Skylines: Cream Legbar crossed with what??

[dinosaw]

Don't know why it has taken me so long to ask this. I have two skylines and they really are very different, one looks very much like a cream legbar, lays light blue eggs and is a real plucky little character who survived being egg bound, prolapsing and being bullied when young to work her way up the pecking order. The other is almost entirely buff with very little in the way of dark grey, is larger at over 5lbs and lays olive coloured eggs and is also incredibly stupid and skittish, they could be totally different breeds. I had been told that skylines were a mix of cream legbar and barred rock but I don't know if this is right? the buff one looks more like a buff plymouth rock if I had to make a comparison. Does anyone know what goes into the breed?, does it differ from breeder to breeder?

 

[chrismahon]

The internet search I have just done tells me very little Dinosaw. The breed is still 'under development' apparently, only 75% lay blue eggs and the hens can all look very different, some having legbar colouring and a head tuft, others can be buff or brown. Some eggs are white or terracotta. One site says they are based on Welsummers, which doesn't make a lot of sense with the egg colouring. Leghorns are profuse layers of white eggs. I would say the the 'other' is actually a very complex mix with Leghorns in there somewhere perhaps. The objective was purely to lay blue eggs in profusion and it sounds like it hasn't worked that well so far. Legbars of Broadway supposedly produce a hybrid Legbar that lays quite a lot of blue eggs -I've only skimed their literature though, as we were looking for good quality Crested Cream Legbar Pedigrees at the time.

 

[dinosaw]

I couldn't dig much up on the net about them either Chris, though I did notice a few people commenting in forums that they were on the less intelligent side of breeds they had met. To be fair while I've only had them for 6 months their egg laying has been very reasonable, 6 a week each up till mid November, dropping to 3 per week each at present. I always have a bit of a look in at the hybrid barn at Thornes my local supplier and it would seem that they are a breed who seem to be easily bullied by others, it's always them taking the pecks.

 

[chrismahon]

Poor things. Well you can be sure there's no Wyandotte in them then, because they are feisty and quite intelligent in my experience. Problem is Dinosaw, if they are easily bullied they will be stressed in mixed company and then the problems start of feather loss, loss of appetite, off the lay and illness. Hybrids are normally agressive forragers -they need to be to eat enough for egg production. Legbars can be very skittish -comes from the Leghorn side of them as ours are. Our little Molly Legbar is also very aggressive. Has a go at everyone, no matter how big. So I suppose there is no clear derivation of the breed and whether they will be much good or not as a hybrid laying machine still remains to be established.

 

[dinosaw]

Luckily ours seem quite happy between a couple of goldlines and a pair of leghorns/white stars (only one of whom is skittish so just goes to show). I was thinking of trying to hatch out some Wyandottes next spring/summer, Thornes has Gold Laced LF, Silver Laced LF and Silver Laced Bantams, as you have them Chris could you tell me what they are like as layers, I have read 180 per year, is that about right?.

 

[chrismahon]

I would say 200 in first year. Most of ours are slightly under that and few certainly over, as they haven't stopped yet even during the moult. Ours are blue laced, but if you hatch blue laced eggs you will also get the throwback/ derivative colours of 25% gold laced and 25% buff laced. All the golds look great but the buffs are a bit scruffy with the odd blue feather visible. Then you have half of them cockerels as well! They are quite intelligent and get bored easily, so feather pecking is an issue and they need a lot of rearing space. The cockerels are feisty and must be despatched before 6 months as injuries start around then and they get tough. Best weight is achieved with a peacemaker cockerel -an older one who takes charge of the youngsters stopping the in-fighting. They are a Utility breed so they roast well and taste good -very different to supermarket stuff.
We got 160 eggs from the three year old parent hens. So I think they will lay well for a long time. But it is strain dependent and a show strain may have lost some egg laying capacity. Our best coloured hen started laying at 8 months and then afterwards when she felt like it. We have two buffs that haven't really got started -probably 50 eggs each. They are very healthy so I expect better next year. All the eggs are medium sized -about 58 grammes average.

 

[dinosaw]

Thanks for the info, the Golds do look fantastic, I guess I will just have to see what is available next spring.

 

[foxy]

These are hybrids, and the name "Skyline" is basically the brand name given to them. They will be based on a blue laying pure breed, and appears that they are designed not just the commercial egg-laying market but more for the backyard poultry keeper. Their flightiness may be down to the fact that araucana has been used somewhere in the make- up of these birds. A move away from the original hybrids, e.gs warrens and bovans neras. Easy to sex at day old I expect adds to the attractiveness of this as a commercial breed.