here they actually saw a coyote take a deer down in their backyard. They have even seen mountain lions now on their neighbor's property, which is a few 100 acres of vacant farmland and woods. Their dogs won't even wander on the hill at night anymore. It's odd how all these predators are coming out of the wood work, when I was a kid we used to ride the horses up on the hill and sleep in the woods. I would never do that nowadays, too many creatures out there.