*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[Wyorp Rock]

yeah, I know no one was distressed. I said so sad cause the amt we love our girls is crazy and cause she looks hilarious with the shark. Looks like the shark has her in its mouth. I love the bucket o chicken idea. Hubby is fed up with our roo.

What did the roo do?

 

[CuzChickens]

Yep, sure do. Here are my Buff O Welly boys wen they were about 12 weeks old: I have 5 of these boys. They are sweet natured and big. I need to get some adult pictures of them but they have the most beautiful copper and gold feathers with the traditional Welsummer blue/green sickle tail feather. These are two pullets, also Welsummer/Buff O crosses. Also very sweet natured. They have some very faint penciling on their back feathers and once again their body feathers are different shades of gold/copper and their tails blue green. I have three of these girls. The one that is laying, is laying 5 medium brown eggs a week for me. I have two Welsummer roosters who keep very busy in the spring and summer. LOL! I'm anxious to see what colored chicks the crosses produce.

Awesome, thanks a ton! Very helpful pictures and info! Was the buff Orpington the mother or the father?

 

[microchick]

Awesome, thanks a ton! Very helpful pictures and info! Was the buff Orpington the mother or the father?

The roosters are Buff O cockerel over Welsummer hens and the pullets are Welsummer cockerels over Buff O hens as my Buff O senior cockerel died in the spring. I have two more cockerels and two more pullets that were hatched in June that I am suspecting once again were Welly roo over Buff O. They seem to be running consistent in their coloring.

 

[bit o poultry19]

I think they are lovely

But....I'm just a backyard chicken gal, so...if you are looking for a trained "eye" then...hopefully someone else will chime in.

Thank you! Hoping on beginning to show this spring so anything helps!

 

[GardenNut]

Moved my 4 BOs from their small 16 sq ft coop to their new 144 sq ft coop yesterday. I converted half of a shed into coop space. I think they roosted on the floor last night. They're adjusting. I didn't see any of them at one point today and went to check on them. They were all in the coop, and the roo was on a nest! I think he was just checking it out. But I guess they're not too stressed, since I've already collected 2 eggs today. I think they're enjoying actually having a coop they can hang out in. I picked up a couple of them and put them on the 2x4 roosting bars, so hopefully they'll figure it out tonight.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Moved my 4 BOs from their small 16 sq ft coop to their new 144 sq ft coop yesterday. I converted half of a shed into coop space. I think they roosted on the floor last night. They're adjusting. I didn't see any of them at one point today and went to check on them. They were all in the coop, and the roo was on a nest! I think he was just checking it out. But I guess they're not too stressed, since I've already collected 2 eggs today. I think they're enjoying actually having a coop they can hang out in. I picked up a couple of them and put them on the 2x4 roosting bars, so hopefully they'll figure it out tonight.

This sounds great!

It won't take them long to get adjusted. Roosters on a nest are quite comical. My BO boy is way large for the nesting boxes, but does occasionally cram himself into one, clucking and carrying on.
I have a SLW hen that is a nervous nelly, she refuses to use a box, she lays in the back corner of the coop, Charlie goes back there daily and fluffs her nest before she lays her egg. I just make sure to place fresh bedding back there for her, when I do this, he takes to task making a new nest, just perfectly

 

[GardenNut]

Who says chickens aren't romantic? Instead of fluffing her pillow, he fluffs her nest! How sweet!

 

[mamatink7]

What did the  roo do?  

went after him several times. Attacked our buff orpingtons severely, nearly killing them (their heads were horribly bloody & the girls were terrified to even leave perches)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Quote:
Ugggh!

You may want to post on the "Behaviors" forum to see if anyone has any other advice. You may need to separate him from the girls if he is young (full of hormones), they can get a little rough, but bloodying the girls is not good. Attacking a human is not good either, so some suggest culling. You can "try" to rehabilitate, but sometimes it doesn't work.

Mine wanted to get testy with me when he was younger. I tried the carrying around thing, but he got even more testy IMO. My hubby swore up and down he did it for attention - he would get testy - I'd carry him, he was "good" for about 2 1/2 wks, then get testy - I would carry him, the cycle went on for a couple of months. He did seem to enjoy being carried around while I did chores

so I finally changed tactics. I'm not sure which thread I saw it on, but someone (long time chicken keeper) suggested using a pole (like bamboo) to just tap tap tap (Not Hit) them on the back toward the neck if they were "testy". I did this once with a swiffer duster handle (all I had)

Barely even tapped him a couple of times on the shoulder and I think the rear. Haven't had a problem since. Scared the devil out him (some of the girls too). He moves out of my way when I come into the run - I don't walk around him - I walk through him and make him move. He does take treats from my hand when offered and is "friendly". Also he will sometimes get on one of the perches in the run and calmly stand there so I can pick him up for "inspection", this is when I carry him and talk to him. He does seem to enjoy it, I take him out of the run for inspection, place him on a work bench, then he will get a treat when I'm done. Makes it much nicer and easier. We just had to establish who we were with each other. If he had continued, I most likely would have culled him. I just adore him, so that would have been very hard.

 

[mamatink7]

Ugggh!

You may want to post on the "Behaviors" forum to see if anyone has any other advice.   You may need to separate him from the girls if he is young (full of hormones), they can get a little rough, but bloodying the girls is not good. Attacking a human is not good either, so some suggest culling.  You can "try" to rehabilitate, but sometimes it doesn't work.

Mine wanted to get testy with me when he was younger.  I tried the carrying around thing, but he got even more testy IMO.  My hubby swore up and down he did it for attention - he would get testy - I'd carry him, he was "good" for about 2 1/2 wks, then get testy - I would carry him, the cycle went on for a couple of months.  He did seem to enjoy being carried around while I did chores :/   so I finally changed tactics.  I'm not sure which thread I saw it on, but someone (long time chicken keeper) suggested using a pole (like bamboo) to just tap tap tap (Not Hit) them on the back toward the neck if they were "testy".   I did this once with a swiffer duster handle (all I had)   Barely even tapped him a couple of times on the shoulder and I think the rear. Haven't had a problem since.  Scared the devil out him (some of the girls too).  He moves out of my way when I come into the run - I don't walk around him - I walk through him and make him move.  He does take treats from  my hand when offered and is "friendly".  Also he will sometimes get on one of the perches in the run and calmly stand there so I can pick him up for "inspection", this is when I carry him and talk to him.  He does seem to enjoy it, I take him out of the run for inspection, place him on a work bench, then he will get a treat when I'm done.  Makes it much nicer and easier. We just had to establish who we were with each other. If he had continued, I most likely would have culled him.  I just adore him, so that would have been very hard. 

that's what will happen if we can't find someone to take him. We like him too.