Breed profile
Cream Legbar
The blue-egg layer with a scholar's pedigree. Reginald Punnett and Michael Pease built the Legbar at Cambridge in the 1930s, and later Araucana crossings gave the cream variety its crest and its blue to blue-green eggs. The party trick is auto-sexing: the day-old down patterns separate pullets from cockerels — day-old chicks are chipmunk-striped — so no vent sexing, no surprise roosters. Output sits at 180-200 eggs a year across the hatchery tables and the RBST citation, though one harsher 'fair' grade is on the record too.
The egg numbers
| Eggs per year (first laying year) | 180–200 |
|---|---|
| In-lay rate | ≈3–4 a week |
| Strain note | One hatchery: 180-200. The RBST citation: 180 eggs or more. Another line: 3-5 blue eggs a week. A third spec table grades egg production only 'fair' — the harshest read of the four. |
| Egg color | blue |
| Egg size | medium |
| Starts laying | 22–24 weeks |
Body and climate
| Form | standard |
|---|---|
| Strain | heritage |
| Comb | single |
| Leg feathering | clean |
| Leg color | yellow |
| Distinguishing features | crest (small and slicked back) · auto-sexing: day-old down separates the sexes · blue to blue-green eggs from Araucana genetics |
| Bird size | medium |
| Recognized varieties | The Legbar has three colour varieties: gold, silver and cream. |
| Weeks to maturity | 22 |
| Mature hen weight | 5.5 lb |
| Mature rooster weight | 7.5 lb |
| Weight note | One hatchery: 5.5 lb hens, 7.5 lb roosters. Another: 5/6 lb. The Legbar standard runs 2.0-2.7 kg hens (4.4-6 lb) — publish the spread, there is no backyard consensus. |
| Cold hardiness | good |
| Heat tolerance | good |
| Climate note | One table grades cold and heat tolerance both 'better'; another combined field reads Hardy in all climates; a hatchery FAQ conditions cold hardiness on dry bedding, good ventilation and draft protection. |
Character
| Temperament | Alert, active and chatty — one hatchery page calls them curious, remarkable foragers that tag along at chores; another: active, curious, charming. A third grades disposition 'better'. |
|---|---|
| Disposition | better |
| Free range | good |
| Meat production | poor |
| Broodiness | low |
| Broody note | One table says 'not very likely' and another lists Broody: No; a third grades its line Variable. |
| Good first breed | Yes |
What this means for your setup
Active, curious birds that use run space (the hatchery pages warn to provide secure fencing), so this is a forage-friendly breed rather than a confinement ornament. The crest is small and slicked back — no Polish-style vision problems — but a top knot still wants dry bedding and a watchful eye in wet weather. Broodiness rates low to none, and the egg shade runs a minty-blue to green lottery, one shade per bird.
Gear that fits this breed
Coop Size Calculator
turn 5.5-lb hens into coop, run and roost numbers
Egg Calculator
turn the 180–200 egg-a-year range into a hen count
Cream Legbar FAQ
How many eggs do Cream Legbars lay a year?
Estimates run 180-200; the Rare Breeds Survival Trust figure is 180 or more; one line lays 3-5 blue eggs a week. Another spec table grades production only fair — the low end of expectations.
What color eggs do Cream Legbars lay?
Blue to blue-green: the tables list blue, with one spelling out the shades as minty blue, aqua blue and green. The color comes from the Araucana genetics that also gave the breed its crest.
What does auto-sexing mean?
The day-old chick's down pattern reveals its sex — the chipmunk striping — a trait the breed was deliberately developed for at Cambridge. It removes the guesswork (and the surprise rooster) from straight-run orders.
Are Cream Legbars cold-hardy?
One table grades cold tolerance 'better' and another field reads Hardy in all climates, but a hatchery FAQ attaches conditions: dry bedding, good ventilation, and draft protection.