Buff Orpington or Rhode Island Red

[thudson]

One last question (probably not). I am get chicks this weekend. For sure some Easter eggers. But for my other breed this time I am conflicted. I am thinking of trying some Buff Orpingtons instead of my traditional Rhode island reds. Don't get me wrong I love my reds. I was just thinking of changing things up a bit. The only hold up is I live in Texas and it gets hot.my dad had some buffs when I was young but they died in the heat. So I don't want this to happen. But there is so many people here at the BYC talking about them and they are a beautiful breed. Plus just talked to the feed store and they got some in today from Ideal Hatchery. So I am tempted. Any advice welcome!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Buffs are supposed to be friendlier than RIRs. They have a tendency to go broody though, so you may want to think about that--you have to either let broody birds set on hatching eggs, or you have to break the broodiness, and breaking broodies isn't fun.

I personally love RIRs. I think they're one of the most intelligent breeds of chickens. But I would love to get some Buffs if my feed store ever stocks them when I'm there. If you can handle broody hens, then go for it!

Good luck.

 

[thudson]

Buffs are supposed to be friendlier than RIRs. They have a tendency to go broody though, so you may want to think about that--you have to either let broody birds set on hatching eggs, or you have to break the broodiness, and breaking broodies isn't fun.

I personally love RIRs. I think they're one of the most intelligent breeds of chickens. But I would love to get some Buffs if my feed store ever stocks them when I'm there. If you can handle broody hens, then go for it!

Good luck.

That wouldn't be a bad thing to me, being broody. I have had a couple of Reds go broody but they never hatched an egg, not one. So thanks for that idea. That just helped me learn a little more to the buffs. I always wanted a hen to hatch out some chicks for me.

 

[Ponyfeather]

Personally, I love buffs they're wonderfully sweet chickens. But any hen can go broody. If you live in the heat I honestly would think maybe Austrolorps might be a better choice? They were bred in Australia if you want a fluffy breed. But all fluffy breeds need lots of shade and cold water. I had two Wyandottes that hated the hot weather though with a frozen milk jug they made it through the summer just fine.

 

[thudson]

Tried Australorps and Jersey Giants but none survived. Everyone of them died from heat and that was even with ice jugs. Actually I think any black chicken I have I am jinxed when it comes to them. They mysteriously die when I have them, even when I was young. So I try to avoid those breeds. When I lose a chicken it just hurts so bad and it is like losing a family member. We raise them up from 2 to 3 days old and it is just hard. But I know it is all part of this life, but I try to prevent it when I can.

 

[K813ZRA]

If you want some Buffs, go for it. I have 14 of them and most of them are very friendly and loving birds. They climb up my legs every morning at feeding time. Some of them will perch on me...normally my back as I am picking up the feed pans. They will let me pick them up and pet them but they do not care for it all that much, lol. And they come running every time I come home from somewhere (I free range so they are always out).

That is not to say you can not get a nasty bird. I started with 24 of them and culled 10. Only three of those roosters, all of which were very big and mean. The rest were hens that were either aggressive or simply seemed sickly in a way.

They lay okay. Mine give me about 3-4 eggs per week per bird in the spring and summer and slow down in the fall before coming to a halt in the winter for about a month and then things slowly pick back up. (They do lay through the first winter.) The eggs are fairly large. Maybe just a wee bit larger than what I get from my mixed flock of RR, Australorps and BR but it really depends on the bird.

Yes, they can go broody. I have a consistent problem with 4 of mine that go broody ALL OF THE TIME. They are not so friendly when I try to 'break' them either. And they steel everyone's eggs! I have actually seen them push/pull eggs from other nests...So if you want to hatch some birds, there you go.

My birds are cows and they eat like it too! I had an 11 pound roo but mostly they were 9-10 pounds and most of my hens are around 7.5-8 pounds. They eat a lot if you keep 'em penned up but much less if they can range. They are fluffy too!

As for heat, it does not often get 'too' hot here so I can not answer that. I have had not issues though, nor with cold. They seem like hardy birds. They can get picked on by other breeds though.

Oh and my birds are from Cackle, for what it is worth.

Hope you enjoy what you end up with!

 

[Ponyfeather]

Oh dear, I am sorry you lost them all. Good luck with buffs if you go with them. Losing chickens is heartbreaking, I have lost more than are currently alive in my tiny flock over the last 3 years sadly. But at the sametime, I adore my chickens and don't wanna just give up keeping them either.

 

[meetthebubus]

BUFFS all the Way!!! i'm the biggest supporter of buffs!! i live in the desert, 120 degree F
so just provided ways to keep them cool i have had mine for 2 different summers now and they do ok. you can always see some of the vids i posted on youtube, talking about some ways i keep them cool in my signature