The Poultry Keeper

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3455 Location: Monmouthshire

Yes, I'm hoping for some eggs from Jilly as soon as they start laying again. How absolutely typical that you only got pullets when you wanted a cockerel though.

Wilt · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:43 am Post subject:

The ones with the blue leg band are from Jilly. And the gilie tucking into cabbage!

Tim

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3455 Location: Monmouthshire

There's hope yet. I have got perhaps 4 pullets similar to your last photo, but with greyer topknots. I'll keep those for breeding, and everything else goes in to general laying pens. At least they are excellent layers which is in their favour. I must compare Scotch Egg with the photo of your cockerel to see how much chestnut he's carrying.

~elizabeth~ · Joined: 14 Nov 2007 Posts: 19

Apologies if someone's already posted chick pics but for reference here are some day olds. The hen is the one on the right, quite dark brown with a distinct eyestripe and dark stripe on the head. The pale one on the left with a yellow dot on the head was definitely a cockerel.

I wasn't sure about the one in the middle, as the down was relatively dark but with a dot; he did turn out to be a cockerel.

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3455 Location: Monmouthshire

We can never have too many chick pictures for the autosexers. It is helpful when deciding which the iffys are.

NannyP · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:01 pm Post subject:

It's really useful to have those pics, as CLB's seem to come in several flavours if you;re not careful. I have 2 lovely coqs and wish their hens had survived. Looking forward to hatching some more next year.

bettyakimbo · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 28 Location: county durham

hi

my cockeral is very similar to wilts photo, i must get another photo of him that is clearer.

how come some cream legbars get very dark like some of mine? maybe black araucana added to help with egg colour?

oh this is just way too interesting now - i'm hooked on improving my little flock

liz x

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3455 Location: Monmouthshire

Three reasons for the dark ones. To increase their laying, they have been backcrossed to brown leghorns which also can give the occasional white egger. The "if it lays green eggs and has a crest, it must be a cream legbar" syndrome. Somebody thought Cotswold legbars were a pure breed (they're a hybrid) so sold their eggs as Cream Legbars. A dodgy cockeral can seriously mess up the breed - hence me casting rather covetous eyes at that very pale background bird of Wilt's.

Wilt · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 11:35 am Post subject:

He's yours for the taking HW

Tim Very Happy

NannyP · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:47 pm Post subject:

This is Parker...he's 7 months now.

and the younger coq, Billy no mates (again) is 4 months

leghorn_guy · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 13

do they have a standard in uk?

NannyP · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:53 pm Post subject:

I have 2 cockerels, One, the older one has lots of brown in his saddle etc. Billy no mates is very light, he has one brown feather, the rest is all grey.
One of them has to go in late march. Which would you keep to breed from??

Wilt · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:23 am Post subject:

I would always say keep the better do-er. In this case he also would appear to be the better marked of the two. Ideally you should be looking for a lad with more gold and mahogany on the saddle. And a more prominent comb. But these might come with age?

But no mates should be the one to depart IMHO

Tim

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1960 Location: Cheshire

NannyP · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject: