Cream Legbar Breed Guide

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Acknowledgements

Compiled in 2015 to assist those who are raising Cream Legbars to move forward raising excellent fowl with close regard to the SOP developed by the Cream Legbar Club.

1." not one man in a thousand has accuracy of eye and judgement sufficient to become an eminent breeder.  If gifted with these qualities, and he studies his subject for years, and devotes his lifetime to it with indomitable perseverance, he will succeed, and may make great improvements; if he wants any of these qualities he will assuredly fail."

...  and

2."indomitable patience, the finest powers of discrimination, and sound judgement must be exercised during many years.  A clearly predetermined object must be kept steadily in view.  Few men are endowed with all these qualities, especially that of discriminating very slight differences; judgment can be acquired only by long experience; but if any of these qualities be wanting, the labor of a life may be thrown away."

Charles Darwin

1. The Origin of Species 1897, p 22

2. The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication 1868 vol.2 p.193

The above references are from "The Theory and Practice of Breeding to Type" by C.J. Davies....1928:

Table of Contents 

Objectives of this guide

• Assemble items that are stored in various places into one easy reference

• Provide some guidance for those interested in raising Cream Legbars

• Provide newcomers with some information that those with longer experience with the breed have learned and that we wish we had known when we started out

• Itemize the SOP with location identity on the Cream Legbar

• Identify criteria for APA breed acceptance

• Present some information from the CL Club’s APA advisor

• Provide some insight to Cream Legbar genetics

• Define some breeding methods for your further research

• Show examples of autosexing chicks

• Identify some elements of breeding true

• List some resources for your further exploration

• Show some sample forms for flock record keeping

• Contribute to what will be an on-going discussion of coloration

What is a Cream Legbar?

The Cream Legbar is a crested, autosexing, light fowl that carries the blue-egg gene

Legbars are friendly, good foragers and do well avoiding predators in a free range environment, although they can easily adapt to small yards and runs, as well.

Finally, they're fun looking, with unusual little crests, and striking looking roosters.  

Adult males are protective of their flock.  Most are very good with their hens.  Cream Legbar roosters  may be unsuitable around small children and some males may even be overly protective of females.  The unique beauty of the adult male Cream Legbar is one of the things that attracts many to this breed.

One of the advantages autosexing provides is that there need be no ‘rooster surprises’, and those who want a flock of all females for egg-laying and urban backyards are going to get females from someone who is raising Cream Legbars to keep the important traits intact.  Even when day-old chicks, the female can be selected from the hatch.  

Cream Legbar females will sometimes go broody, and they make excellent mother hens.  Prolific egg production is a hallmark of a good Cream Legbar.  Egg colors vary somewhat among lines and strains, blue is the preferred color and a saturated definite blue is the goal of many who raise this breed.

Cream Legbar Type modified from sample by Kestlyn Penley - used with permission

Draft Standard of Perfection - note: be certain to check the Club’s website for the most current version

CREAM LEGBAR

(Proposed Standard of Perfection Draft 4 for Preliminary Show Requirements as requested by Walt Leonard, APA Chairman of Standard Revision and Advising Mentor to the Cream Legbar Club)

    The Cream Legbar was presented at the 1947 London Dairy Show as a new breed of cream colored autosexing chicken, friendly in temperament, and prolific layer of blue eggs. The recessive nature of the cream color, the dominate blue egg color, and the crest which sets this breed apart from its similar Legbar relations was discovered in genetic experimentation performed by Professors R.C. Punnett and Michael Pease.

         Professor Punnett received blue egg laying crested Chilean hens from botanist Clarence Elliott in 1929. One of these hens led to Professor Punnett’s monumental discovery of the recessive cream color in poultry in 1931. Professor Punnett experimented with these birds at the University of Cambridge to create crested blue egg layers with the heartiness, production, plumage pattern and type of the Danish Brown Leghorns he used, except with cream replacing the gold coloring.

             Later Professor Pease performed his own breeding experiments using Gold Legbars and an inbred UK type White Leghorn from Reaseheath College in Cheshire, England, which also resulted in a number of cream colored birds.

            Professors Pease and Punnett bred their cream birds together to see if they had stumbled upon the same cream gene, proving it upon the hatching of all cream offspring. Descendants of these birds were selected for straight single combs, crests, production blue egg laying, and the remarkable autosexing feature that allowed the sexes to be identified at hatch. These qualities were stabilized by 1947, and The Poultry Club of Great Britain adopted a written standard in May, 1958.

ECONOMIC QUALITIES

Especially noted for the autosexing feature in offspring, and production of eggs. Color of skin, yellow; color of egg shell, blue or green.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Absence of crest. (See General Disqualifications and Cutting for Defects.)

STANDARD WEIGHTS

Cock…………………………7 lbs.        Hens……………………..…..5 1/2 lbs.

Cockerel……………………..6 lbs.         Pullet………………………..4 1/2 lbs.

Draft Standard of Perfection -continued

SHAPE -- MALE

Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, straight and upright, deeply and evenly serrated with six distinct points, extending well over the back of the head and following, without touching, the line of the head, free from side sprigs, thumb-marks or twists.

Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.

Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.    

Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent.  Round in appearance.

Wattles: Moderately long, thin, uniform in size, well rounded, free from folds or wrinkles. Skin soft.

Ear-lobes: Large, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.

Crest: Small, well back from the eyes with narrow feathers falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb.

Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.

Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.

Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, narrowing slightly toward the tail, long in length, flat, sloping slightly to the tail.  

Saddle feathers—Abundant, long, and filling well in front of the tail.

Tail: Moderately full, carried at an angle of forty-five degrees above horizontal.  

    Main tail—feathers broad and overlapping.

Sickles—long and well curved.  

Lesser Sickles and Coverts—long, of good width, nicely curved and abundant.

Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.

Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.

Body and Fluff: Body--moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear.  Keel is of good length, following the line of the back.  Feathers moderately long and close to the body.  

Fluff—medium in length, moderately full.

Legs and Toes: Legs--moderately long, straight when viewed from the front.  Thighs are medium length.  Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers.  

Toes—four, long, straight, and well-spread.

Draft Standard of Perfection -continued

SHAPE -- FEMALE

Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, erect or first point to stand erect and the remainder of the comb dropping gracefully to the side without obscuring the eyes, deeply and evenly serrated having six distinct points.

Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.

Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.

Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent.  Round in appearance.

Wattles: Medium in length, thin, uniform in size, well-rounded, free from folds or wrinkles.  Skin soft.

Ear-lobes: Medium, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.

Crest: Medium, rising well in front so as not to obstruct the eyes, with feathers narrow and falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb.  

Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.

Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.

Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, long, with an even slope to the tail.  Feathers moderately broad and of sufficient length to carry well up to tail.

Tail: Moderately long, carried at an angle of thirty-five degrees above horizontal.  

Main tail—feathers broad and overlapping.

Coverts—broad and abundant, extending well onto main tail.

Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.

Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.

Body and Fluff: Body-- moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear.  Keel is of good length, following the line of the back.  Feathers moderately long and close to the body.  

Fluff—medium in length, moderately full.

Legs and Toes: Legs-- moderately long, straight when viewed from the front.  Thighs are medium length.  Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers.  

Toes—four, long, straight, and well-spread.

Draft Standard of Perfection -continued

COLOR -- MALE

Comb, Face and Wattles: Bright Red.

Beak: Yellow.

Eyes: Reddish bay.

Ear-lobes: Enamel white.  For Cocks over one year of age only, no defect cuts for red covering up to one-third of the surface.

Head: Plumage, cream and gray.

Crest: Cream and gray, some chestnut permissible.

Neck: Hackle—cream, sparsely barred with gray.  

Shoulder—cream, barred with dark gray, some chestnut permissible.  

Front of neck—same as breast.

Wings: Fronts and Bows—dark gray, faintly barred, some chestnut permissible.

Coverts—gray, barred, tipped in cream.  

Primaries—dark gray, faintly barred, small amounts of white permissible.

Secondaries—dark gray, sparsely barred with gray intermixed with cream, some white permissible.

Back: Cream, barred with dark gray, some chestnut permissible.  

Saddle—cream, barred with dark gray, edged in cream.

Tail: Main Tail—gray, evenly barred.

Sickle and Coverts—light gray, barred, some white feathers permissible.  

Breast: Dark gray, evenly barred, well defined outline.

Legs and Toes: Yellow.

Under-Color of All Sections: Silver-gray.

Draft Standard of Perfection -continued

COLOR -- FEMALE

Comb, Face, and Wattles: Bright red.

Beak: Yellow.

Eyes: Reddish bay.

Ear-lobes: Enamel white.  

Head: Plumage, cream and gray.

Crest: Cream and gray, some chestnut permissible.

Neck: Hackle—cream, softly barred gray.  

Front of neck—salmon.

Wings: Fronts, Bows and Coverts—silver-gray, faintly barred.

Primaries— gray, very faintly barred.

Secondaries— gray, faintly barred, the outer web stippled with lighter gray and cream.

Back: Gray, softly barred, feathers having a lighter shaft permissible.

Tail: Main Tail and Coverts—silver-gray, faintly barred.

Breast: Salmon, well defined in outline, some feathers having a slightly lighter shaft permissible.

Body and Fluff: Silver-gray, indistinctly barred.  

Legs and Toes: Yellow.

Under-Color of All Sections: Silver-gray.

Cream Legbar Colors

Note: secondaries on male wings should be gray and white barred, this is one indication of Cream plumage.  The new SOP version adds Cream to the secondaries (gray, white and cream barred).

also - IF the male has a white earlobe, and the hackles and saddles are the same as the earlobe then they are white.

Path to APA breed Acceptance - note: check the Club’s website for current status

Messages from Club’s APA advisor, Walt Leonard
APA Judge, Chairman of the Committee to admit new breeds to the APA

Note:  number in left column refers to the numbered post in this thread in the BackYardChickens Forum:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/931182/discussion-of-legbar-standard-of-perfection-for-alternative-legbars-sop-discussion/830

Genetics of Cream Legbar

Our “thank yous” extended to Tim Adkerson for his information posted on the Backyard Chickens Forum. 

Here is the link to the BYC thread:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/830629/crested-cream-legbar-genotype-vs-phenotype#post_12139654

Here is the specific CL formula that TAdkerson posted:

CL genotype is e+/e+, s+/s+, ig/ig, B/B or B/w, w/w ( yellow skin), Id/Id or Id/w ( dermal melanin inhibitor), Cr/Cr (crest), genes for white ear lobes, O/O (blue egg shell), there are other genes that deal with brown egg shell color- one is an inhibitor of brown egg shell color they may carry the gene, rapid feathering  k+/k+ or k+/_W, genes for reddish bay eye color. They also carry autosomal red.

Genetics Discussion

Our “thank yous”extended to Tim Adkerson for his information posted on the Backyard Chickens Forum.

Cream legbar (CL) are wild type (gold duck wing), sex linked barred, and carry the cream gene. They also carry a form of autosomal red.

Autosomal red is not an actual gene but is a term for red not due to the gold allele. Hutt coined the term autosomal red.  You should not use a gene symbol to represent the gene.

Autosomal red is not due to the wild type allele and is expressed by another gene or genes. I have produced silver wheaten female birds that express autosomal red. see picture below. It is also expressed in the salmon faverolle which is silver wheaten.  Autosomal red is or are hypostatic to the cream gene or in other words is not diluted by the cream gene. This is why the CL have the chestnut color in their plumage. Notice the chestnut color in the picture of my bird.

If autosomal red is added to a silver duck wing's genotype you get a golden duck wing. Golden duck wing could also be heterozygous at the silver locus.

 The diluted (muted) down of the CL male chick is not due to the cream gene; this characteristic is caused by two doses of the barring gene.

Silver does not affect the salmon breast on a wild type female. To the best of my knowledge- autosomal red does not affect the salmon breast.

CL are gold but the cream gene will dilute the red pigment. The dilution of red can vary. Taylor's work with cream indicated that some gold males were diluted to the point that they appeared to be silver males. This is why CL males have very diluted hackles. The barring genes also dilute the hackles.

Note:  Edited to remove ‘crested’ from breed name to avoid confusion.  The breed is Legbar, the variety is Cream - Although once used ‘cested’ is no longer part of the name

Walk-thru of SOP with Locations Identified

SHAPE -- MALE

Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, straight and upright, deeply and evenly serrated with six distinct points, extending well over the back of the head and following, without touching, the line of the head, free from side sprigs, thumb-marks or twists.

Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.

Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.        

Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent.  Round in appearance.

Wattles: Moderately long, thin, uniform in size, well rounded, free from folds or wrinkles. Skin soft

.

Ear-lobes: Large, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.

Crest: Small, well back from the eyes with narrow feathers falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb.

Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.

Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.

Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, narrowing slightly toward the tail, long in length, flat, sloping slightly to the tail. 

Saddle feathers—Abundant, long, and filling well in front of the tail.

Tail: Moderately full, carried at an angle of forty-five degrees above horizontal. 

        Main tail—feathers broad and overlapping.

Sickles—long and well curved.  

Lesser Sickles and Coverts—long, of good width, nicely curved and abundant.

Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.

Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.

Body and Fluff: Body--moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear.  Keel is of good length, following the line of the back.  Feathers moderately long and close to the body.  

Fluff—medium in length, moderately full.

Legs and Toes: Legs--moderately long, straight when viewed from the front.  Thighs are medium length.  Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers. 

Toes—four, long, straight, and well-spread.

SHAPE -- FEMALE

Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, erect or first point to stand erect and the remainder of the comb dropping gracefully to the side without obscuring the eyes, deeply and evenly serrated having six distinct points.

Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.

Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.

Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent.  Round in appearance.

Wattles: Medium in length, thin, uniform in size, well-rounded, free from folds or wrinkles.  Skin soft.

Ear-lobes: Medium, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.

Crest: Medium, rising well in front so as not to obstruct the eyes, with feathers narrow and falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb. 

Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.

Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.

Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, long, with an even slope to the tail.  Feathers moderately broad and of sufficient length to carry well up to tail.

Tail: Moderately long, carried at an angle of thirty-five degrees above horizontal.   

Main tail—feathers broad and overlapping.

Coverts—broad and abundant, extending well onto main tail.

Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.

Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.

Body and Fluff: Body-- moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear.  Keel is of good length, following the line of the back.  Feathers moderately long and close to the body.  

Fluff—medium in length, moderately full.

Legs and Toes: Legs-- moderately long, straight when viewed from the front.  Thighs are medium length.  Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers. 

Toes—four, long, straight, and well-spread.

To see a walk-thru using color photographs of some UK Cream Legbars  go to this BYC link and start at post 343 - The male and female are examined for Type and Color against the SOP:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/931182/discussion-of-legbar-standard-of-perfection-for-alternative-legbars-sop-discussion/340

For a review of the colors of Cream Legbars that are winning at Poultry Shows sponsored by the APA, look at images on this page on the Cream Legbar Club’s Website.

http://www.creamlegbarclub.com/11-show-winners

Styles/Types of breeding

Styles/Types of breeding continued

Insights from Classroom in the coop

http://www.the-coop.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=28027

Clan mating

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Clan+Mating.html

Breeding Guide - Backyard Poultry Magazine:

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/craig_russell/

How to get started with a breed (although referencing RIR could apply to any breed)

http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id67.html

“Culling”

“Culling is never easy. It doesn’t necessarily mean killing a bird, but removing it from the breeding pen so that whatever fault it has is not perpetuated. Improvement in the standard of your stock is the goal and this includes not only superficial points but utility aspects as well.” 

Poultry Club of Great Britain - Read the excellent article here: http://www.poultryclub.org/poultry/selection-for-breeding/

Some views about ‘Breeding True’

When livestock ‘breeds true’ - the progeny will replicate the parents.

1.  The most important characteristic of Cream Legbars is autosexing*.  Here are some examples of how chicks can be sexed based on chicks down:

left image female with chipmunk stripes, right image male with diffused stripes and head spot.

* Based on survey results

Some views about ‘Breeding True’ - (continued)

Above Legbar chicks (Gold Legbars 1940) top row and center males, bottom row females.

2. Blue egg genetics one of the major features of Cream Legbars 

Some views about ‘Breeding True’ (continued)

3.  Crests are an essential attribute of Cream Legbars

Crests are a requirement.

Note:  Look for a document by Kestlyn Penley,  Co-chair of the SOP Committee,  in the near future with details about how the APA will subtract points based on discrepancies for type.

Checklist:

Resources

www.CreamLegbarClub.com or www.CreamLegbarClub.org

• chick weight tracking spreadsheet - use the form on the web for the first entry to set up the record for your chick(s).  Subsequently you will be given access to the Spreadsheet. Wondering if your chicks or flock at a certain age is at weight?  Check your entries against others who have entered to compare
• show winners - see which chickens have won APA shows
• How legbars grow - check the photo essays of chicks at various stages of development
• gallery - see photos of some other’s Legbars
• Check the websites resources page for link to poultry shows throughout the USA
• The meeting schedule should be current on the Calendar Page - and news and announcements on the Website’s news page.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/

• enter ‘Legbar’ in the search box - and find out about recent discussions of Legbars in the BYC community

http://kippenjungle.nl/basisEN.htm

• get some basics of genetics from the site provided by Henk Meijers in the Netherlands

http://www.the-coop.org/forums/ubbthreads.php

• For the more advanced enthusiast - detailed discussion with visits from genetics experts from around the globe

Resources - continued

Gallery Images of Cream Legbars

Images from Genetics Journal article by R.C. Punnett, Modified by adding crests to the Gold Legbar which is the subject of the article to provide the appearance of the Cream Legbar.

Cream Legbar hen and Cockbird from 1947 Dairy Show in London at their introduction.

Legbar Cockerel - sent to us by a friend in UK - taken from a photo in an older version of the PCGB SOP

Worksheets for Flock Records

POULTRY BREEDING RECORD

Brood ID# __________________

Owner  ____________________________________

Breed  _____________________________________

Rooster ID/Color band  _______________________  Hen ID/Color band  _______________

Age: Rooster  _____________  Age: Hen ____________

Pen ID# (or N/A) ___________________________Rooster  _____________   Hen _____________

Date Eggs Set  _______________________________             #Eggs Set ____________

Date Eggs Hatched  _________ _______________________   #Eggs Hatched __________

P/T, NPIP #  ___________________________________________________________________________

Remarks:  ______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 1

Livability: # chicks_______________________________________________________________________

Remarks:  ________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Week 2

Livability: # chicks________________________________________________________________________

Remarks:  ______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Week 3

Livability: # chicks_______________________________________________________________________

Remarks:  ________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 4

# chicks ID tagged___________   culled:___________   Reason:   ________________________________

Remarks:  _______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

# cockerels_____________________________      # Pullets________________________________

ID#/Color (Date and single strike-out or highlighter for culled, sold, died, etc.)

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

disposition of all chicks:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

POULTRY BREEDING RECORD

BROOD ID#____________________________________________

PULLETS:

First Eggs

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________       Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

Date:__________   ID#:____________  Egg Color:_______________  Size:_____  Shell Quality:__________

ROOSTERS:

Best Rooster:

ID#______________________  Date:_________________  Move to Breeding Pen? Yes  No       (circle one)

Best Features:___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Best Rooster:

ID#______________________  Date:_________________  Move to Breeding Pen? Yes  No      (circle one)

Best Features:____________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Best Rooster:

ID#______________________  Date:_________________  Move to Breeding Pen? Yes  No        (circle one)

Best Features:___________________________________________________________________________

**IF YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE APA SOP ENDEAVOR PLEASE INCLUDE PICTURES**

POULTRY BREEDING RECORD

Brood ID#  ______________

chick ID#  ___________________   C  _______   P  _______ (circle one)

Best Features  ________________________________________________________

Worst Features  _______________________________________________________

Weight:

1 wk ____  4 wks _____   8 wks _____   12 wks _____   16 wks _____   20 wks ______

Remarks:  _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

chick ID#  ___________________   C  _______   P  _______  (circle one)

Best Features  ________________________________________________________

Worst Features  _______________________________________________________

Weight:

1 wk ____   4 wks ___   8 wks _____   12 wks _____   16 wks _____   20 wks ______

Remarks:  _____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

chick ID#  ___________________   C  _______   P  _______  (circle one)

Best Features  ________________________________________________________

Worst Features  _______________________________________________________

Weight:

1 wk _____   4 wks _____   8 wks _____   12 wks _____   16 wks _____   20 wks ______

Remarks:  ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

What Color is Cream?