​Archer's Acres

Opal Legbars are a new beautiful addition to the line-up of autosexing breeds created by Candace Waldon. This breed has everything you love and want all in one package. They are barred lavender birds with cute crests, blue eggs, and best of all, they are autosexing! Know which chicks are males and which are pullets as soon as they hatch!

Opal Legbar males are beautifully barred lavender with golden highlights. The barring lightens the lavender feathers giving them a silver appearance. When the sun hits them just right, these birds glimmer! The golden highlights, contrasting the silvery barred lavender, is absolutely stunning.

Opal Legbar hens are pearl gray with either silver barring or light straw yellow accenting around their necks. Their darker color compliments the males’ lighter silvery color perfectly. Some hens also have light peach breasts.
​
Opal Legbars lay bountiful quantities of blue eggs. As with all blue egg layers, color perception is dependent on light conditions in which they are viewed, as well as the laying cycle of the hen.

Opal Legbars follow the same genetic breeding structure as other lavender birds. Birds need two copies of the lavender gene to express the lavender color. Breed back to good Cream Legbar stock to improve type and feather quality.

Cream Legbar x Cream Legbar = 100% Cream Legbar
Cream Legbar x Opal Legbar = 100% splits (one copy lavender gene)
Opal Legbar x Split = 50% Opal Legbar, 50% splits
Split x Split = 25% Cream Legbar (no lavender gene), 50% split (one lavender gene), 25% Opal Legbar
Opal Legbar x Opal Legbar = 100% Opal

The specific goals of the Opal Legbar project is to attain barred lavender-brown birds that are sexable at hatch, lay blue eggs and are crested.  Ideally Opal Legbars will also meet all aspects of the Cream Legbar SOP, except for feather color being barred lavender-brown.

CREAM LEGBAR SOP

Standard Weights
Cock…………………………7 lbs.
Hens……………………..…..5 1/2 lbs.
Cockerel……………………..6 lbs.

Pullet………………………..4 1/2 lbs.

Shape—Male
Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, straight and upright, deeply and evenly serrated with six distinct points, extending well over the back of the head and following, without touching, the line of the head, free from side sprigs, thumb-marks or twists.
Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.
Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.
Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent. Round in appearance.
Wattles: Moderately long, thin, uniform in size, well rounded, free from folds or wrinkles. Skin soft.
Ear-lobes: Large, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.
Crest: Small, well back from the eyes with narrow feathers falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb.
Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.
Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.
Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, narrowing slightly toward the tail, long in length, flat, sloping slightly to the tail.
Saddle feathers: Abundant, long, and filling well in front of the tail.
Tail: Moderately full, carried at an angle of forty-five degrees above horizontal.
Main tail: Feathers broad and overlapping.
Sickles: Long and well curved.
Lesser Sickles and Coverts: Lng, of good width, nicely curved and abundant.
Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.
Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.
Body and Fluff: Body: Moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear. Keel is of good length, following the line of the back. Feathers moderately long and close to the body.
Fluff: Medium in length, moderately full.
Legs and Toes: Legs–moderately long, straight when viewed from the front. Thighs are medium length. Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers.
Toes: Four, long, straight, and well-spread.

Shape—Female
Comb: Single; large, fine in texture, erect or first point to stand erect and the remainder of the comb dropping gracefully to the side without obscuring the eyes, deeply and evenly serrated having six distinct points.
Beak: Stout, point clear of the front of the comb, slightly curved.
Face: Smooth, skin fine in texture.
Eyes: Large, bright, and prominent. Round in appearance.
Wattles: Medium in length, thin, uniform in size, well-rounded, free from folds or wrinkles. Skin soft.
Ear-lobes: Medium, elongated oval, pendant, smooth and free from folds, equally matched in size and shape.
Crest: Medium, rising well in front so as not to obstruct the eyes, with feathers narrow and falling off the back of the head to below the blade of the comb.
Head: Medium size, symmetrical, well balanced, and of fine quality.
Neck: Long and well covered with hackle feathers.
Back: Moderately broad at the shoulders, long, with an even slope to the tail. Feathers moderately broad and of sufficient length to carry well up to tail.
Tail: Moderately long, carried at an angle of thirty-five degrees above horizontal.
Main tail: Feathers broad and overlapping.
Coverts: Broad and abundant, extending well onto main tail.
Wings: Large and carried close to the body without dropping.
Breast: Prominent, well-rounded, carried forward and upright.
Body: Moderately long, sloping to the tail, broad in front tapering slightly to the rear. Keel is of good length, following the line of the back. Feathers moderately long and close to the body.
Fluff: Medium in length, moderately full.
Legs: Moderately long, straight when viewed from the front. Thighs are medium length. Shanks round, strong, and free from feathers.
Toes: Four, long, straight, and well-spread.

Color—Male
Comb, Face and Wattles: Bright Red.
Beak: Yellow.
Eyes: Reddish bay.
Ear-lobes: Enamel white. For Cocks over one year of age only, no defect cuts for red covering up to one-third of the surface.
Head: Plumage, cream and gray.
Crest: Cream and gray, some chestnut permissible.
Neck:
Hackle: Cream, sparsely barred with gray.
Shoulder: Cream, barred with dark gray, some chestnut permissible.
Front of neck: Same as breast.
Wings:
Fronts and Bows: Dark gray, faintly barred, some chestnut permissible.
Coverts: Gray, barred, tipped in cream.
Primaries: Dark gray, faintly barred, small amounts of white permissible.
Secondaries: Dark gray, sparsely barred with gray intermixed with cream, some white permissible.
Back: Cream, barred with dark gray, some chestnut permissible.
Saddle: Cream, barred with dark gray, edged in cream.
Tail:
Main Tail: Gray, evenly barred.
Sickle and Coverts: Light gray, barred, some white feathers permissible.
Breast: Dark gray, evenly barred, well defined outline.
Legs and Toes: Yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections: Silver-gray.

Color—Female
Comb, Face, and Wattles: Bright red.
Beak: Yellow.
Eyes: Reddish bay.
Ear-lobes: Enamel white.
Head: Plumage, cream and gray.
Crest: Cream and gray, some chestnut permissible.
Neck:
Hackle: Cream, softly barred gray.
Front of neck: Salmon.
Wings:
Fronts, Bows and Coverts: Silver-gray, faintly barred.
Primaries: Gray, very faintly barred.
Secondaries: Gray, faintly barred, the outer web stippled with lighter gray and cream.
Back: Gray, softly barred, feathers having a lighter shaft permissible.
Tail:
Main Tail and Coverts: Silver-gray, faintly barred.
Breast: Salmon, well defined in outline, some feathers having a slightly lighter shaft permissible.
Body and Fluff: Silver-gray, indistinctly barred.
Legs and Toes: Yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections: Silver-gray.