Chocolate Orpingtons

[jeremy]

Jeremy- the lacing on your blues is to die for.

Thank you! The lacing in my LF birds was very good, something I was really happy with.

...in my bantams, it's not perfect. I've hatched some Blue chicks from the Blue pullet pictured above, I hope this subsequent generation shows some improvement.

 

[Junibutt]

I am almost new to Orpingtons and just received some Chocolate Cuckoo and Chocolate chicks. They are 12 days old. I would appreciate if :


a) The experts here can give their honest and straight-shooting opinion on the quality of the parent stock as well as the chicks.
b) Also, while I understand that Orpingtons are slow to mature, however, if there is something that would stand out at the chick stage that would make them a definite cull, please let me know.
c) The male looks double barred in the picture. If that is correct, how did I end up with 3 solid chocolate chicks. Shouldn't all the chicks be barred if the male had 2 barring genes even though their was 1 chocolate female in the trio?
d) There are two types of chocolate chicks, one with a complete chocolate head and the other with some yellow around the eye area. Does that mean anything?
e) The barred chicks are also of two types, one with crisp barring and the other kid of fuzzy, which one is double barred and which one is single?

Here are the pics:

Adult Flock:





Chocolate Chicks:










Chicks with crisp barring:





Chicks with fuzzy barring:





Thanks everyone for your comments in advance!

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

I'm very interested int he above post. I am in the same boat and while I have become very familar with teh chocolates, I am trying to get up to speed on the cuckoo. I have one chick just like the fuzzy barred one above. Maybe a girl?

I guess your chicks are split, I am assuming the mom was a chocolate. I believe that your chocolate appearanced boys will be split gened and your girls all chocolate as they cannot hide. Correct me if I am wrong, but then your would take your offsrping and breed them back to the parent cuckoo and then those who are cuckoo from that hatch to each other?

 

[Junibutt]

I'm very interested int he above post. I am in the same boat and while I have become very familar with teh chocolates, I am trying to get up to speed on the cuckoo. I have one chick just like the fuzzy barred one above. Maybe a girl?

I guess your chicks are split, I am assuming the mom was a chocolate. I believe that your chocolate appearanced boys will be split gened and your girls all chocolate as they cannot hide. Correct me if I am wrong, but then your would take your offspring and breed them back to the parent cuckoo and then those who are cuckoo from that hatch to each other?

As per my understanding, one cannot have a solid chocolate chick from a Double Barred Rooster x Chocolate hen. All chicks turn out to be single barred cuckoos. So if there are chocolate chicks, the rooster must be single barred. Unfortunately, I do not have the breeders, I bought the chicks from another seller who bought the breeders from "Old South Farms", whose breeders are from The Fancy Chick and Ewe Crazy Farms.

So what I plan to do is that I have some other chocolate growing from a Mauve line. If they are the right body type, I will breed the double-barred rooster from this line with the chocolate from the Mauve line. and the resulting offsprings to the Chocolates and Cuckoo hens from this line.

Do you want some? I can ship some before they ban all live poultry shipments. lol

 

[jeremy]

My bantam Mauve Orpingon went broody & hatched 3 chicks!

Blue split to Chocolate cockerel on the left, Chocolate pullet on the right.


Splash- don't know whether this is a male or female yet. If a boy, he'll be Splash split to Chocolate, if a girl she will be Mauve (Chocolate & Blue), with 2 copies of the Blue gene.


Always right next to momma, who wouldn't hold still for the camera.

They're plotting something...

Chubby lil' Blue & Chocolate chicks.

 

[mjgigax]

Lovely hen and chicks!

 

[OnlyOrps]

Well my chocolates all ended up being hens! So funny as everyone guessed cockrels for all or most of them. So now I have a pretty trio of choc POL pullets with my spare mottled roo. Can't wait to see what the chicks look like!

 

[knjinnm]

Does the rooster carry chocolate?

 

[OnlyOrps]

Does the rooster carry chocolate?

no he's just black and white mottled

 

[knjinnm]

I should have asked, is your rooster an Orp, if not what would be the best Orp color to cross to produce chocolates?