Can anyone take my Legbar cockerels?

[its hilly]

RH is right. Use a blue egg carrying cockeral on brown egg laying hens and you get various shades of greeny brown. Very dark brown x blue gives proper olive eggs. Think crossing with white egg layers might give blue though, but think their offspring can still carry white egg layers.

[Snadger]

I don't think you would get blue egg layers just using a CL cock to cover "ordinary" hens, otherwise everyone would be doing it!!!

Trust you to complicate the issue! My last white egg laying Minorcan has just snuffed it so all my eggs are mid brown now.

Never seen a greeny brown egg?

[Suechooks]

One of our local breeders puts an Araucana cockerel with marans and gets olive green egg layers fom the hatchlings. Surely the same would work with Legbars and any brown egg layers?- go on give it a go!
You could market them as "Snadger Olives"

[jonpop]

Good Morning

I'm Kelly, Jon's wife, he said you'd all been really helpful and I can't tell you how grateful we are (even if you can't take one of the boys Snadger, I'm really grateful for the offer) Anyway, I thought I'd post another couple of photos of the lads - mainly because in the sunshine this morning they looked gorgeous. They still have fluffy feathers on their bums but I don't think they will stay fluffy for long (judging my the number of downy feathers I find in the henhouse every morning)

Thanks again everyone - I was dreading Jon posting because I thought we might get a bit of an ear bashing for having been so 'green' at the auction. So thanks for being kind to us too!

Here they are....

[Flummery]

They are certainly gorgeous lads Kelly. I do hope for a good outcome for you, but whatever happens, maybe you'll stick with The Grapevine and post a bit more often. We're not Meanies, honest, and genuinely try to help.

[baldrick]

One of our local breeders puts an Araucana cockerel with marans and gets olive green egg layers fom the hatchlings. Surely the same would work with Legbars and any brown egg layers?- go on give it a go!
You could market them as "Snadger Olives"

Yes ive got one in the living room looking at me now. Big plan was keep hens and rehome or eat any cockerels.I have a horrible horrible feeling our olive egg layer will be all mouth and baggy trousers........Rule 1/ never ever name chicks or have them hand tame and in the living room watching telly if the intention is to eat the boys.
Incidentally Sue our cream legbar lays greeny eggs instead of the intended blue. A fault for breed shows I understand, but very pretty all the same. She came from Chicken Dave at the same time as our troublesome but prolific foghorn leghorn.

[petal]

its the hen that carries the blue egg gene proper- hence when we crossed our buff orp with a legbar hen her daughter still layed lovely blue eggs.
Nothing wrong in eating these fellas, you are doing the right thing - then they don't become someone elses problem. If I was nearer, I'd nip round and help and show you how its all done.

[Snadger]

its the hen that carries the blue egg gene proper- hence when we crossed our buff orp with a legbar hen her daughter still layed lovely blue eggs.
Nothing wrong in eating these fellas, you are doing the right thing - then they don't become someone elses problem. If I was nearer, I'd nip round and help and show you how its all done.

Ooops!...........

[Snadger]

Well, he seems to be settling in quite well with my own young flock. He's with another three cockerels his age and an old boy who isn't bothering any of them.

He appears to have got himself a 'Sugarmummy' as one of my old brown hens seems to have taken him under her wing.

Haven't been on since the weekend as i've had broadband problems but will try and get a few piccies soon of him settled with his new family!

[jonpop]

I'm so glad he's settled in and happy. The kids are chuffed that he might become a Dad one day too! Thanks so much for taking him Snadger, Kelly

[Snadger]

I'm so glad he's settled in and happy. The kids are chuffed that he might become a Dad one day too! Thanks so much for taking him Snadger, Kelly

No problem Kelly. He's a bit of a character and is trying to cock a doodle do. The other ones look at him as he's about 10 octaves down from the rest of them and seems to be abit embarrassed about it!
All my cockerels have different cock a doodle do's and I can tell as soon as I come in the allotment gates who's being vociferous.
I should maybe start a barber shop quartet of cockerels!