It’s December and you know what that means, right? Some people are Christmas shopping, some people are busy planning their gardens and shopping for seeds for the spring, but around here? Well, I’m shopping for my next chicken breeds! In case this is you, I’m here to help you out!
Building your flock is an exciting endeavor. And as odd as this sounds, egg color never even entered my mind when I was building my flock. I was more concerned about having nice chickens who behaved around our kids and who laid delicious eggs. Then, Pinterest happened, and the backyard chicken market exploded! Avid chicken keepers creating beautiful spaces, urban coops and colorful egg baskets lured me in.
So today, I want to talk with you about the Cream Legbar breed.
Meet the Cream Legbar: Your New Favorite Blue Egg Layer
According to Hoover’s Hatchery, "Legbars are a lightweight British breed created in the 1930s by mating blue egg-laying birds from South America (similar to the Araucana) with Golden Penciled Hamburgs, and Buff, Brown and White Leghorns. The goal was to develop a blue egg-laying chicken that was auto-sexing." Auto-sexing means that you can tell the gender of the chicks by their coloring as soon as they hatch. After about 15 years of breeding work, the Cream Legbar was officially introduced and exhibited at the London Dairy Show in 1947.
This is MY egg basket!
Cream Legbars Egg Capabilities
Cream Legbars are excellent layers, producing around 280 beautiful, medium-sized blue eggs per year. I have one Cream Legbar in my flock named Scarlett O’Henna. When she was a chick, she was super friendly and docile, hanging out at the bottom of the pecking order without bothering the others. However, as time went on and I added more chickens, Scarlett started to get a little bossy. When our flock leader, Bitty, passed away, Scarlett didn’t hesitate to step up and claim the top spot. Now, she’s the queen of the coop as long as she gets her snacks first!
Despite Scarlett's bossy nature, Cream Legbars are generally known for being friendly, calm, and human-friendly birds, making them a great addition to any backyard flock.
Scarlett enjoying some Happy Tract
Characteristics of Cream Legbars
Cream Legbars, sometimes called Crested Cream Legbars, are easily recognizable by their adorable little poof of feathers on top of their heads. These chickens are not only beautiful but also practical. They do well in both cold and hot climates, are lightweight, active and great foragers. Their quiet nature makes them ideal for urban or suburban settings where noise might be a concern.
One of the standout features of Cream Legbars is their single comb, which can either stand straight up or flop over to the side—like my Scarlett’s! They also rarely go broody, so if you’re mainly focused on egg production, this breed is a great fit. While they aren’t ideal for meat production, let’s be honest: most of us are buying them for those gorgeous blue eggs!
The one day during COVID that I realized I looked like Scarlett. 🤣
Why You Should Add Cream Legbars to Your Flock
I really can’t recommend Cream Legbars enough! They’re wonderful additions to any flock with their calm nature, egg-laying abilities and unique appearance. Plus, since they’re auto-sexing, you won’t have to worry about ending up with unexpected roosters in your order. If you’re looking to add a little more color to your egg basket and personality to your coop, give Cream Legbars a try!
Until next time,
The Wing Lady
Happy Tract - For Digestive Healthy & Immunity
Happy Tract is a daily chicken snack that promotes digestive health in your flock. It contains oregano, cinnamon and thyme essential oils, prebiotics, multi-grains, cracked corn and sunflower seed. Treat your feathered friends to this healthy snack.