Such white eggs were the industry norm and were mass-produced by commercial farms that prioritized efficiency over quality. And if the cost of living crisis has made you pause for thought at the egg aisle, then consider how it has affected farmers with laying hens. The company added further pressure was coming from retailers transitioning to selling only free-range eggs. Due to their excellent breeding, they can be disease free if well looked after and kept in the right conditions.

Apart from the occasional egg song and chatting with their friends, they are quiet birds, so they are a good choice for an urban garden, if you have a large enough space. Diet is essential to hens and requires good quality layer feed from the point of lay (about four months of age). These birds are bred at a consistently high standard, ensuring their hens are disease resistant and maintain their prolific egg-laying ability. They require about 7–8 inches (17–20cm) of roosting space within the coop and 1 foot (30cm) square in the nest boxes. An undergraduate at Cambridge, at the time of Punnett’s poultry experiments called John Croome, carried on breeding the Cream Legbars following the dispersal of the Cambridge breeding facility in the early 50’s, until his death in 1988. Fortunately, the Cream Legbars were saved from extinction because Croome had given some hatching eggs to David Applegarth, in Yorkshire, the year before his death, and David continued to keep Creams until recently. Reginald Punnett Clarence Court

Availablity

Our Burford Browns, are only available from ‘Legbars of Broadway’® and are kept by well known TV personalities, film stars, famous names in motor racing, horse racing, dressage, eventing, and leading figures in industry, as well as Royalty, both in this Country and abroad. Although they are the most favoured hens in many of our finest country estates and homes, they provide interest and fun as well as beautiful eggs in small gardens across the UK. Availability This breed was first bred in the Cotswolds in the 1940s by Mabel Pearman, who lived in Burford. Any guesses where they get their name? The Cotswold Legbar is not suitable for keeping in a small run and if free-ranging isn’t an option, the run space should be a minimum of 10 square metres per hen, which is the legal requirement for commercial organic hens

Read on to find out how to care for this breed, including their dietary requirements, the amount of space they need and how many delicious eggs you can expect from them. They also produce a cotswold legbar which seems to be exactly the same as an cream crested they just have a trademarked name.To wake up to ‘the perfect egg’ every morning, keep a few of our beautiful hens – and bring your garden to life too! History They have such a single red comb that stands straight up and has points that are clearly defined. Moreover, the wattles and ear lobes of these birds are colored crimson. However, he added: “[Things are] improving, but they’re still not great… Some processors and producers are short of eggs, still, and having to import. So we’re not totally out of the woods yet.”