The Legbar is an autosexing breed where the chicks can be sexed at hatching by the colour of their down.   In 1929, investigations into the mechanics of genetics found sex-linking (ie on the sex chromosomes) of barring and colour factors.   If gold cocks (eg Rhode Island) are put to silver hens (eg Light Sussex), then all the female chicks have gold (brown) down and the males silver (yellow) down.   It does not work reliably if the parents are the other way round - silver cocks & gold hens.  If the barring factor is included, results are even clearer.   Further work tried to produce true breeding varieties where the male & female chicks could be reliably identified at hatching and so raised more economically.

The Barred Rock was the breed of choice because of its utility qualities.   The breed they are crossed with determines the name - Barred Rock x Leghorn is the Legbar; with the Campine, the Cambar; Welsummer the Welbar; Rhode Island the Rhodebar and with the Wyandotte the Wybar.   Using the Maran produced a browner egg, but development stopped with World War II, and the rise of hybrids & vent sexing left work on the sideline.

Autosexing breeds are not merely crossbreeds and they do breed true.   The colours of the cockerels are striking, the hens less so, the markings appearing a bit smudged. Because it has some Araucana blood in it, the Legbar is different in that it lays blue/green eggs.   They are not common and come in three colours, gold, silver & cream. Coming from the Leghorn, they have many of that breed's characteristics including the floppy single comb; from the Rock, they get vigour & are a sprightly, alert breed.

We have one variety, the cream.

Cream:   The cockerel's head has a large, floppy, single comb and right behind it a tufty creamy grey crest inherited from the Araucana.   The neck hackles are cream and a little barring.   The back & shoulders are cream with grey bar and some chestnut.   Wings are a mixture of grey, cream & chestnut with baring.   The tail is a large and grey and white with barring again.

The hen is not as showy with a smaller floppy comb, creamy grey crest and the rest a grey or silver grey with broad, soft barring,   The breast is a salmon colour and the silver grey, barred tail held at about 45o.

Bantam forms do exist, though we do not have any.