[Wattsy]

how well would these do on an allotment do you think? i've been doing a bit of research and they say that generally they like free ranging and are quite noisy maybe a few problems with complaints? they'll be let out of the run most days so free ranging shouldn't be too much of a problem

cheers
matt

(also looking at black rocks and light sussex's any wisdom on these would be greatly appreciated)

[darkbrowneggs]

The ones I have seem remarkably quiet, and non-flighty.  The have been moved to a stable last week, and after a couple of days I left the door open, they do pop out for a bit of a peck around, but often they are having a scratch round in the stable when I go by.  Certainly no noise.  Most are only POL yet but there are 3 young cockerels with them and a couple of laying hens.  All very calm and peaceful, and very pretty too

I am hoping for some nice blue eggs to go with my brown ones

[AL Hathaway]

Just lovely sue. and i love your traditional clean legged English Cuckoo Marans i just cant wait for them to lay sigh

[hillfooter]

how well would these do on an allotment do you think? i've been doing a bit of research and they say that generally they like free ranging and are quite noisy maybe a few problems with complaints? they'll be let out of the run most days so free ranging shouldn't be too much of a problem

cheers
matt

(also looking at black rocks and light sussex's any wisdom on these would be greatly appreciated)

Cream Legbars would be OK I think.  They are fairly quiet though nervy birds.  Mine are quite friendly though.  They don't seem to go broody and are reasonably good layers of medium light blue/white eggs.   Mine are 4 years old now and still laying moderately well.

Light Sussex (or Buff) pure breeds are lovely docile birds which fit in well to a free ranging system.  If you find a good strain they are excellent layers too.  They can go broody despite reading in some reports that they don't mine have always been prone to broodiness.  They continue to grow well and become quite large in their 2nd & 3rd year with fluffy loose feathering almost like Orps.  Eggs are medium to large tinted becoming larget as they grow.  They are quite long lived.

Black Rocks are hybrids and are excellent layers of large light brown eggs.  They will lay through winter too but mine had a few laying problems and didn't last well.  I personally don't like to mix hybrids with pure breeds so I wouldn't keep LS, CL & BRs together.

HF

[Ben_H]

Wattsy, do you know how old the CLB pullets are in your photo?

[darkbrowneggs]

Wattsy, do you know how old the CLB pullets are in your photo?

Hi there - as I posted the photos of the pullets I assume you mean me    Looked up Wattsy on the internet incase it was TextSpeak and got this
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wattsy  -Then saw it was the tag of the original poster  

Anyway if it is me the pullets are just coming up to 19 weeks, as is the cockerel.  He had his first real crowing yesterday, and the day before I found one of the pullets investigating the nest box, so I am (as one says) hopeful.

They are my founder members of what (again hopefully) will be a good quality flock.  I have bought eggs from all the best breeders I could find who had eggs to spare, and will let you all know how they progress.  As I say as yet they are not at all flighty - though I know that can be the case with this breed - and seem quiet, calm and although I don't have time to spend giving them treats etc, I think they would be very easy to tame.

All the best
Sue

[Wattsy]

how well would these do on an allotment do you think? i've been doing a bit of research and they say that generally they like free ranging and are quite noisy maybe a few problems with complaints? they'll be let out of the run most days so free ranging shouldn't be too much of a problem

cheers
matt

(also looking at black rocks and light sussex's any wisdom on these would be greatly appreciated)

Cream Legbars would be OK I think.  They are fairly quiet though nervy birds.  Mine are quite friendly though.  They don't seem to go broody and are reasonably good layers of medium light blue/white eggs.   Mine are 4 years old now and still laying moderately well.

Light Sussex (or Buff) pure breeds are lovely docile birds which fit in well to a free ranging system.  If you find a good strain they are excellent layers too.  They can go broody despite reading in some reports that they don't mine have always been prone to broodiness.  They continue to grow well and become quite large in their 2nd & 3rd year with fluffy loose feathering almost like Orps.  Eggs are medium to large tinted becoming larget as they grow.  They are quite long lived.

Black Rocks are hybrids and are excellent layers of large light brown eggs.  They will lay through winter too but mine had a few laying problems and didn't last well.  I personally don't like to mix hybrids with pure breeds so I wouldn't keep LS, CL & BRs together.

HF

is it just personal preference for not keeping hybrids and pure breeds together or is there a reason?

matt

[hillfooter]

how well would these do on an allotment do you think? i've been doing a bit of research and they say that generally they like free ranging and are quite noisy maybe a few problems with complaints? they'll be let out of the run most days so free ranging shouldn't be too much of a problem

cheers
matt

(also looking at black rocks and light sussex's any wisdom on these would be greatly appreciated)

Cream Legbars would be OK I think.  They are fairly quiet though nervy birds.  Mine are quite friendly though.  They don't seem to go broody and are reasonably good layers of medium light blue/white eggs.   Mine are 4 years old now and still laying moderately well.

Light Sussex (or Buff) pure breeds are lovely docile birds which fit in well to a free ranging system.  If you find a good strain they are excellent layers too.  They can go broody despite reading in some reports that they don't mine have always been prone to broodiness.  They continue to grow well and become quite large in their 2nd & 3rd year with fluffy loose feathering almost like Orps.  Eggs are medium to large tinted becoming larget as they grow.  They are quite long lived.

Black Rocks are hybrids and are excellent layers of large light brown eggs.  They will lay through winter too but mine had a few laying problems and didn't last well.  I personally don't like to mix hybrids with pure breeds so I wouldn't keep LS, CL & BRs together.

HF

is it just personal preference for not keeping hybrids and pure breeds together or is there a reason?

matt

There's no particular reason other than I like to keep birds of the same era together (there are good reasons for this) and hybrids tend not to live as long as purebreeds.  Also I breed chx but you can't breed from hybrids (or at least end up with anything predictable) so I tend to keep them in breeding groups.

HF

Currently I have no hybrids

HF

[Ben_H]

Oops yes, sorry Sue, was not paying careful enough attention when addressing my query. Have you had them from eggs or did you get them as pullets? I've been trying to get an accurate age for this CLB pullet. I think she looks a bit younger than yours. Any thoughts?

[darkbrowneggs]

14 weeks?  Just a guess.    What is she a CLB x Araucana?

[Ben_H]

According to the breeder she was 14-16 weeks old when I collected her over 7 weeks ago and a pure CLB. This photo was taken about two weeks back so supposedly 19-21 weeks. However her face is only just staring to show signs of pink around the eye and she has no wattles yet and her comb is a few little bumps. She's also half the size of an "equivalent age" Goldline. She came with a slightly bigger Cotswold legbar also 14-16 weeks at point of sale and I'm now waiting to see what she turns into as looks quite different to pictures of CLB I've seen Also showing no facial reddening, comb and wattles and half the size of the Goldline.

I have no intention of going back to the breeder to start an argument or buy more hens but am after a bit of piece of mind as it is bugging me that our inexperience was taken advantage of.

The other reason I trying to age her however is to guage how much longer I need to be using growers pellets. At the moment I'm feeding half and half growers/layers.

Your guestimate matches a couple of others that I've had so I'm just going to accept that she's not quite what we thought and get on with enjoying having all the hens.

Anyway I am letting this go now. Thanks for the thoughts and apologies Wattsy for hijacking your thread 

[Ben_H]

Hi there - as I posted the photos of the pullets I assume you mean me    Looked up Wattsy on the internet incase it was TextSpeak and got this
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wattsy  -Then saw it was the tag of the original poster  

 

[darkbrowneggs]

As Wattsy / Matt is maybe interested in keeping them he is probably following this anyway 

As I said I have got various eggs from various places, and 2 of the pullets look very similar to yours.  Having (at the same time) hatched some Araucana eggs, and watched them develop together I came to the conclusion that someone has recrossed them with Araucana to improve the egg colour.

At present I am keeping everything that I hatched from eggs bought as "Cream Legbars" though I have to say on the whole they have turned out a pretty mixed bunch, but I will keep them to maturity to see what and how they lay, though obviously I shall only set eggs from the "true to type" birds.

I have heard that they can be very late developers on the egg laying front 24-30 weeks being not unusual, which is why I am so pleased with the group I posted the piccies of.  I think poultry should be more than just feathers and leg colour etc.

They are not laying yet of course so it remains to be seen how noisy the girls are when they are "egg proud", but the cockerel is crowing, and it is a rather nice "little" crow, well at least compared to my 9.5 lb young Marans stock cockerel  .  But I am lucky as I am out in the sticks so cockerels aren't a problem 

All the best
Sue

[Ben_H]

I'd love a cockerel to keep our girls in line. A CLB with a soft crow would be ace or a pekin of some sort. At the moment I'm more concerned about it waking up our three year old or 6 month old children as my neighbours either side are stone deaf. Shame you can't get a rooster on "soft crow or return".

[hillfooter]

If I remember correctly my old CLB cock "Stanley" used to have more of a hoot like an owl than a strident crow.

HF