Anyone know anything about Lavender Orpingtons????

[elphabafalls]

I have a Lav Orpington that is at least 32 weeks old - maybe older. We rescused her, so she could be older, but we're pretty sure she can't be younger because we've had her at least 28 weeks and she was around 4-6 weeks when we got her. She hasn't started laying yet. She's not squatting. She's getting a waddle recently, and her face is turning bright red, but she basically has no comb at all. She still has the same comb she had as a chick. Her pelvic points are really close together. She's not very smart, and she's definitely the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order, but she's healthy and eats like a piglet. My question is - I read that they generally reach laying age around 24 weeks or so. She's a lot older than that, and she's showing no signs at all of getting close. Is this normal for this breed? Or, do some chickens simply never lay eggs at all? We rescued her from the worst living conditions, and she's matured so much slower than the other chickens. We're committed to giving her as good a life as possible, even if she doesn't ever lay an egg. I just want to see if this is the normal for this breed....or is she just "special" lol

 

[wolfwalker]

First off, if you rescued her and she was not receiving the care or nutrition she should have, throw out the estimated timeframe to laying. The estimate to laying is for chickens raised under ideal conditions, meaning they lack for nothing. I've also noticed LO's are more dependent on daylight hours to egg production than some of the other breeds, I had to increase daylight hours by 3 hours of light before I get a single egg this time of year.

 

[3KillerBs]

I snatched Rain - my Lav Orp - out of that mob so she wouldn't be trampled because she was a runt compared to them.

If she was a runt then it's not surprising that her laying is delayed. Hopefully, the deficiency she had as a chick didn't cause a permanent mal-development that would prevent her from ever laying and that she'll mature in due time given the current good care and nutrition.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have had many LO and they seem to take longer to lay than most, but they are a big bird too, think about dogs, smaller ones mature sooner, and big dogs can take up to two years. My hens laid smaller eggs till they matured also.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Good advice from other posters. She sounds lucky to have found a good home with you. Orpingtons do not have huge combs, but they are the single type. Post a photo of her, it may be helpful.

 

[JadeFarms]

They have a pea comb, so that is normal it isn’t very big, especially, if she isn’t laying, yet, and patience, the longest I had to wait for a pullets first egg was 11 months gh they are not bantam, but not a large breed either, so maybe she is turning out normal after all ?!

LOs have single combs.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Oops, sorry, I read lavender Araucana nooo, I don’t know anything about lavender Orpington! I just had pheasant colored ones and right now gold laced, but I do know that lavender is a“new“ color, it takes some time to breed out the „kinks“

 

[MorningGlory16]

Orpingtons are "beachball" shaped. I have 3 lavender orpington hens and they didn't start laying until 34-36 weeks. Someone at the feed store thought they might've been hiding eggs somewhere since they free range, nope, they were just taking their time. One of mine also has a very small comb and wattles compared to her sisters and she was the last to start laying, but she's a very good consistent layer now even in the winter. Her face reddened up about 2 weeks before she started laying- your girl might be close.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Most of the Orpingtons, other than Buffs that have been breed for production will lay later. My English Orpington pullets are over nine months and I got their first egg yesterday. It's also not the season for them to start up. Usually with daylight hours being shorter, pullets, especially late-blooming Orpingtons, will wait until the days start to lengthen and temperatures rise before they start laying. I wouldn't worry too much about her.

 

[Feath3rDust3r]

I have Lavender Orpingtons. Mine don't usually start laying till 8-9 months old. I don't usually plan to see an egg for a full year tho because I stopped using artificial light. The spring chicks are only beginning to mature by fall and then the days get shorter, so by spring they start laying.