Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi,

I would like to get 2 POL Cream Legbars or other blue egg layers to join our 3 ex batts. Does anyone know of any available?
I'm Essex but don't mind too much of a drive!

Thanks Vicky

(Before anyone says - I've tried Kristy at hens4homes but she doesn't have any till july)

What about Thorne's in Letchworth? They get regular batches of hybrids in from a commercial breeder - don't know which breeds, as we've only had pekins from them, but if you phone up and ask for Frank or Carl, they'll be able to tell you.

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Small Plot? No Problem! - my blog about growing organic veg

The only blue egg birds I know are Cream legbars and Araucanas - both types are in high demand!

I have a pure breed Araucana - a beautiful lavender grey colour bird - the disadvantage is that Araucanas come into lay very late, mine was around the 9 month mark, and other owners here have similar ages at first lay. Advantage - she is amazingly tame and likes cuddles so good if you have kids!

The legbars may be pure or hybrid - if you go for hybrid be careful, while the egg colour does in fact come, at least in part, from the Araucana line the level of hybidisation may mean a hen which has insufficient of the colour gene to lay a well coloured egg.

That's a good point - hybrids derived from blue-egg-laying breeds only have about an 80% chance of laying blue (or green) eggs. If you get two, that obviously improves the odds that you'll get at least one!

There are various names for these hybrids: Skyline, Columbine, Jasmine, and probably some others I haven't heard of - breeders these days like to give their hybrid chickens distinct "brand names", even if their parentage is pretty much identical to hens from another breeder

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Small Plot? No Problem! - my blog about growing organic veg