Breeding Buff Leghorns

[math ace]

I think the pullet (same age as cockerel) on the left will help with the chest and back length issues. What do you think?

 

[mschlumb]

[COLOR=800080]I think the pullet (same age as cockerel) on the left will help with the chest and back length issues. What do you think?[/COLOR]

Hard to tell from the picture but she does look like she is stronger in the front end. If she is from similar genetics she may not help that much. I've noticed between related birds if the males are flat chested, the females often times aren't, though they carry the flat chestedness that shows up in the male offspring. Its just a male/female. but if its all you have go with it. Hatch as many as you can and see what happens. I don't mean to be discouraging, but I don't want you to be disappointed in the offspring and not know why. As far as pictures go look at the old Schilling pictures. These are the black and white illustrations in the old standards of perfection., These are the best pictures to look at in my opinion. Or even a current illustration from the standard is pretty accurate. Just a caution about pictures, keep in mind that at the split second second the photo was taken the bird may have been standing funny or the picture was taken at a bad angle making an otherwise good bird look really bad. I've seen this many times were a picture just do do the justice as to what it truly looks like. That's why I'm always kind of cautious to critique a bird from a photo. Wing carriage can also be affected by how high the roost is, the higher a bird has to fly up usually they will hold their wings a little higher. But in many if not all cases low wings are genetic. High roosts can be a corrective action to fix low wings on an individual. Hope you have success with them!!

 

[math ace]

Thanks for the advice.
I appreciate you taking the time to help me get a better idea of which way to head with this breed.

Do you know right off the top of your head what the SOP calls for a tail angle on the leghorns?

 

[mschlumb]

[COLOR=800080]Thanks for the advice. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=800080]I appreciate you taking the time to help me get a better idea of which way to head with this breed.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080]Do you know right off the top of your head what the SOP calls for a tail angle on the leghorns?  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080] [/COLOR]

40 degrees for the male. 35 degrees for the female.(had to look it up!)

Hopefully someone else will comment on your birds and maybe offer a new perspective or catch something I missed. I don't claim to be buff leghorn expert, I've actually never raised them before but I have had light and dark brown leghorns pretty much my whole life. I've even messed with blacks and whites.

 

[math ace]

40 degrees for the male. 35 degrees for the female.(had to look it up!)
Hopefully someone else will comment on your birds and maybe offer a new perspective or catch something I missed. I don't claim to be buff leghorn expert, I've actually never raised them before but I have had light and dark brown leghorns pretty much my whole life. I've even messed with blacks and whites.

I would think the TYPE for the leghorn would remain the same no matter what color leghorn we are talking about.
This is my first time with leghorns. My other breeds (delawares, marans, and speckled sussex) I have been working with for a few years.

Here is a question for you.... This leghorn cockerel is a very sassy boy. If I hold a treat out for him, he pecks the pullets in the head if they come near it AND attacks my hand. He very rarely eats out of my hand. He is body bumping me every chance he gets. Just SASSY. Are most leghorn cockerels like this OR is this boy just extra hormonal?

 

[math ace]

I don't claim to be buff leghorn expert, I've actually never raised them before but I have had light and dark brown leghorns pretty much my whole life. I've even messed with blacks and whites.

Too Funny. I went to a poultry show last year. I was hoping to find some leghorn pullets for sale. I have a couple of white hatchery leghorns that are getting on in years and I was just looking for something different to replace them with. I was hoping to see the vendor at the chicken show that had been there the year before selling light and dark brown leghorns. However, when I got to the show, I saw buff leghorns on display at the show. OMG... That was it! I had to have this color.

 

[mschlumb]

[COLOR=800080]I would think the TYPE for the leghorn would remain the same no matter what color leghorn we are talking about.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=800080]This is my first time with leghorns.  My other breeds (delawares, marans, and speckled sussex)  I have been working with for a few years. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080]Here is a question for you.... This leghorn cockerel is a very sassy boy.  If I hold a treat out for him,  he pecks the pullets in the head if they come near it AND attacks my hand.  He very rarely eats out of my hand.  He is body bumping me every chance he gets.  Just SASSY.  Are most leghorn cockerels like this OR is this boy just extra hormonal?[/COLOR]


[COLOR=800080]  [/COLOR]

You're right type is all the same for all varieties.
I don't think that's out of the ordinary. Temperament can vary greatly between individuals. A little sass doesn't bother me, you know there good virile then and will probably make good breeders.

If the extra sassiness bothers you, it can probably be bred out over several generations. I know my dark brown large fowl could be kind of hatey but my dad's large white males never get mean. Temperament never really bothered me enough to want to get rid of it and risk sacrificing type or color for it.

Who did you buy your buffs from?

 

[ArieBLB]

I am new to the breed and would like some feed back on my cockerel.
I am looking for ideas as to what needs improvement on him . . .
My goal would be to show his offspring in a couple of years.

He is a Standard size Buff leghorn and is around 6 to 7 months old.

In the picture, his true color is a little richer. For example, his legs are very yellow, yet they look washed out in the photo.


Here is a profile picture...



and here is a view from the front...

Hi Math, I think you will do fine with these birds.
I agree his breast is a little flat. What I see is that the birds are very light Buff Color and that you are loosing color in their tails.
From who did you get these birds. The type looks close to Dan Honours line but the color of his line is some warmer buff color.
I think you can make a beatiful line from them if you look close to color and look also to the male when he is matured. Look if he is multy feathered in tail an that his fluff is buff to the skin. Look close to the females fluff on their backs and the color of that fluff should be the same as from the males fluff in breast.

 

[ArieBLB]

Some of my F3 generation from the cross between American type Buff Leghorn Bantams x Buff Dutch Bantams.
They still need some work but cam well for the 3th generation I guess.









Here a pure American type Buff Leghorn Batam female from 2011

 

[math ace]

Hi Math, I think you will do fine with these birds.
I agree his breast is a little flat. What I see is that the birds are very light Buff Color and that you are loosing color in their tails.
From who did you get these birds. The type looks close to Dan Honours line but the color of his line is some warmer buff color.
I think you can make a beatiful line from them if you look close to color and look also to the male when he is matured. Look if he is multy feathered in tail an that his fluff is buff to the skin. Look close to the females fluff on their backs and the color of that fluff should be the same as from the males fluff in breast.

Thank you for responding. This cockerel's brother had a darker buff color, but I thought this guy had a better type. So, I kept this one.
He is from Dan Honours line, but not directly from Dan.

I am glad to hear that temperment can vary greatly from roo to roo. My Speckled Sussex have been that way too.
Temperment is important to me because I don't like having to always watch my back. I like to free range my birds, but I can't trust this guy long enough to do that.