Is our Cream Legbar a bantam?

[SwampQueenChick]

First of all let me say we are absolutely in love with this girl First time ever owning a Legbar. She is the sweetest girl, one of the first to run up to us for some attention!

She's 12 weeks, same age as the others. She's so tiny though compared to the others her age. Is this a typical Cream Legbar thing or is she a bantam?! She came from tractor supply. Is it normal to have runts in chicks like as in dog litters ( I'm just starting to dive into learning more about chickens instead of having only a couple running around the yard ).

A child is holding her in the picture of her face. Kind of gives an idea of size comparison to her hands.

 

[sybonbon]

I had 3 cream legbars. Mine are not the size of my standard chickens. They are petite. I'm not so sure about yours. She's not looking like my ladies but I'm no expert.

 

[SwampQueenChick]

I had 3 cream legbars. Mine are not the size of my standard chickens. They are petite. I'm not so sure about yours. She's not looking like my ladies but I'm no expert.

Kinda bad pics I know. She's so fast its hard to get good ones! Comparing her to other CLB pics she looks like one to me If not, oh well, her personality def makes up for it.

 

[sybonbon]

Kinda bad pics I know. She's so fast its hard to get good ones! Comparing her to other CLB pics she looks like one to me If not, oh well, her personality def makes up for it.

Kinda bad pics I know. She's so fast its hard to get good ones! Comparing her to other CLB pics she looks like one to me If not, oh well, her personality def makes up for it.

I wish you the best. Here's my 3. The smallest left me on Monday.

 

[hotpotato3]

my cream legbar was only a little bigger than her at that age so, she might just be a little smaller than normal

 

[SwampQueenChick]

I wish you the best. Here's my 3. The smallest left me on Monday.

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know she'll be missed. Your babies are so pretty! I've just fallen in love with this breed

 

[SwampQueenChick]

my cream legbar was only a little bigger than her at that age so, she might just be a little smaller than normal

Well that's good to know! Do you have any pics posted on BYC of yours?

 

[pinewoodacres]

Honestly I think they tend toward the smaller side. In my breeding project, everything I backcrossed to a Legbar parent is small, and I have some purebreds from a local breeder and most were on the small side compared with my original hatchery birds. There are some I thought about keeping as a bantam project but bantams are useless to me (just SO tiny) so I nixed the idea of keeping the smallest. Although maybe it would be a good show bird for kids like in 4-H.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Nobody has really established a Bantam line of legbars. The size difference you're seeing is most likely either normal differences between a light laying breed and heavy dual purpose breed, or a failure to thrive situation.

 

[sybonbon]

Nobody has really established a Bantam line of legbars. The size difference you're seeing is most likely either normal differences between a light laying breed and heavy dual purpose breed, or a failure to thrive situation.

I agree. I got 6 from a breeder. 2 had failure to thrive and died. Small, undefined feather pattern and anemic looking. The other 4 are thriving and lay almost every day. They are smaller than my Marans, RIR, SLW, EE and Blue Andalusian. Also smaller than my Bantam Birchen Chocolate Orpington who is the size of my standard chickens.