The Legbar Thread!

[Johnn]

Yikes,

I remember now how long you waited.....and then she laid a white egg. Is she a pretty frequent layer?

Wel she was a every day layer then started laying one every 2 or 3 days for 2 weeks then went broody, her doing that has made up for the time because i love having broodys, now since she is no longer a mother and is laying she is laying one every day , shes started using this nest that i put somewere...

 

[madamwlf]

Mine has a small crest and a nice straight comb as well.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Yes, SEVERAL of the CL websites and forums have observed this link between crest size and the quality of the comb. Most conclude to aim for a large crest on the hens but a medium crest on the roosters in order to get straighter combs on them. I am completely uninformed on the genetics of this but it seems a hard way to work on things, you are constantly fighting either the crest or the comb.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I wonder if there has been any headway made on that. Can crest size even be bred to the point it's sexlinked? I imagine it will end up being like some other exhibition lines out there. Where you have a line you breed specifically for "correct" females and a seperate line you breed for "correct" males.

Personally, I prefer the smaller crests anyway, so they will be what I select for. Guess since that's the case, my next generation or so of roos will have better combs as well.

 

[chichichickapea]

I like the bigger floppy combs....it gives them "attitude". I have 2 twelve week old roos...neither has much of a comb yet, they look more like a cow-lick in their feathers and both have pretty straight combs.

 

[ChicKat]

Although I'm not a fan of big combs---it does suit CLs. Isn't there a correlation between rooster comb and virility? I think I have read that someplace.

 

[GaryDean26]

Yes, SEVERAL of the CL websites and forums have observed this link between crest size and the quality of the comb. Most conclude to aim for a large crest on the hens but a medium crest on the roosters in order to get straighter combs on them. I am completely uninformed on the genetics of this but it seems a hard way to work on things, you are constantly fighting either the crest or the comb.

Well stated.

I have three cockerel.

#1 has no visible crest but a perfectly straight comb.
#2 has a medium crest and fairly straight comb
#3 has a huge crest and severely twisted comb.

To date the only one that I have breed is #1. I was concerned about the pairing of #1 with my "A" hen (she is the smaller one with smaller eggs) because she had a very small crest and I feared the this pairing may produce pullets will negligible cresting. I got two pullets from the A1 paring in my test hatch, and at 3 weeks the A1 pullets were both already showing good cresting.

This is a very small test population, but proves that you don't need large crests on your roosters to get hens that have good cresting. I am confidant from all the photos from the breeders in the UK that this can be accomplished with out keep a straight combed line for exhibition rooster and a separate crested line for exhibition hen. They are not double mating in the UK so we shouldn't in the USA either.

Although I'm not a fan of big combs---it does suit CLs. Isn't there a correlation between rooster comb and virility? I think I have read that someplace.

Yes...The hens seek to be mated by the rooster with the largest reddest combs. A large red comb is an indication of a healthy rooster and so to ensure that their chick are the strongest healthiest the hens look for the boys with the big combs.

 

[blackbirds13]

Well stated.

I have three cockerel.

#1 has no visible crest but a perfectly straight comb.
#2 has a medium crest and fairly straight comb
#3 has a huge crest and severely twisted comb.

To date the only one that I have breed is #1. I was concerened about the pairing of #1 with my "A" hen (she is the smaller one with smaller eggs) becuase she had a very small crest and I feared the this pairing may produce pullets will negligabel cresting. I got two pullets from the A1 paring in my test hatch, and at 3 weeks the A1 pullets were both already showing good cresting.

This is a very small test population, but prooves that you don't need large crests on your roosters to get hens that have good cresting. I am confidant from all the photos from the breeders in the UK that this can be accomplished with out keep a staight combed line for exibition rooster and a separate crested line for exibition hen. They are not double mating in the UK so we shouldn't in the USA either.


Yes...The hens seek to be mated by the rooster with the largest redest combs. A large red comb is an idication of a healthy rooster and so to ensure that thier chick are the strongest healthiest the hens look for the boys with the big combs.

My rooster has a barely visible crest and has produced a range of crest sizes in the chicks - both male and female.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

So do UK breeders breed one flock grow out all the individuals and then simply pick the rooster with the best comb and the hen with the best crest? It just seems interesting that you would breed one flock and then select from both ends of the spectrum for your "ideal" specimens. Maybe that is why there is so many variables in the breed?

Does anyone have an example of the "perfect" cresting on a legbar? Just curious if the standard pushes for polish-type cresting, or simply better cresting within the legbar spectrum? I would guess the constant selecting and pairing of "the best crest" with the rooster with "no/little crest" would keep it somewhat limited in size.

 

[GaryDean26]

Emily de Grey has a good example of cresting. Google her birds.