Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[Faraday40]

A very sad morning here : Our dear, old Mr Dummy-Pants died last night. it was also a blessing. He was failing and not walking much. He didn't eat/drink yesterday, so I knew I'd have to put him down today. He died and spared me the additional pain of killing my beloved pet. He was our all-time favorite rooster and became a pet after he could no longer breed. He was amazing! He was very patient with kids, a gentleman with the hens, a great flock leader & guardian, the peace-maker, big, & stunningly beautiful. He is the rooster that all of our future roosters will be compared to. I can't find words to describe my feelings. He will forever be missed.

RIP my friend.

DD is taking it very hard. Although we all loved him, he was technically HER rooster. Yesterday she gently carried her big smelly buddy inside to watch TV together. She hugged him as she cried. Then she placed him on the floor next to her. That old rooster used what little strength he had to stand up and walk over to her for hugs when he saw her crying. He was trying to get back into her lap. That basically sums up why we loved him. He always acted more like a dog than a rooster.

 

[rachelsflock]

What a good boy. I'm sorry.

 

[Myrth]

Buff chicks arrived at the Post Office today. 14 of 15 alive and healthy. First time I ever lost one to shipping, and I have ordered chicks many times over the years.

But they are sooooo cute.

 

[Myrth]

A very sad morning here : Our dear, old Mr Dummy-Pants died last night. it was also a blessing. He was failing and not walking much. He didn't eat/drink yesterday, so I knew I'd have to put him down today. He died and spared me the additional pain of killing my beloved pet. He was our all-time favorite rooster and became a pet after he could no longer breed. He was amazing! He was very patient with kids, a gentleman with the hens, a great flock leader & guardian, the peace-maker, big, & stunningly beautiful. He is the rooster that all of our future roosters will be compared to. I can't find words to describe my feelings. He will forever be missed.

RIP my friend.

So sorry for your loss. Hugs to your DD.

 

[Faraday40]

Still missing our greatest rooster ever, but trying to focus on some happy chick moments.

Here are some 4 wk old babies that I decided to keep. By now I'm pretty sure they're all pullets.

black orp


silver laced orp (They just don't look as cute when young, but I know they'll look pretty as adults.)


blue silver laced orp

Her parents:
It was so HOT yesterday. My poor orps were miserable


I also have 3 lav orps. I'm hoping one is male but so far, they also all look female. In the meantime, this is our main roo, a blk/lav split. I kept him around for that nice comb (laced boy is only for the laced hens)

 

[RowanTheRed]

here are the 4 BBS English orpingtons I just hatched. They are 4 weeks old now. I know it is still early, but I am thinking that 3 of them are roos

 

[Faraday40]

Been busy with many chicks this summer. Our backyard has been taken over by broody hens! Mostly bantam hens who are too small for our roos to mate, so we give them orp eggs to hatch.


Here's Trouble's (our sebright) last 2 chicks, silver laced orpingtons. They are 4 weeks old. No names yet but I'm leaning toward 2 females due to feather growth & lack of wattles. Last year's males had zero tails & tiny pink wattles at 4 week. (I've been selling so many, so I may have to keep one for myself.)

Here are some more random shots. Does anyone agree with me on the female gender predictions? (The English orps feather in so much slower than the American Orp bloodlines.)

 

[Faraday40]

I'm learning how difficult it is to predict lacing quality on young chicks.
Last year I hatched 2 males:

I thought this one looked better & kept him. He's our current roo, named "Mr Wonderful."

4 weeks

10-11 weeks

Mr Wonderful today. He lives up to his name daily and I can't imagine my flock without him.

The other male didn't even look laced at 4 weeks. He was sold to a friend and I'm grateful to see how he turned out.
4 wks.

10-11 wks:

Other than some frostbite on the comb this winter, I think he turned out to look amazing. He's bigger & more muscular than my Mr Wonderful. (Also a gentleman like all of the orp roos I've known.)

I'm not sure which type of lacing is preferable? (The kind that looks drawn with a felt tip pen or a wide marker. LOL) Mr Wonderful looked laced right away & stayed that way. The other looked a mess when younger but has such a nice dark contrast now.

 

[Faraday40]

Here are some other random chicks we hatched this spring/summer:

an enormous blue orp pullet

She still has a lot of filling out to do, but I predict she'll grow to be even bigger than her biological mama.

A Blue Silver Laced orp

2 lav cockerels

Our silkie with some of her lav orp chicks

Jewel hatched a few chicks + 3 turkey poults.

Our bantam orp is sitting on some eggs due to hatch soon. oh Boy! More chicks!

 

[Tortoise]

Can't decide if I should get Orp bantams or not.
Can bantams and regular size be mixed?
I only want a small group, 2-3. Want them for pets and really want the larger ones but I am limited on space.
Is the personality of the bantam the same as the others?
Can someone post a pic of the two side by side or link me too a pic.
I'm very new to both chickens and this forum. Trying to learn all I can before next spring chicken purchase.
Thank you for any and all help.