*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[Peanutsmomma]

I hope your little pullet pulls through.

She just lost interest in food and water completely. The others did the same. I noticed they just didn't show the same interest in anything. Not even their favorite treats. It was like one day she was mowing down and then next, nothing. I fed her for about a week and the last night she was preening. We both thought it was a good sign and she would pull through. I was about to give her the last meal for the night when her eyes went blank. Within a minute or so she was gone.

Other than the loss of interest in food only her poo looked bad. Which made sense since she wasn't taking in proper nutrition. It started to look a little better after a few days (I also was using an antibiotic) but it just wasn't enough. It was very unexpected especially since she spent the entire winter indoors and seemed to be doing so well.

Oooohhhh, so sad. At least you were with her when she passed, poor little thing.

Thank you for sharing little Eggness' symptoms with me. Snickers had and has the same symptoms. She was fine and dandy and then one day I noticed that she was no longer eating and drinking. The first time it happened I was a little slow to catch on to it because I thought she was eating and drinking when I was not around. I started weighing her and realized that she must not be eating as her weight started rapidly declining and her she developed wry neck and a whole host of other neurological problems so I started tube feeding her. The avian vet that we have here in town told me she thought she had Marek's and needed to be euthanized. Something about that didn't feel right and Speckled Hen (she is my go to for all problems chicken--thanks Cyn!) agreed that Snickers did not have Marek's. There is a vet in MS that treats farm animals (he is a regular Dr. Pol lol!) so I decided to make the trek over there to see him and he said that she had a stroke and as I mentioned in my earlier post he gave her a steriod shot (Dexamethasone) and a shot of vitamins A&D. Within 2 weeks she was TOTALLY back to normal. She remained normal for 3 weeks and all of the sudden the loss of appetite, weakness on her left side and the inability to use her right leg reappeared. When I took her back to the vet yesterday I was totally prepared for her euthanization but since she made a complete recovery last time and was super alert and preening during the vet visit he wanted to try one more time to get her through this. That is when he told me that he feels like the stokes are from her trying to lay. When I read your post about Eggness and your other hens having that genetic reproductive disorder it rang true as being the problem my little Snickers has as well. Speckled Hen has told me of some of her hens dying of the same thing right before they laid. Apparently, this is a common problem but it is still sad nonetheless.

Again, thank you for sharing the symptoms Eggness had and I will keep you posted on what happens with Snickers.

Sending you a big hug too.

 

[smudge]

Oh! This is such sad news!

I've been sharing Eggness's progress with my 9 year old - hate to tell her the news. So Sad.

(Yes, there are people following your story, even if we don't always comment on it.)

She had a short life, full of love, sensitivity and warmth. But then again, she was a very special chicken.

 

[smudge]

Oooohhhh, so sad. At least you were with her when she passed, poor little thing.

Thank you for sharing little Eggness' symptoms with me. Snickers had and has the same symptoms. She was fine and dandy and then one day I noticed that she was no longer eating and drinking. The first time it happened I was a little slow to catch on to it because I thought she was eating and drinking when I was not around. I started weighing her and realized that she must not be eating as her weight started rapidly declining and her she developed wry neck and a whole host of other neurological problems so I started tube feeding her. The avian vet that we have here in town told me she thought she had Marek's and needed to be euthanized. Something about that didn't feel right and Speckled Hen (she is my go to for all problems chicken--thanks Cyn!) agreed that Snickers did not have Marek's. There is a vet in MS that treats farm animals (he is a regular Dr. Pol lol!) so I decided to make the trek over there to see him and he said that she had a stroke and as I mentioned in my earlier post he gave her a steriod shot (Dexamethasone) and a shot of vitamins A&D. Within 2 weeks she was TOTALLY back to normal. She remained normal for 3 weeks and all of the sudden the loss of appetite, weakness on her left side and the inability to use her right leg reappeared. When I took her back to the vet yesterday I was totally prepared for her euthanization but since she made a complete recovery last time and was super alert and preening during the vet visit he wanted to try one more time to get her through this. That is when he told me that he feels like the stokes are from her trying to lay. When I read your post about Eggness and your other hens having that genetic reproductive disorder it rang true as being the problem my little Snickers has as well. Speckled Hen has told me of some of her hens dying of the same thing right before they laid. Apparently, this is a common problem but it is still sad nonetheless.

Again, thank you for sharing the symptoms Eggness had and I will keep you posted on what happens with Snickers.

Sending you a big hug too.

Do they think it's a hormone related clotting disorder leading to the strokes?

I suppose they don't have a chicken equivalent of warfarin/anticoagulent therapy.

 

[Peanutsmomma]

Do they think it's a hormone related clotting disorder leading to the strokes?

I suppose they don't have a chicken equivalent of warfarin/anticoagulent therapy.

He didn't really go into any detail with me on the actual cause of the strokes just that he suspected that they were tied to the onset of laying. Your theory of it being a hormone related clotting disorder makes a lot of sense. I will do some research on the topic, thank you for suggesting that.

I need to correct something I said in my earlier post. I said that one of Speckled Hen's girls died of the same stroke issue before laying and as I looked over my PMs I realized that her chicken died of a heart defect that was exacerbated by the stress of the onset of laying. So her death was in the same ball park but was not due to a stroke.

 

[LaylaFlora]

Hello Orpington people. I have always kept a Buff Orpington in my mixed flock for eggs never for show.

My 7-year-old daughter got an assortment of bantams for showmanship and has decided to show with a Buff Orpington at Fair in June.
I noticed its beak is yellow (a disqualification) but partially white. It (I'm pretty sure it's a "he") is only 9 weeks old.

Is it possible that its beak will change to pinkish white?

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Smudge Im sorry you have to share such bad news with your daughter. She was my most asked about pullet and such a dear to have around. I wish she could have lived a longer life but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

[Jdc361]

Just joined this thread! Getting a buff soon! Can I have a list of pros and cons of this breed?!

 

[3goodeggs]

Pro- gentle, sweet, friendly. fun.
Con- goes broody a lot.
Which can be a 'pro' if you want chicks.

 

[Jdc361]

Pro- gentle, sweet, friendly. fun.
Con- goes broody a lot.
Which can be a 'pro' if you want chicks.

When they're broody, are they mean? And can I keep a broody hen in the coop with the others?

 

[3goodeggs]

That seems to be up to each individual bird.
I have had a couple hiss and growl, and one actually would bite, but out of 24... that means the other 21 were still sweet.

Broody orpingtons tend to be stubborn about caring for themselves though. You will need to remove them from the nest box and dip their beaks in water and give them food. They will not do it on their own.

I have one that I will set her feet in a water dish and let her sit on the rim until she wakes up enough to eat.
It is like a stupor. I think she just gets so hot she get delirious.
But again that is one girl out of the 24.

I only have 10 now, but they are easy going. I would suggest you get at least one buff orpington.
It is like having a golden retriever- but a chicken

And yes, you can keep a broody in the pen with the others. We would have six go broody at once and would have to add extra nest boxes because the broodies don't appreciate being sat on .