*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[christianchic]

We just got rid of all of our Light Brahamas and started Buff Orpingtons. We have five 8 week old chics. I'm having a difficult time sexing them (never had that problem with other breeds), but it appears I have four roosters and one hen. My questions is this: It appears on everyone's photos that they have multiple roosters together. Will I be able to keep my roos if they grow up together?

 

[Euarto Gullible]

We just got rid of all of our Light Brahamas and started Buff Orpingtons. We have five 8 week old chics. I'm having a difficult time sexing them (never had that problem with other breeds), but it appears I have four roosters and one hen. My questions is this: It appears on everyone's photos that they have multiple roosters together. Will I be able to keep my roos if they grow up together.

I wouldn't do it, unless you're building a bachelor pad to keep them separate. Even one rooster with one hen is too many. Young roosters are brutal with the hens, and keeping multiple roosters together makes them mate more, since they're competing to pass their genes. That poor girl would get ridden more than a free carnival ride, and would likely end up with injuries and at the very least would stop/never start laying eggs. They might be cute now, but adult rooster drama is not. You'd be much better off getting some more sexed BO pullets and keeping your best roo and rehoming or eating the rest.

 

[Tappy4me]

One of the orps today

 

[kaseythomas86]

Please say this is a hen!

. It was the first to feather but looks really red! It's the only one with a tail like that.

 

[Euarto Gullible]

Please say this is a hen!

. It was the first to feather but looks really red! It's the only one with a tail like that.

 

[kaseythomas86]

I was afraid of that! I think I maybe got 1 hen out of the 4 BOs I bought and they are my favorite!!

 

[informative]

Can anyone tell me is a 18" X 18" nest box big enough for the Buff Orpingtons?

I use five gallon buckets from Home Depot (they like the orange more than the blue ones from Lowes for some reason)

I read 12x12 is supposedly good for most birds up to 8 pound size. Larger like Jersey's recommend 18x18's.
I've had such good results with the orange 5 gallon buckets I'll probably stick with those. They love them and yes I find two at a time in the buckets.
Except when they are broody then one bucket becomes occupied nonstop by a buff orp mostly and they act all weird and keep the others out of that bucket

 

[Johnn]

Bella has a chick

 

[Gldnrose]

A story for all.


Last week some neighborhood kids found a small gosling. When I found this out I took it from them and went to the spot where they found it. When I could not locate the chicks mother I decided to take the chick to the lake, which is only about 50 yds from my house. I figured the chicks mother may had went back to the water and she would find her baby or it would die. Knowing that the chances for this gosling was slim I put it in the water and watched as it swam away. 6 days later I came across a family of geese, all the chicks about 5 times the size of the gosling I let go. As the mother and babies where crossing the road the mother had stopped and was looking behind her and out of the grass ran a baby gosling that was to small to keep up. I smiled I knew in my heart that was the baby I let go. It never found it's mother but found a mother never the less.

Awwww

Please say this is a hen!

. It was the first to feather but looks really red! It's the only one with a tail like that.

How old are they? Do you have pics of all of them, for comparison? I would still wait to get rid of any until absolutely sure. They can be difficult to sex for awhile.

Bella has a chick

Cute!! Did she hatch it?

 

[Johnn]

Cute!! Did she hatch it?

Thanks! And yeah, she did. Daisy looked after the egg for the last few days but I think the chick is rightfully Bella's as Daisy only joined in a few days before. Daisy's eggs are due to hatch in a couple of weeks I think but if any day olds pop up before that I will buy her one