Trying to breed Cream Legbars with a cream crest.

[ChickenLoverz123]

My other breeder hens have great type IMO just not my ideal color. They aren’t perfect but way better than the light crested one.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

IMO, you are spinning your wheels unless you hatch at least 50-100 chicks and select from them. Selecting from a handful of chickens won't get your breeding program anywhere.

 

[ChickenLoverz123]

IMO, you are spinning your wheels unless you hatch at least 50-100 chicks and select from them. Selecting from a handful of chickens won't get your breeding program anywhere.

Yep I totally agree. I was just wondering if it was even possible to get light colored cream crests from dark colored crests.

 

[halefamily_flock]

Yes I don’t like her type, but I wanted more of an expert opinion. She isn’t the best like I said she came from someone who didn’t care about SOP basically a hatchery. But a very small one. Yes the crests are small but actually the offspring of these birds have a really poofy big crest. So I am not worried about them not having a big crest.
Here is a picture of what I want all my hens to look like. It will definitely take years and years of breeding but she is the goal I am breeding towards.

View attachment 2476307

I got a pullet that looked a lot like her in my straight run of chicks from Cackle Hatchery. I sold her because she didn't autosex well due to being so light, and her comb was too floppy for me. I'm selecting for small crest and comb for maximum aerial predator avoidance. Sorry, I don't have a good side view of her, but you can see how light she is. She was 1of 4 pullets and the only one that turned out this light.


I also ended up with a very light rooster (one of 3), which I think has made autosexing quite easy, even in my Olive Egger (Welsummer) crosses

 

[GaryDean26]

I may over simplify things but the way I look at cream is that there are three things going one with most of the Cream Lines. 1) The Cream Gene 2) red enhancers 3) Melonizers.

First, you have to fix the cream gene. It is recessive so once you have it your bird will pass it to all of their offspring. It creates an off white hackle feather on males and females and off-white saddles feathers on males.

Many have the cream gene fixed but they have other things in their line that are not correct for the breed standard. Red enhancers are one of the things that are in the line (likely from outcrosses to single combed light brown leghorns) that don't belong in the Cream Variety and need to be bred out. All red crests, red eyebrows, a darker red coloring than the breast at the top of the throat just under the chin on hens, and red lacing on the body feathers of the hen are tells of these red enhancers. Cull hens and cockerels with the red enhancer and it soon is out of the breeding line. Note: Once you breed this out don't bring in new blood from outside flocks because it could bring the red genes right back in.

Many lines also have black melonizers which are indicated by black crests on the hens, black lacing on the breast and body feathers of the hens, etc. These likewise can be bred out through aggressive culling. Here is a hen that we breed in 2012 from very red enhanced stock. She lacked the red throat and lacked the black crest. If you have a new line that still has a lot of variation in it you should get a few of these. After breeding a line for several years lots of things get locked into place and you may not see the full range of the gene pool anymore. So make sure to keep the correct colors in the flock so that you can get to where you need to and don't paint yourself into a corner with the gene pool.

 

[ChickenLoverz123]

I may over simplify things but the way I look at cream is that there are three things going one with most of the Cream Lines. 1) The Cream Gene 2) red enhancers 3) Melonizers.

First, you have to fix the cream gene. It is recessive so once you have it your bird will pass it to all of their offspring. It creates an off white hackle feather on males and females and off-white saddles feathers on males.

Many have the cream gene fixed but they have other things in their line that are not correct for the breed standard. Red enhancers are one of the things that are in the line likely from outcrossed to Single Combed light brown leghorns that don't belong in the Cream Variety and need to be bred out. All red Crests, red eyebrows, a darker red coloring than the breast at the top of the throat just under the chin on hens, and red lacing on the body feathers of the hen are tells of these red enhancers. Cull hens and cockerels with the red enhancer and it soon is out of the breeding line. Note: Once you breed this out don't bring in new blood from outside flocks because it could bring the red genes right back in.

Many lines also have black melonizers which are indicated by black crests on the hens, black lacing on the breast and body feathers of the hens, etc. These likewise can be bred out through aggressive culling. Here is a hen that we breed in 2012 from very red enhanced stock. She lacked the red throat and lacked the black crest.

So you culled her due to having too much red enhancer? She’s super pretty! Okay never mind I just read what you said again. Cream Legbars are difficult to breed. So my CL hen that I showed below has too much red enhancer correct? Sorry I am new to all of this genetic stuff haha.

 

[ChickenLoverz123]

I got a pullet that looked a lot like her in my straight run of chicks from Cackle Hatchery. I sold her because she didn't autosex well due to being so light, and her comb was too floppy for me. I'm selecting for small crest and comb for maximum aerial predator avoidance. Sorry, I don't have a good side view of her, but you can see how light she is. She was 1of 4 pullets and the only one that turned out this light.
View attachment 2476584View attachment 2476586

I also ended up with a very light rooster (one of 3), which I think has made autosexing quite easy, even in my Olive Egger (Welsummer) crosses

View attachment 2476588

Wow she’s beautiful! That is interesting. I wonder if it’s hard to sex all very light Cream Legbars. I have noticed that the lighter CL are from the Ree’s line, but they lay more green eggs which I don’t really like tbh.

 

[halefamily_flock]

Wow she’s beautiful! That is interesting. I wonder if it’s hard to sex all very light Cream Legbars. I have noticed that the lighter CL are from the Ree’s line, but they lay more green eggs which I don’t really like tbh.

This girl’s eggs were green-blue vs all of the others were true blue. Not sure if it’s related

 

[GaryDean26]

So you culled her due to having too much red enhancer? She’s super pretty! Okay never mind I just read what you said again. Cream Legbars are difficult to breed. So my CL hen that I showed below has too much red enhancer correct? Sorry I am new to all of this genetic stuff haha.

My goal is to cull 90% of my flock every year. That keeps me from keeping mediocre birds. I have kept a few hens with too much red enhancement on them. Many years I would keep the hen with the best type and the hen with the best color. Some of those "Type" hens were red enhanced, but by keeping both good color and good type I figured it would just be a matter of type before I got both into a single breeding hen. Bids with color defect would easy to spor so they were often the first ones to get cut from flock evaluations.

 

[osukrazykate]

My goal is to cull 90% of my flock every year. That keeps me from keeping mediocre birds. I have kept a few hens with too much red enhancement on them. Many years I would keep the hen with the best type and the hen with the best color. Some of those "Type" hens were red enhanced, but by keeping both good color and good type I figured it would just be a matter of type before I got both into a single breeding hen. Bids with color defect would easy to spor so they were often the first ones to get cut from flock evaluations.

Hi @GaryDean26 I have been trying to get a hold of you. I am interested in one of your Roos. Thanks!