Key Characteristics

This hardy breed is active and a frugal eater. It is quite unusual for them to go broody. Be aware that many so-called Cream Legbars do not fulfil the breed standard because they have lost the dilute cream gene. 

History

• Initially, Cream Legbars were made by accident when Michael Pease was trying to improve Gold Legbars by crossing some hens with a White Leghorn cock, creating cream birds.
• Professor Punnett had some blue egg-laying Cream Araucanas and they were mated with Pease’s birds, very much in the spirit of simple scientific curiosity, producing the breed we know.
• They were standardised in 1958 but nearly died out in 1970s due to no demand for blue eggs.
• The breed was rescued by the Wernless Collection and David Applegarth.
• In the 1980s blue shelled eggs began to attract consumers enough to be a commercial proposition.

Appearance

• Cream Legbars are a slender, elegant breed
• Males have cream neck and saddle and grey chest, legs and wings and have barred (striped) feathering.
• Females have cream necks, salmon chests and grey barred bodies as well as a small feathered crest behind the comb. 

Uses

Depending on the strain around 180-200 blue, green or olive coloured eggs are laid in a year. Their blue/green/olive eggs are much in demand.

Did you know?

Cream Legbars an an auto-sexing breed. When chicks hatch, females have very distinct dark and light stripes down their body whereas males are lighter all over with a distinct yellow spot on their heads. This allows breeders to be more efficient and not raise unwanted males.

Breed Societies

Rare Poultry Society