For Reference ONLY - this is an older version of the SOP - the current version is on item 29 on the navigation bar on the right. Introduction to Draft 3A of the Cream Legbar Standard of Perfection By Kestlyn Penley and Elissa Teel-Duggan After much debate, study, and thought, the Standards Committee is pleased to present the third draft version A of the Standard of Perfection for the Cream variety of Legbar to the Cream Legbar Club. Anyone planning on showing their Legbars this Fall is encouraged to print out a copy of the standard and pin it to their birds' cages. Draft 3A approved changes: The history was edited to reflect proper word usage (i.e. hatch versus born) and accuracy. The Crest description of the Hen was changed to more correctly describe the feathers of the crest, no longer including the "eye brows" or "whiskers", thereby encouraging the breeding of birds with small or no cerebral hernias resulting in healthier birds and straighter combs for both sexes. The British word "peppered" was also changed to the American word "stippled" in the Hen Wings description. Previous Draft follows CREAM LEGBAR (Proposed Standard of Perfection Draft 2 for Preliminary Show Requirements) The Cream Legbar was presented at the 1947 London Dairy Show as a new breed of cream colored auto-sexing chicken, friendly in temperament, and prolific layer of blue eggs. The recessive nature of the cream color, the dominate blue egg color, and the crest which sets this breed apart from its similar Legbar relations was discovered in genetic experimentation performed by Professors R.C. Punnett and Michael Pease. Professor Punnett received blue egg laying crested Chilean hens from botanist Clarence Elliott in 1929. He experimented with these birds to create crested blue egg layers with plumage like Brown Leghorns except with cream instead of gold. Later Professor Pease performed his own breeding experiments using Gold Legbars and an inbred White Leghorn from Reaseheath, which also resulted in a number of cream colored birds. Professors Pease and Punnett bred their cream birds together to see if they had stumbled upon the same cream gene, proving it upon the birth of all cream offspring. Descendants of these birds were selected for crests, blue egg laying abilities, and the remarkable auto-sexing feature that allowed them to be identified at birth. These qualities were stabilized by 1947, and the Cream Legbar received a written standard by the Poultry Club of Great Britain in 1958. ECONOMIC QUALITIES Especially noted for the auto-sexing feature in offspring, and production of eggs. Color of skin, yellow; color of egg shell, blue or green. DISQUALIFICATIONS See General Disqualifications and Cutting for Defects. STANDARD WEIGHTS Cock…………………………7 lbs. Hens…………………………6 lbs. Cockerel……………………..6 lbs. Pullet…………………………4 lbs.
SHAPE -- MALE Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, straight and upright, deeply and evenly serrated with six distinct points, extending well over the back of the head and following, without touching, the line of the head, free from side spikes, thumb-marks or twists. Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved. Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture. Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent. Round in appearance. Wattles: Moderately long, thin, uniform in size, well rounded, free from folds or wrinkles. Skin soft. Ear-lobes: Large, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape. Crest: Small, well back from the eyes with narrow feathers falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb. Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality. Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers. Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, narrowing slightly toward the tail, long in length, flat, sloping slightly to the tail. Saddle feathers—Abundant, long, and filling well in front of the tail.
Tail: Moderately full, carried at an angle of forty-five degrees above horizontal. Main tail—feathers broad and overlapping. Sickles—long and well curved. Lesser Sickles and Coverts—long, of good width, nicely curved and abundant.
Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.
Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.
Body and Fluff: Body moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear. Keel is of good length, following the line of the back. Feathers moderately long and close to the body. Fluff—medium in length, moderately full.
Legs and Toes: Legs moderately long, straight when viewed from the front. Thighs are medium length. Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers. Toes—four, long, straight, and well-spread. SHAPE -- FEMALE
Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, erect or first point to stand erect and the remainder of the comb dropping gracefully to the side without obscuring the eyes, deeply and evenly serrated having six distinct points.
Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.
Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.
Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent. Round in appearance.
Wattles: Medium in length, thin, uniform in size, well-rounded, free from folds or wrinkles. Skin soft.
Ear-lobes: Medium, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.
Crest: Medium, affixed at the forefront of the skull on both sides of the base of the comb and running length of comb. Rising well in front so as not to obstruct the eyes, with feathers narrow and falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb.
Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.
Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.
Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, long, with an even slope to the tail. Feathers moderately broad and of sufficient length to carry well up to tail.
Tail: Moderately long, carried at an angle of thirty-five degrees above horizontal. Main tail—feathers broad and overlapping. Coverts—broad and abundant, extending well onto main tail.
Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.
Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.
Body and Fluff: Body moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear. Keel is of good length, following the line of the back. Feathers moderately long and close to the body. Fluff—medium in length, moderately full.
Legs and Toes: Legs moderately long, straight when viewed from the front. Thighs are medium length. Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers. Toes—four, long, straight, and well-spread.
COLOR -- MALE Comb, Face and Wattles: Bright Red. Beak: Yellow. Eyes: Reddish bay. Ear-lobes: Enamel white. Head: Plumage, cream and gray. Crest: Cream and gray, some chestnut permissible.
Neck: Hackle—cream, sparsely barred with gray. Shoulder—cream, barred with dark gray, some chestnut permissible. Front of neck—same as breast.
Wings: Fronts and Bows—dark gray, faintly barred, some chestnut permissible. Coverts—gray, barred, tipped in cream. Primaries—dark gray, faintly barred, some white permissible. Secondaries—dark gray, more clearly barred.
Back: Cream, barred with dark gray, some chestnut permissible. Saddle—cream, barred with dark gray, edged in cream.
Tail: Main Tail—gray, evenly barred. Sickle and Coverts—light gray, barred, some white feathers permissible.
Breast: Dark gray, evenly barred, well defined outline.
Legs and Toes: Yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections: Silver-gray.
COLOR -- FEMALE Comb, Face, and Wattles: Bright red. Beak: Yellow. Eyes: Reddish bay. Ear-lobes: Enamel white. Head: Plumage, cream and gray. Crest: Cream and gray, some chestnut permissible. Neck: Hackle—cream, softly barred gray. Front of neck—salmon.
Wings: Fronts, Bows and Coverts—silver-gray, faintly barred. Primaries—gray, peppered. Secondaries—gray, very faintly barred.
Back: Gray, softly barred, feathers having a lighter shaft permissible.
Tail: Main Tail and Coverts—silver-gray, faintly barred.
Breast: Salmon, well defined in outline, some feathers having a slightly lighter shaft permissible.
Body and Fluff: Silver-gray, indistinctly barred.
Legs and Toes: Yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections: Silver-gray. |