supposed to be BBS Orpingtons....but they're not....

I have some hope for this one, although maybe Marans?



This one looks like it might feather in blue, at least.



Look at those green legs! Olive Egger?



Right color....here's hoping....



This chick is the youngest and is neon yellow.


How about a lightning round of "What the Heck Did I Just Pay Money For?"
Supposed to be BBS Orpingtons. When I arrived lady seemed...confused. She blamed her...confusion...on her three year old daughter mixing up the chicks. I had my daughter with me who was doing the new chicken dance and so we weren't leaving without something.
Ages range from a day or two old to about 1 1/2 weeks.
I have OE/EE eggs in the incubator right now so it really isn't the end of the world, but I love Orpingtons and was hoping to cross my lavenders out to the BBS if I got any.

You'll get more replies if you post in the What Breed or Gender Is This? Part of the forum

ChickenLover200 said:

You'll get more replies if you post in the What Breed or Gender Is This? Part of the forum

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Good advice, thanks!

Those are Blue birds. From a glance they look to be yellow skin. That's not true Orpington. If the yellow washes out to white later or not I couldn't say. Where problems arise in blue and any color variation is where did that color come from? It has to get into a line from somewhere so if these were recently made blue then sports of off skin color and such will arise. The trick will be to select for the proper traits of breed for future breeders.

Blue results in blue, black and splash colors. What I see in your pics are 4 splash and 2 blue. No black. With blue there is almost always pigment on legs. Some breed standards allow this others do not. Orpington allows, Plymouth Rock does not for example. If your unfamiliar with blue genetics I'll give a quick overview: The blue gene when paired in a bird results in splash, single gene is blue and no blue gene results in a black bird. All three colors are in Andalusion blue. This is not lavender or what is called self blue but Andalusion. A splash bird mated to a black bird will result in all offspring having one blue gene which feathers out blue. By using all three colors you can move the shade of blue in blue birds to where it should be to standard or just where you personally like it. By breeding black you will darken the offspring blue. A blue bird to black will result in blue and black colored offspring. Those blue will be of darker blue than the mother. The reverse is true using a splash. Blue on blue mating results in all three colors for offspring and a wider range of blue shading in blue birds.

Forgot to mention lacing. True Andalusion blue varieties should have lacing. Don't be surprised if your's have very little or only a hint of edging. This inherent characteristic of Andalusion blue color has been all but bred out here in the United States. It's a shame really. It is something to look for and select for in addition to white feet in your Orpingtons for future breeding. Only using white are the most white skin combined with birds with most lacing will move you in the right direction.

Another thing that would move you in the right direction is to get a pure black Orpington of good quality. Male or female and may depend on what you need, evaluate when these are grown out. As the old breeders like to say "build the barn then paint it." With a black Oprington of fine body type and obviously white feet you'll take these birds and dramatically improve them. Being that it's not a black from Andausion it will lack the lacing gene but as stated that is all but lost already in all of United States. So it sets you back one year in that regard but builds the barn to paint. From those improved birds you'll continue to select for lacing and in that you will see improvement over the years but may never realize the full lace pattern this color variety should have. Take care in the first mating to use a bird with some lacing or you'll never even move forward in that regard. So one of the birds must be a blue, of which you have two, and it must show some form of lacing/edging. Use that blue and single mate to a pure black Orpintion of whaatever sex it takes to mate and your on your way.

Every time I look at those pictures I only see yellow. Another thought is to let them grow out and determine what they most resemble for breed and get a black one of those to move forward. These birds are at a turning point and in this place the destination is up to you. Blue Plymouth Rock could be in your future. There are no black Rock excepting from blue but they are obtainable. Blue Wyandotte or even Cochin. Hey, it's all doable the choice is yours. Those all have yellow feet and Wyandotte rose comb is dominate so doesn't take long to get that in flock. White skin doesn't take long either. Your at a cross road with these birds and I believe it's due to recent addition of this color to Orpington you got these birds from.

@Egghead_Jr I have read your post a couple of times now and am letting all that info soak in. Thank you.
One question comes to mind; I have Lavender Cuckoo Orpingtons of excellent quality and they do not have white feet. Obviously they are not a recognized color but in order to improve them are you saying I need to breed for light colored legs?
I have a source for really excellent quality, heavy English Black Orpingtons so if you think that would improve the chicks above that is definitely doable. I am happy to hear that you think they will be blue as I had doubts even as to their coloring.

The legs themselves on the blues and likely lavender (self blue) are dark and that is to standard on the blue Orpington. The bottom of feet is easiest place to look for skin color. Orpington skin is white and will show white on bottom of feet.

When I look at your photos I see a lot of yellow around toes. This is certainly not white. Check bottom of feet to confirm as photos can deceive but I'm seeing yellow skin. You have 6 photos of which are 4 pictures of splash color and 2 pictures of blue. When they grow up figure out what sex the blues are and mate to a black Orplinton of good quality. This will bring the body type and if English will get them on their way to being ultra poofy feathers and aid the skin color back to white as an Orpington is. I say use only the blue as that is the only color you can know for certain the bird carries a lacing gene. To work on lacing of the flock in future it needs to start with at least one parent with at least one copy of lacing gene. With a splash you rarely see it and certainly can't see it at all in a black bird so must single mate to one or both of your blue color.

Look at it this way. Your getting a fine quality black Orpinton and your going to change it's color. Breed toward that English standard in future generation but you'v changed the color to blue. In that you'll also be working to improve lacing. But that lacing must be (at least one copy) in one of the parents. Your current blue will show you which or both you can use. If you luck out with both showing some form of lace and both pullets then woohoo! Get yoruself a Black Orp sire and let the breeding begin. You've a trio as a flock foundation. Keep the black Orp for second year mating. Use only the best body type blue birds with lacing to mate back to him or her. This will really move flock to an English Orpington. From there you select in future years the best traits of both Blue and English Orpington when breeding those birds together. Ya know, use the pure black for two years and the offspring of that second year would be selected from to breed each other. That would be your flock and you'd have set it well by then. So three years of breeding and you actually have a Blue English Orpington flock.

By white, do you mean pink, or flesh colored? My cuckoos have pink feet.