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There's just something about a big beautiful chicken against lush, green grass.

We heard upset cackling over the baby monitor in the main coop at close to midnight. It sounded odd so we went out to see if it was coming from Atlas's side or the other. Hope had obviously just died and the others were very upset. She did thrash a bit, poor dear. She had been eating and...

I lost my Hope a few days ago, the one I said had been up and down over two of her three years of life. Nugget is my last Buff Orp.

Thank you. He sure was. I miss him every day. Had the best crow.

haha, not just you! I do have photos of an Orpington rooster to show saddle feathers, but he's been gone for a couple of years. Here is a photo of Suede when he was just over a year old with saddle feathers circled. People focus so much on combs and wattles and neck feathers, but it's the...

Good way to put it, LOL. Mine were similar except for one was sunny yellow and one deeper gold. I haven't had one with a giant comb, but I sure have seen some with overly large ones. For those who are still wondering, saddle feathers is what you have to look at--they never lie (except in rare...

I can't see the saddle feathers, however, the long legs and stance look male to me, not to mention the extra large comb. Would have to see the saddle area to confirm as some hatchery Orp pullets have overly large combs, unlike the breeder lines, whose combs tend to stay much more contained.

Yup, not a shock. They really do vary per individual, plus so many factors, especially age. My own Nugget, who is going on 7 now, has raised numerous batches of chicks, kept them longer than any other broody (once I took away her 15 week old son, lol). Back in 2012, she was broody and at hatch...

Since they are living creatures and influenced by all sorts of things, it's impossible to say. My fast molters would only stop for 2-3 weeks during the hardest part of the molt, then start up again. Others would stop for a month to six weeks. Later on, as they got past 4-5 years old, they might...

Yes. Sometimes it just stops entirely. And how long you'll go without from a certain hen is according to if your hen is a slow or fast molter. I found that egg laying cessations during molts are longer, the older a hen becomes. She takes longer breaks, which does make sense. Not a spring...

I have not had issues with my Buffs, but the Blues are definitely prone to pendulous and sour crop issues. I've lost three Blue Orp hens to that and it is hereditary-the hens pass it on to some of their daughters. My blue Orp hen, Smoky, died when her crop completely quit working. We did surgery...

What a time to be without my camera, right?

Um, yeah, but he can't reach both her head and her bottom at the same time, so he just ends up sitting on her like a couch, LOL. Dusty will pummel the crud out of him. Poor Hope is too ill to fight so if he gets on her back, she can't stand up, but he tries.

The crotchety old Nugget with her younger, ailing "sister" (they are from related lines), Hope. Nugget was threatening my broody BR hen outside her pen so you can see in the 3rd photo her dropped shoulder. Wish you could hear her growling, LOL. Nugget is going on 7 years old. The bantam Cochin...

Yes, it was Atlas, who is a MOOSE now! Panda is a small hen, but though she's feisty and cantankerous, his sheer size and bullheaded determination could injure her. She isn't a young hen anymore, going on 7 years old now. So, I'd like to get this the old hens out of there before winter hits...

No kidding! I had a 21 week old cockerel who was fighting with a 6 year old hen just today. She refused to submit and his hormones are in full swing. Crazy young studs!

A Buff Orpington rooster is a sight to behold. Someone who lives not that far from me up on a hill has a studly BO rooster. I see him standing up on a knoll when I drive by from time to time. I've only had BBS Orp males here and only raised up one, my late, great Suede, to adulthood, but that...

Well, it can be hard to tell for a few weeks, yes. Watch for the pink comb around 5-6 weeks of age, if not sooner. But, my last pullet, hatchery stock, feathered in like all my breeder quality cockerels and I had her pegged as male for quite some time. Time will tell, of course.

My advice? Love 'em. Enjoy 'em. And don't add any chicken flea market or swap finds so they stay healthy and safe. In a nutshell, or maybe an eggshell, LOL.

Looks like a Buff Orpington. They vary in color from sunny yellow to pocket watch gold.