Are they really Lavender Orpingtons?

[OneLostHen]

My pullets have grown and boy are they LEGGY! They're roughly 5 to 6 months old.

By this point my australorps were the typical round and fluffed out shape.

These are just so lanky. If I didn't already know they were hens, I'd suspect all roos.

Is blue jersey giant a thing? Are these truly orps?
Hard to get good shots since they're velcro chickens. Soon as they see me, they rush over.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

They’re lavender, not blue, so are definitely orpingtons

 

[OneLostHen]

They’re lavender, not blue, so are definitely orpingtons

Interesting!
I thought lavender and blue were both terms for a grey bird.
However, I now see blues tend to have a darker head.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[redinator]

Interesting!
I thought lavender and blue were both terms for a grey bird.
However, I now see blues tend to have a darker head.

Thank you for your reply!

I asked the same thing a bit back when I 'ended up' with a few grey chicken breeds. Apparently lavender, or self blue, is a consistent shade of grey all over. Blue is varying shades of gray. Here are some examples:

Blue Jersey Giant


A video of my tiny Self Blue (lavender) Old English Game Bantam cockerel crowing. He puts in so much effort, it's adorable!

 

[OneLostHen]

I guess I have to wait and see if my girls fill out then lol
Appreciate all the info!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

They look like Lavender Orpingtons to me, plus it sounds like they have the Orpington personality.

If it's any help, here's one of my Lavender Orpingtons:

Something to keep in mind: Orpingtons grow slower than Australorps. Your Australorps might start laying at five months old (or four if they're like my early-starters), whereas your Orpingtons probably won't start until at least six months old. Majority of hens put on "layer weight" once they start laying, so your Orpingtons will eventually plump out once they start to lay.

Also, a note on colors: Most times when people talk about "Blue" in the chicken realm, they're referring to the darker gray. When it comes to Lavender, they're referring to the lighter gray, or as others will call it, "Self Blue." Which bird will be called Self Blue or Lavender will also vary depending on breed. Such as, a lighter gray Old English Game will not be called Lavender, but instead, Self Blue. A Wyandotte of the same color will be called a Lavender. I don't know what chooses the name, maybe weight, but I do know on the Old English, there is both a Blue and a Self Blue (also a Lemon Blue if you want to count those, and some might claim a Blue Duckwing), which might be the variable.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Are you saying they're *all* girls? I see two lavender cockerels..

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Are you saying they're *all* girls? I see two lavender cockerels..

They also don't look 6 months old. Are you certain of their ages? Look much more like 3-4 months old.

 

[OneLostHen]

They also don't look 6 months old. Are you certain of their ages? Look much more like 3-4 months old.

They might be a bit younger than 5/6 months. But I am pretty sure they're pullets. One has always had less comb development than the rest.

Oh please let them all be pullets.

 

[OneLostHen]

For reference- here is the thread when I first got them.

Post in thread 'Lavender Orpington Sexing'

Aug 3, 2025

Did you buy them as straight run? If so your odds are very good. Atleast they're not all roos

They were sold as 3 pullets and one suspected roo.
After I saw them I noticed 1 had a significantly smaller and darker grey comb than the other 3. So I became worried that only 1 is a pullet.
But after watching them in the coop it's evident that there's only 1 roo. And gosh is he handsome?! I wish I could keep and breed them. But I'm in the suburbs and simply can't.

Studly boy

• OneLostHen