BBS Orpingtons for Broody Hen-DUPED!

[JenniMcChick]

Ok, had planned on starting a thread to document how 1st time broody BO Mama and her adopted 1-3 day old BBS Orpington chicks were doing. Thought it would be fun for future BBS owners to see how they develop and to try and take guesses as to what they would look like and what gender they were. And who doesn't just love cute baby pics???
But I got busy tending to said chicks & Mama (among other life tasks) since wind picked up the day after we gave them to her & with gusts of 35mph, I wanted to make sure & keep a good eye on all of them. But I digress....
March 1st, we introduced chicks to her after dark. One, then 2nd one about 3 mins later after she accepted the 1st chick with no more than a startled peck when it moved underneath her. She's the nicest broody I've ever been around btw & has had no issues with us handling her (or now the chicks).
Left her with them for 25-30 mins before adding the other 3. Checked on them before going to bed about 30 mins later & all looked good. Chicks underneath her, lots of clucks & trilling going on. Life is good!

 

[JenniMcChick]

All goes well the next few days, but she does keep them in the brooder. And rightly so, wind is horrid.
She's super attentive & such a good Mama!
March 5th after all the wind dies down she takes them out of brooder & into the adjacent enclosure (fenced area underneath the main coop.
The chicks love the outing! Mom keeps a watchful eye & doesn't let them venture too far from her, even though area is only 6x8 & no where they can go except back into the brooder (attaching pic of that setup also in case anyone is interested).

 

[JenniMcChick]

Day 2 Field Trip and she has them out pretty much all day. The babies exploring more & getting more adventurous. Enjoy jumping onto the 4x4 post I placed in there for them to play on.
I also placed a plant saucer with some fresh dirt in it for both Mama & babies.

 

[JenniMcChick]

OK. Where are my Orpington peeps? You notice anything about these gorgeous little babies yet?
Let me know what your trained eyes see & I'll post pics I took today & unveil the DUPE & ask for everyone's opinions.

 

[tlcmurphy]

OK. Where are my Orpington peeps? You notice anything about these gorgeous little babies yet?
Let me know what your trained eyes see & I'll post pics I took today & unveil the DUPE & ask for everyone's opinions.

 

[JenniMcChick]

Here ya go!

These are today's pics of my NOT BBS Orpingtons.
I knew I'd be playing the Guess What Color They'll End Up & Male or Female? games, but the What BREED Are They Really? game also? I was not prepared for that one!!

Thought I was "just seeing things" yesterday & told myself it was probably just the pine shavings, since I use pelleted pine bedding in the main coop. But nope! No denying it today. All but one of these babies have FEATHERS on the outside of their legs & feet. Yup! Exactly what you wanna see on your Orpington chicks, right?

So NOT Orpingtons. Only one who may have a chance is the clean legged one I think is going to end up being solid black, but not holding my breath.

& of course, after reaching out to ask for insight as to what I might have in my outside brooder since Orps do not have feathers on their legs or feet, absolute crickets from the "breeder" whose website states:

We have selected the best of the best genetics for our Turkey and Chicken Breeding program.
Of course, we are striving for quality, not quantity.



He sold 5 of them to us at $12.50/chick & my husband gave him $70. "Gratuity" dh said. He's a good man. Then "breeder" stated: "Of course they're straight run as I have no way of sexing them".

I was ok with that as I do not currently have a rooster (on purpose), but was willing to consider keeping one of the inevitable roosters in this batch IF it had the right color, confirmation & temperament. Especially after how difficult it's been to find chicks (in the breed & colors I wanted). But turns out joke's on me! Now let's pray I don't have insult added to injury & end up with 5 roosters of whatever "breed" these precious babies turn out to be.

You guys have any guesses?? On the website, I don't see they have any breeds with feathered feet. So....no clues to be found there.

The chicks are serving their original intended purpose, which was to get my broody BO off the nest & reward her dedication to 2 wooden eggs she diligently sat on for almost 21 days. And they are adorable & we will love them irregardless! But I think what's upsetting me most about not getting what I thought (& was told) I was buying, is the absolute disregard & unprofessionalism of the breeder to even acknowledge my text or try to offer insight as to what is actually sitting in my outside brooder. Rude.

I was in no way rude, upset, etc in my communication with him! Nor did I request anything from him (refund, replacements, etc). All I wanted was information.

I simply let him know chicks have grown feathers on legs & feet & asked for insight as to what could be out in my brooder since Orpingtons do not have feathered feet. I let him know the chicks were all doing well & had a very happy Mama. Thanked him & wished him a wonderful weekend.



So I now turn to you, dear BYC enthusiasts:
Wanna play with me?

What breed, or cross-breed, do you think these babies are? Supposed to be 7-10 days old, but not staking anything on that tidbit of info given either.

THANK YOU in advance for any insight you can offer!

I plan to keep posting pics of their development, so we can all see how they turn out.

 

[townchicks]

I have no clue, but I'm sure enjoying the darling pics!

 

[JenniMcChick]

I have no clue, but I'm sure enjoying the darling pics!

Awesome! Mission accomplished. They really are adorable.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

If they're purebred, they could be Marans, but with this seller there's really no guarantee at this point. Most do look blue, black, or splash, but there's one that looks cuckoo, so that one will be interesting.

 

[The Moonshiner]