Skyline or Columbine?

[Icemaiden]

After my ex-batts have settled in, I'm thinking that it'd be nice to get a couple of hens who'll keep laying for the long term, rather than stopping after a year or so. (Need a good supply of eggs for the friends who'll look after the girls when we go away 0 )
I quite fancy something that'll lay blue eggs. What's the difference between a Columbine & a Skyline? Is a Columbine a pure breed & a Skyline a hybrid? (I don't have a problem with hybrids as I have no plans to exhibit my girls.)

What are the pros & cons of Columbines, Skylines, Cotswold Legbars & Cream Legbars? (Are Cream Legbars blue egg layers?)
Has anyone got any pics?
Stupid question alert: How will I know if a hen is one of the above or not? :?

 

[Chuck]

Difficult one in part. Columbines and Skylines are both hybrids produced to lay green/blue eggs. Don't know about Cotswold Legbars but the only pure breed is the Cream Legbar which is autosexing i.e. you can tell the sex of the chicks at day old and they lay blue eggs though some lay green. To find these is not easy and there are plenty of lookalikes which are neither autosexing nor layers of blue eggs. Most of the hybrids have darker coloured feathers on the back then the pure Cream Legbars which are paler and more 'cream'.
The laying power of the Cream Legbars seems to vary, some laying 250, others much less. I don't know what the laying potential of the hybrids is.

 

[EddieS]

They are both hybrids, very variable, another jump on the bandwagon hybrid.
Had both, found the Skylines very flighty, and out of 6 only got one that produced a
dull olive green egg the rest fawn. Columbines out of six two laid tinted green eggs but never
got very large. Got rid of them after 10 months. Actually gave them away.
I would look around for a good source of Cream Legbars. Worth paying a premium if you can
find real ones.
The problem is the word 'hybrid' and fancy names covers a multitude of sins.

 

[darkbrowneggs]

Think it through as to whether you are happy to mix unvaccinated "breeds" with ex-commercial, which though vaccinated at hatch may have had exposure to various nasties and be carrier of "stuff". There are various schools of thought on the pros and cons of vaccination of birds, but it is as well to be aware before jumping in.

All the birds mentioned are hybrids, with the exception of the Cream Legbars which are an autosexing pure breed and should lay either blue or greeny blue eggs (depending on your colour perception, and the individual bird)

Most birds from smaller breeders are unlikely to be vaccinated unless they are buying in commercial hybrids and rearing on.

I do have some spare ones of these at present which lay a blue blue/green, or green egg, http://www.misssugarnspice.co.uk but I am in Worcestershire which may be too far away for you to collect them, though I am hoping to go the The National 17 .

 

[valeriebutterley]

Surbiton Poultry has beautiful Cream legbars, well worth travelling for.
I bought one from him as a 10 week old pullet, and she was a beautiful, strong healthy girl and growing well.
Sadly, she was one of my flock who got wiped out by the fox about four weeks ago.
My first Cream Legbar was an absolutely useless egg layer, hardly ever laid, but laid the most stunning blue eggs when she did!.
Surbiton Poultry said his girls were great layers.
He also breeds a blue egg laying hybrid, a stunning girl with tiny black feather flecks, - also wiped out by the fox with the rest.

 

[Marigold]

Whereabouts are you, Icemaiden? If anywhere near the Wilts/Dorset border, well worth a visit to Chalk Hill Poultry see http://www.chalkhillpoultry.co.uk/contact.html He breeds lovely Cream Legbars and has developed his own Chalk Hill Blue hybrid, very pretty bird, blue egg layer. The CL I got from him as a sex-linked chick turned out to lay really well, as have all the other birds I've had from there, both purebred and hybrids.

 

[Icemaiden]

Marigold; I'm in Kent. Don't mind travelling, so long as the distance isn't too much for the pullet / hen. But then Chris took his all the way to France, so I guess I don't need to worry on that score?