The Legbar Thread!

[ladyfaeden]

Hi, I'm wondering about the crests on the cream legbars. One of my three greenfire hens never developed one. I've got her living with my Swedish flowers right now so I won't accidently hatch her eggs. The crests on this breed don't seem very big-about the size of my Swedes who I know only have one gene for crests, if they have two, the crests supposedly get much bigger. Does it seem like this is the same with the CL's-that many of them only have one cresting gene and a percentage of the offspring won't have crests?

 

[ChicKat]

Hi Lady,

on post 1389 The Sheriff has put a link to the UK breed standards. You may have to type Cream Legbar into the search box when you look at the book. Crests are definitely a requirement...so I think that it is going to be high up there on the priority list.

Maybe someone will have the genetic answer, but I would think crest-less would be a rarity in the breed.

ETA-- oh yes, and I think I remember reading in Gail Damerow's book that crests are a dominant gene.

 

[ladyfaeden]

I am going to be breeding for crests. I have a couple more CL's from Greenfire in the brooder and they are fortunately crested as are my other breeding age hens. I'm just wondering if this is going to keep popping up. I'm thinking since I got one from Greenfire that was uncrested, then at least two of their breeders have only one gene for crests. The hen I culled was from the green line.

Crests are dominant, which is why you can get a crestless chick out of two crested parents. If each have only one gene for it, 25% of the offspring won't have crests.

 

[blackbirds13]

I've got to stop hatching eggs

 

[normanack]

I've got to stop hatching eggs.

Happy to help you out, just send the eggs to me.

 

[GaryDean26]

Hi, I'm wondering about the crests on the cream legbars. One of my three greenfire hens never developed one. I've got her living with my Swedish flowers right now so I won't accidently hatch her eggs. The crests on this breed don't seem very big-about the size of my Swedes who I know only have one gene for crests, if they have two, the crests supposedly get much bigger. Does it seem like this is the same with the CL's-that many of them only have one cresting gene and a percentage of the offspring won't have crests?

The best I can gather the Green Line is one of the first two Greenfire Flocks. The 1st flock being imported, and the 2nd flock is made up of the pullets from the 1st flock covered by the 2nd imported cockerel that selected for his staight comb and light base color. Greenfire said that the 2nd flock produces a lot of non-crested hens. I think from what people are reporting, about 25% non-crested from that line sounds about right.

The cresting is not a completely dominate gene. You are correct that two copies of the gene produce a larger crest than one copy. I also think that their are other factor at play in the crest size. These other factors combine to modify the size of the crest to where the offspring's crest size is pretty much an average of each parent. (I think...I will know for sure in 4-6 months)

 

[ladyfaeden]

The best I can gather the Green Line is one of the first two Greenfire Flocks.  The 1st flock being imported, and the 2nd flock is made up of the pullets from the 1st flock covered by the 2nd imported cockerel that selected for his staight comb and light base color.  Greenfire said that the 2nd flock produces a lot of non-crested hens.  I think from what people are reporting, about 25% non-crested from that line sounds about right.

The cresting is not a completely dominate gene.  You are correct that two copies of the gene produce a larger crest than one copy.  I also think that their are other factor at play in the crest size.  These other factors combine to modify the size of the crest to where the offspring's crest size is pretty much an average of each parent.  (I think...I will know for sure in 4-6 months) 

Thankyou! This information is very helpful!

 

[Miss Molly]

e  just checked the bator - best hatch ratio to date.  6 eggs - 4 hatched and 2 are pipping - so far 3 females and 1 male...hoping for more females .   I have 7 that go into lockdown next Thursday and have another 5 (maybe 6 today) that I could stick into the Hovabator today.  SOOOO glad I got two of those Genesis incubators with the humidity reader - my best hatching year ever.  Should I hatch more eggs.......my husband would so kill me but since I moved the brooder outside how will he really know how many chickens I actually have.  Oh yeah he can count to.

now gotta check everyone outside to see how this hot weather is treating everyone.  Yesterday I lost one of the two Marans hens I did not sell.

Congratulations on your hatch My cream legbars are due to lay any day. I can hardly wait.

i love the Genesis incubator. I have two GQF cabinet incubators and still use my 1588 Genesis...i love everything about it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one having to hide chicks from my husband. I have them so spread out on my property, he has no idea how many I have

 

[Miss Molly]

e  just checked the bator - best hatch ratio to date.  6 eggs - 4 hatched and 2 are pipping - so far 3 females and 1 male...hoping for more females .   I have 7 that go into lockdown next Thursday and have another 5 (maybe 6 today) that I could stick into the Hovabator today.  SOOOO glad I got two of those Genesis incubators with the humidity reader - my best hatching year ever.  Should I hatch more eggs.......my husband would so kill me but since I moved the brooder outside how will he really know how many chickens I actually have.  Oh yeah he can count to.

now gotta check everyone outside to see how this hot weather is treating everyone.  Yesterday I lost one of the two Marans hens I did not sell.

Congratulations on your hatch My cream legbars are due to lay any day. I can hardly wait.

i love the Genesis incubator. I have two GQF cabinet incubators and still use my 1588 Genesis...i love everything about it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one having to hide chicks from my husband. I have them so spread out on my property, he has no idea how many I have

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Wyochickenmamma--

Very cute chick line up. For sure girl with chipmumk stripes second from right.... the other ones...... hmmmmmmmmm.

Is the hmmmmmmm boys or do you think they are something else?