Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE - Page 584

 

 

I have seen it....or I have seen the big winner over there which happens to be buff. I like it, it is a pretty bird, but it is not our kind of Orp. Since they had them first and it is an English breed I would normally defer to the country of origin, but if you read their Standard it does not match these birds. Their Standard does call for a small head and to me that just looks funny on such a large bird. They clearly state however that the plumage should not be like a Cochin and you still have to see the legs. I would guess that those birds have some problems mating naturally.

 

Walt

While sitting in my little red convertible, the one with "Snapper Comet" emblazoned on the side, I had a chance to really think about the wing carriage problem. I think it just might be a "use it, or lose it " result of the way a lot of LF are raised. So many are kept in confined brooder coops that are far too small, and kept there far too long. They keep getting larger and larger without ever being able to use their wings. Heaven knows that a mature Orp does not fly like a Leghorn, or a Game, but my Buff O. pullets were/are free ranged daily, and as babies would get 4 feet off the ground running/flying to me.Result : no loose wings. Now flying up to a 3 foot roost is no problem as 7 lb. pullets.

 

Think about the Ostrich, Rhea, and Emu. They can run very fast, but no longer fly. They had no reason to in years past as their parents could kick the stuffing out of the few predators that existed.

Silkies are known for loose wings. As babies mine would get up on perches. They had to flap like crazy, but they got there, and exercised those muscles. That ended the wing problem.

 

Enough space will always be a problem for breeding LF. People buying LF have to be made aware of their requirements. The proliferation of "chicken tractors " is not a good thing for LF unless they are used as originally intended as a night roost for free range birds.

 

Anybody else have thoughts?

 

 

I worked with a dressage lady for several years and she drove me crazy in some ways. I am pretty loose about a lot of things and it would drive her crazy.....If I weren't her boss, she would have fired me.....ahahaha

 

IMO: in poultry you need depth of quality and birds hatched at various times, so that they don't molt at the same time. There is a lot more strategy in showing poultry than most people realize. Because of how you process things you should be able to figure it out. There is nothing you can do when a bird goes into full molt, but you have some control over molts. Because of how you do things I would suggest "pruning" your birds every week or so. Look them over and pull any feather with a ding etc. If you have a broken wing feather a month before a show, you are out of luck and that's why you need a bunch of quality birds.....that and you want to be in a position where it is almost impossible for a person to buy a bird that can beat you. Some think I am competitive......lol

 

Walt

Walt and Aveca,

Having been glued to Rolex for the past 3 days, I'll second that. The Warm bloods have the temperment too.So does the Quarter horse.

Edited by thedragonlady - 4/29/12 at 1:05pm

 

 

Nice Cardigan!

 

 

I agree that high perches and exercise is a help for wing carriage, but I also know from experience that most of the time it is more than lack of exercise. It is generally in the breeding, especially when you see several exhibitors with the same problem and you know that they all have the same strain of birds, but different housing/managment.

After almost 50 years of raising show birds my experience is that a lot of genetic faults are explained away in various ways.....most of it coming from breeders with that specific problem. Then it is posted online and becomes fact.

 

The construction of the bird is what determines the wing setting. It is not like chickens are considered flying birds. Usually weak wings are not a problem in female large fowl and that's where I see it most in Orps...the females...you just don't see female large fowl with droopy wings, it's usually the males. I have been a general lic.judge in the ABA/APA for many, many years, so I see a lot of chickens.

 

Snapper Comet huh? Don't get me started on cars. I have two hobbies, poultry and motorsports. One uses judges and one uses a non biased GPS computer controlled timing light. Next thing ya know I will be posting pics of me doing crazy things with cars........movies too

 

Walt

just gotten into Orpingtons and am loving them

 

here is my 3 week old

 

Ah but so many quarter horses today are indistinguishable from thoroughbreds almost. I always liked the old King Ranch style wide bodied kinda horse, and today I see them less and less around here. Maybe it's a local thing? No idea. I haven't had horses or even mingled with horse folks in years though. I just know I love a big wide horse with a calm disposition and a nice big foot.

 

 

Only three weeks and all the head feathers are in?!  What are you feeding her, hahaha!  Beautiful chick, she looks like mine at five weeks.  

 

 

hehe

 

just normal chick crumbs

 

tbh its not been eating as well as i like

 

but i must admit the buff and the maran in the brooder both 3 weeks look the same size as my 5 week olds out in the spare coop