*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[Y N dottes]

Quick question to BO experts.

I have 2 BOs that are 15 weeks old. These are my first BOs ive owned. One is the biggest of the 8 pullets I have, and the other is the smallest, so what I want to know is how does the size of this breed compare to others?

the 1st pic is of the bigger one, though the pics aren't really a reference

 

[rancher hicks]

If she was only a few days old, that is called "failure to thrive". Some just don't make it. And shipping stress will often kill a weaker chick. Failure to thrive can happen with chicks hatched at home, too, just something wrong inside.

Just caught this. I just had a chick pass. While it was in with another later born it just didn't seem to grow any. I knew when I saw the tell tale skinny legs it wasn't going to make it. It was getting around fine for nearly a week or so, then took a turn for the worse and died.

 

[birdlady79]

I know BO's are heat tolerant but do they seem to get hotter than other breeds? My BO is 25 weeks and always has her mouth open when it's 'hot, and it's HOT here.. All my breeds are large breeds but her and my SS are the ones who suffer the most....

 

[3goodeggs]

I will leave the hose on dribble for a few hours and really soak the shady part of the run.
They dig and lie in the cooler ground like a damp dust bath.
We have had a lot of rain this year so it has not been necessary, but a few years ago it was dry and a hot dust bath when it was 96 degrees did not sound nice to me.

Throw the kitchen vegetable scraps in the freezer overnight for something to cool off with the next day.
I have a huge chest freezer and put the overabundance of hard pear and muscadine grapes into it for the next summer's cool down treats.

 

[Y N dottes]

I know BO's are heat tolerant but do they seem to get hotter than other breeds? My BO is 25 weeks and always has her mouth open when it's 'hot, and it's HOT here.. All my breeds are large breeds but her and my SS are the ones who suffer the most....

Only once this year has it been too hot that my BOs were panting, so I took the hose and misted down the whole run and outside/underneath of the coop where they lay when its sunny. seemed too really help, though they weren't too happy when I was doing it and they got wet. Cruel to be kind I guess

 

[birdlady79]

Thank y'all!! Mine free range and don't come up to coop till 5 ... We have no shade really.... We've added composite roof in top of run and out an umbrella out in front of coop... I've planted trees..... They hang out in the back 40 under the trailers.... Which is shady...... I'll try the frozen veggies n fruit. I've been freezing water and putting out milk jugs w frozen water....I wish watering the area was more feasible......

 

[RoosterLew]

Chickens do not sweat. In the heat they pant. By increasing their respiratory rate they put off body heat.

 

[speckledhen]

My Orpingtons, both the Buffs and the Blue/Black/Splash varieties, seem to handle heat much better than the Delawares. The Dels are densely muscled and tightly feathered, unlike the Orps, so I do believe that has a lot to do with it.

 

[MiniCoop]

Hi all. My brother sent me some pictures of a chicken that he was told was a cockerel when he got it 8 weeks ago. It's now 10 weeks old. He also doesn't know the breed, but I think it's a Buff Orpington, it looks a lot like mine. I think it's also a pullet, but I was hoping to get someone else's opinion. Any thoughts?

 

[Y N dottes]

Hi all. My brother sent me some pictures of a chicken that he was told was a cockerel when he got it 8 weeks ago. It's now 10 weeks old. He also doesn't know the breed, but I think it's a Buff Orpington, it looks a lot like mine. I think it's also a pullet, but I was hoping to get someone else's opinion. Any thoughts?

It's comb is much bigger and 'redder' than both my Buff Orps at 15 weeks, though besides that it does look like a pullet