Lavender Orpington Thread

[TNBEARCHICK]

Ok question, we have a Gorgeous Black English Rooster. From a Blue, black, splash hatch. Would it be good to put him over my American Lavender Orps?

 

[dutchbunny83]

My lav orp rooster started crowing

He's 6 months old and hadn't attempted so I thought he'd be a quiet one.
He's getting REALLY loud and crows all day.
Listed as a pair, but no takers around here, and we can't keep roosters in town so he's headed to freezer camp tomorrow.
So sad, Bruce is too pretty to eat!
I was hoping to get some fertile eggs off him first, but the girls still aren't laying...

 

[Runawaylobster]

My lav orp rooster started crowing
He's 6 months old and hadn't attempted so I thought he'd be a quiet one.
He's getting REALLY loud and crows all day.
Listed as a pair, but no takers around here, and we can't keep roosters in town so he's headed to freezer camp tomorrow.
So sad, Bruce is too pretty to eat!
I was hoping to get some fertile eggs off him first,  but the girls still aren't laying...

I hatched 6 girls and 2 boys in July, it took forever for the 2 boys to show up as boys, I can tell almost immediately with my Marans... they are in a pen with lots of other birds for growing out. Leghorns, ameraucana, marans etc: and these boys act just like girls. all the other breeds are out there crowing their little heads off and sparring over who gets to chase the girls around but the 2 orpington boys just stay out of it, no crowing and barely any visible differences between males and females... I think i will have to call them my girly chickens ..

since i'm new to orpingtons i have to ask is this normal LOL!!!

 

[jonsccm]

Has any one ordered LO from Meyer hatchery? I just ordered 3 from them to come with a batch of chicks in the summer. I have seen some chicks from meyer turn out to be great quality. And some not so much. But how are they doing with the lavenders?

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

I have never ordered Lavenders from them, so I am not sure.

 

[jeremy]

Has any one ordered LO from Meyer hatchery? I just ordered 3 from them to come with a batch of chicks in the summer. I have seen some chicks from meyer turn out to be great quality. And some not so much. But how are they doing with the lavenders?

Lavenders, even those bred by responsible breeders, still need a lot of work.

You shouldn't expect much, that goes the same for most any hatchery.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

That is why we are looking at our Black Orp to put over ours.

 

[flgardengirl]

I hatched 6 girls and 2 boys in July, it took forever for the 2 boys to show up as boys, I can tell almost immediately with my Marans... they are in a pen with lots of other birds for growing out. Leghorns, ameraucana, marans etc: and these boys act just like girls. all the other breeds are out there crowing their little heads off and sparring over who gets to chase the girls around but the 2 orpington boys just stay out of it, no crowing and barely any visible differences between males and females... I think i will have to call them my girly chickens

..

since i'm new to orpingtons i have to ask is this normal LOL!!!

Orpingtons are slower growing and slower to mature than Marans are. Those boys are gonna grow big and then once they get their hormones going there will be no doubt who the males are lol!!

Orps are usually more docile than the Marans males are. I have hatched out a bunch of Marans and Orpingtons together and the Marans males always dominate the Orp males for awhile. Once the Orp boys get a little older and bigger they get even lol.
You may also find that the female Orps also lay at a later age in general than most of the Marans varieties perhaps with the exception of the Wheaten Marans (mine seemed to lay later than the BCMs, Blues, Black, Cuckoos etc.)

 

[flgardengirl]

Lavenders, even those bred by responsible breeders, still need a lot of work.

You shouldn't expect much, that goes the same for most any hatchery.

x2!!

 

[Runawaylobster]

Orpingtons are slower growing and slower to mature than Marans are. Those boys are gonna grow big and then once they get their hormones going there will be no doubt who the males are lol!!

Orps are usually more docile than the Marans males are. I have hatched out a bunch of Marans and Orpingtons together and the Marans males always dominate the Orp males for awhile. Once the Orp boys get a little older and bigger they get even lol.
You may also find that the female Orps also lay at a later age in general than most of the Marans varieties perhaps with the exception of the Wheaten Marans (mine seemed to lay later than the BCMs, Blues, Black, Cuckoos etc.)

This is good to know, I was getting a little disappointed regarding size, because I like BIG chickens and right now the Marans kids are bigger. I have 5 boys in my grow out pen, and one is a big blue copper marans, he is dominating everyone. The two ameraucana boys are also pretty dominated but they challenge him on a fairly regular basis. The orpington boys just pretend they are pullets to stay out of trouble LOL!!! My Marans usually wait a good 6 months before they lay but not exceptionally slow. Can't wait to see how these orps turn out, they are very pretty.