Why doesn't my barred rock have yellow legs.

[khatar]

Would they still accept pale legs in a contest?

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I'm betting that the judges will know the pale legs means that she's doing her job.

 

[Chris09]

This is right from the ASOP (American Standard of Perfection)
Under DQ's it says, " Shanks any other color than Yellow or Dusty Yellow."
White legs would be a DQ weather she lays a lot of eggs or not. I have see Barred Rock hens that were 5 and 6 year old's and they have laid tons of eggs in there life time and they still had perfect Yellow legs.

Chris

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I don't believe faded (pale) yellow legs would ever be used as a point for DQ. (I also have the SOP)

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I spoke to an APA poultry judge earlier this evening. He said your light legged BR hen should be entered in a "production" class. (Means she's a working girl and they do expect washed out legs.) (3 is also old to show so she might be tough to get into show condition. But he also said - go for it! Show and have fun, win or lose!)

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Quote:
That is fine if she is being interned in a 4-H production class but I have yet seen a production class for open class so if the bird is going to be shown in a open class show and if the birds are judged by the APA Standard then I don't see her going very far. I have talked to more than one APA licensed poultry judge about poultry and on more than one occasion Barred Plymouth Rock leg color has came up and like they said the Standard of the breed says it all and that a White legged Barred Rock can and should be a DQ.

Chris

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
It's just a fact that any yellow legged hen will lose color in her shanks and beak as she lays through her cycle; they may not fade completely to white, but they will be very pale, barely yellow at the end of the cycle. She cannot keep bright yellow color as she ages and lays more and more. Just not possible unless she's a terrible layer. Some color may return after a break from laying, like a molt or a broody spell, but it always fades as she produces eggs. Never had a yellow legged breed keep bright yellow legs that was a good layer, not in any breed, Rocks, Rhode Island Reds or Delawares. My RIRs and Delawares were high quality breeder stock. A 3 year old BR will have pale legs and probably won't ever get her original yellow color back, even if she quits laying; have had many of them.

Someone I know was complaining that their McMurray BR hens had whitish legs, even before they were laying, so there are some that start out with bad leg color. My hatchery Rocks have always had good yellow leg color, though. I have had them from Ideal and McMurray.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
It's just a fact that any yellow legged hen will lose color in her shanks and beak as she lays through her cycle; they may not fade completely to white, but they will be very pale, barely yellow at the end of the cycle. She cannot keep bright yellow color as she ages and lays more and more. Just not possible unless she's a terrible layer. Some color may return after a break from laying, like a molt or a broody spell, but it always fades as she produces eggs. Never had a yellow legged breed keep bright yellow legs that was a good layer, not in any breed, Rocks, Rhode Island Reds or Delawares. My RIRs and Delawares were high quality breeder stock. A 3 year old BR will have pale legs and probably won't ever get her original yellow color back, even if she quits laying; have had many of them.

Someone I know was complaining that their McMurray BR hens had whitish legs, even before they were laying, so there are some that start out with bad leg color. My hatchery Rocks have always had good yellow leg color, though. I have had them from Ideal and McMurray.

It's just a fact that any yellow legged hen will lose color in her shanks and beak as she lays through her cycle;

Not trying to get into a argument but I have seen some old (4 yo +) Leghorns, Rocks, and Reds that still have nice Yellow Legs and all are very productive if the wasn't productive they wouldn't be around but a lot has to do with lineage and nutrition.

Chris​

 

[khatar]

Quote:
Thank you for asking him! I think I will enter her in a production class, along with the other 4 hens! The only reason I'm not entering the others in open class is because they are missing one standard each.

My white leghorn has an upright comb, DQ
My gold comet lost an eye, DQ (not sure if she's enterable anyway)
My buff orpington has discolored feathers, DQ
My other chickens aren't even pure breeds, DQ

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
It's just a fact that any yellow legged hen will lose color in her shanks and beak as she lays through her cycle; they may not fade completely to white, but they will be very pale, barely yellow at the end of the cycle. She cannot keep bright yellow color as she ages and lays more and more. Just not possible unless she's a terrible layer. Some color may return after a break from laying, like a molt or a broody spell, but it always fades as she produces eggs. Never had a yellow legged breed keep bright yellow legs that was a good layer, not in any breed, Rocks, Rhode Island Reds or Delawares. My RIRs and Delawares were high quality breeder stock. A 3 year old BR will have pale legs and probably won't ever get her original yellow color back, even if she quits laying; have had many of them.

Someone I know was complaining that their McMurray BR hens had whitish legs, even before they were laying, so there are some that start out with bad leg color. My hatchery Rocks have always had good yellow leg color, though. I have had them from Ideal and McMurray.

It's just a fact that any yellow legged hen will lose color in her shanks and beak as she lays through her cycle;

Not trying to get into a argument but I have seen some old (4 yo +) Leghorns, Rocks, and Reds that still have nice Yellow Legs and all are very productive if the wasn't productive they wouldn't be around but a lot has to do with lineage and nutrition.

Chris​

Still skeptical here, Chris, sorry, but don't want to muck up the OP's thread. We'll have to have a discussion about leg color and barring in the show quality BRs sometime in the future.