Buff Orpington Rant thread!

[marsmallowthesilkie]

I love Lavender, blue laced, lemon, silver, and black orps. Shouldn't they look like this pic rather than hatchery skinny non fluffy screeching things

 

[LaurEliz]

I’m dying laughing. Orpingtons are my favorite and buff orpingtons were the first I had. Right now I don’t have any buff orpingtons, but I have other variants. I am deceased at all these comments. I love this

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Hey, all! I got a bit busy over the past couple weeks, but I have pictures of the English Orps from last week and yesterday! Unfortunately, it's looking more and more certain that they're all male, so I definitely can't keep all of them. I'm hoping to find space for one of the chocolate mottleds, but no guarantees. I already have a bunch of roosters I probably shouldn't have kept of other breeds.

I also had to take the leg bands off the chocolate mottleds last week because they have some heckin' big feet already So the pictures are labeled with the bands they used to have, just so I can keep them straight.

Anyway, this is them last week on the 27th, about 3.5 weeks old (don't worry, I cleaned the brooder right after this )

And yesterday, about 4.5 weeks old:

They also had their first outside excursion yesterday (which they definitely should have had a while ago, I know, but it rained almost every day for the past few weeks and finally just stopped a few days ago ) so here they are experiencing the great outdoors with their silkied Cochin broodmates.

 

[FarmerGirl1010]

All (two) of my buff Orpingtons died yesterday so I guess this made me feel better...

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Hey, all! I got a bit busy over the past couple weeks, but I have pictures of the English Orps from last week and yesterday! Unfortunately, it's looking more and more certain that they're all male, so I definitely can't keep all of them. I'm hoping to find space for one of the chocolate mottleds, but no guarantees. I already have a bunch of roosters I probably shouldn't have kept of other breeds.

I also had to take the leg bands off the chocolate mottleds last week because they have some heckin' big feet already So the pictures are labeled with the bands they used to have, just so I can keep them straight.

Anyway, this is them last week on the 27th, about 3.5 weeks old (don't worry, I cleaned the brooder right after this )

View attachment 2747976View attachment 2747977View attachment 2747978

And yesterday, about 4.5 weeks old:

View attachment 2747979View attachment 2747981View attachment 2747982

They also had their first outside excursion yesterday (which they definitely should have had a while ago, I know, but it rained almost every day for the past few weeks and finally just stopped a few days ago ) so here they are experiencing the great outdoors with their silkied Cochin broodmates.

View attachment 2747988View attachment 2747989View attachment 2747990

Little fatties!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Here's some update pics of the chonk boys from this weekend, after finally moving outside permanently! It was raining solidly again up to then, so it took me this long to finally get them and their silkied Cochin broodmates a pen set up. They're just under 7 weeks old now, and those two Chocolate Mottleds have feet to rival the size of my Marans rooster's feet, my only large fowl adult male at the moment The Crele has lagged behind in size and is distinctly smaller than the other two, however. My Red Dorking hen, Perdita, in the background of his picture makes him look huge, but it's the angle, I promise.

Previously purple-banded boy; so far my top contender to be the keeper if I do keep one of the Chocolate Mottleds based on both behavior and coloration

Previously red-banded boy

And one pic of them and the Cochins checking out the digs

I also, err-hem, obtained some hatchery Blue Orpington chicks two weeks ago. My mom really wanted some Orpington girls and since the hatching egg experiment ended with only the three males, she funded adding these two to the flock. They're supposed to be pullets, but... I'm getting some bad feelings about one of them already, which goes right along with what seems to be my luck with chicks this year.

Aaaaanyway, uh... They're not fancy English Orpingtons, but they're cute?

 

[EmmaRainboe]

hatchery Blue Orpington chicks

Well... I suppose, at least they're not buff.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Well... I suppose, at least they're not buff.

Haha, yup! My mom loves any and all Orpingtons, but I absolutely draw the line at adding a Buff Orp to my flock for her



Here are some better pictures of the boys today, by the way. I love that the Chocolate Mottleds are starting to get chocolatey flecks on their legs, and the Crele is starting to get that super floof round shape to him already!

He's a handsome guy, and poses so well... It's gonna hurt to let him go, but I just don't have the space for all these boys.

 

[CuriousBeaks]

Yes, I know, I know, BO-lovers aren't supposed to be here, but I can't help myself.

I would like to politely point out that all that fluff, while great in cold, rainy England, is not so great in the hot, humid, South. I have no argument against the whole "Buff looks like vomit" thing, because that is an opinion. I will say that a good personality is more important to me than fancy colors.

However... I suppose... if I look deep into my soul... I won't disagree that English Orpingtons are... a little more aesthetically pleasing. And I would totally prefer them if I lived in a colder climate.

On a side note, I didn't really choose the breed of my hens, we just got them from a friend who had too many BO hens(and yes, they are from the h****ery).

All I can say is that I love my girls and I wouldn't replace them with blue laced red Wyandottes (or even Mille fleur barbu d'uccles) for the world.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I mean, I don't intend to be rude so please don't read into my post that way, but you and several others over the 110 pages of this thread couldn't help themselves. We get it. It's one thread for people who don't like Buff Orpingtons against many threads over the years for people to fawn over them. I really don't think the breed is in any danger from one thread with a hand full of semi-active participants.


Also, lot of those other people who couldn't help themselves pointed out personality, but I have yet to read about a Buff Orpington whose personality is anything remarkable for, well, just about any hatchery dual purpose breed. You could have ended up with Australorps or Delawares or, heck, even the Wyandottes you mentioned and you would have had essentially the same good personality with a different coloration. I'm not saying you should get rid of your birds by any stretch, but trying to argue for their good personalities just doesn't hold any weight, especially on a thread for people who don't like the color Buff. I have 60+ birds with amazing personalities, and not a single one in Buff. Why would I pick between good personality and good looks when I can and literally do have both?