*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[Wyorp Rock]

Bella has some pretty new feathers coming through!

Hi Bella!
She does have some pretty feathers coming in Johnn

Mine are starting to molt and look like shaggy messes, can't wait for them to get new feathers in.

 

[twinsmom6]

Ok I am addicted.. my husband saw this buff orpington chick at the hardware store.. who could NOT take this sweet kid home?
Now we have 4 BOs, 1 EE, 1 australorpe, and 3 silkies... and doubled the size of the coup.. they all seem happier



Welcome home benedict 2

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

Question for all of you BO owners: I have two 19 week old pullets (one of whom laid her first egg yesterday) and my girls seem small compared to my barred rocks when they were the same age...I was under the impression BOs are a large, heavy breed; do they put on the bulk of their size after they start laying? Also, I've had my girls since they were just a few days old and handled them/spent time around them regularly as they grew, but my two could not be more skittish around my husband and I...again, I was under the impression BOs are personable and docile, but that has definitely not been the case with ours...I know each bird's personality/temperament will vary, but they panic and scramble over just about everything...could this be a behavior that mellows out as they age? I thought maybe they might take a cue from our older barred rocks who are very friendly and calm around us and in general, but so far that's not the case. Thanks for any insight!

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Question for all of you BO owners: I have two 19 week old pullets (one of whom laid her first egg yesterday) and my girls seem small compared to my barred rocks when they were the same age...I was under the impression BOs are a large, heavy breed; do they put on the bulk of their size after they start laying? Also, I've had my girls since they were just a few days old and handled them/spent time around them regularly as they grew, but my two could not be more skittish around my husband and I...again, I was under the impression BOs are personable and docile, but that has definitely not been the case with ours...I know each bird's personality/temperament will vary, but they panic and scramble over just about everything...could this be a behavior that mellows out as they age? I thought maybe they might take a clue from our older barred rocks who are very friendly and calm around us and in general, but so far that's not the case. Thanks for any insight!

I have 4 23-week old. They started to lay around 19 weeks as well. And their eggs are so sweet and teeny tiny. They don't even register on my egg scale. They will get bigger. My birds around around 5 1/2 lbs and they will definitely get larger. Give them time.

As far as the skittishness, each bird has their own personality. I have a 2 1/2 year old BO who will eat out of my hands but it terrified of me picking her up. I have another from the same batch who loves to be held. And the personalities in my 4 juveniles, it just as wide. Give them time. Offer treats out of your hands but don't pick them up. Let them get used to you being a positive thing in their world. Then progress to touching them and I recommend trying to touch them on the breast or underside vs. on top. Some have a real fear of overhead birds and your hand moving over the top of them really triggers their fight or flight instinct.

 

[Mosey2003]

FunOnABun, where did you get them? Hatchery stock tends to be smaller. Or maybe they're bantams?

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

FunOnABun, where did you get them? Hatchery stock tends to be smaller. Or maybe they're bantams?

They are hatchery stock, I meant to include that in my post in case that had anything to do with it...they're definitely not bantams, just on the small side of standard size. I'm sure they'll fill out as they age, I'm probably just being impatient and shouldn't compare them to my other birds at the same age.

 

[twinsmom6]

I love my Buff Orpingtons..

I can tell you we did the same held them and they responded - then we had a predator attack in which 4 of 7 chickens were beheaded by (we think a bobcat reaching in to the cage).. anyway.. the two BO survivors then got really skittish.. and were not wanting to be held at all...

I think with time it has gotten better again.. I think it has a lot to do with what they went through... then adjusting to new chicks .. Keep trying and sit calmly with them.. I am sure the sweetness will return.. I don't think that they will be skittish forever..
but I am a ridiculous optimist.. (cause-- well it works)

"Optimism is a relatively stable trait and shows an inverse association with the risk of cardiovascular death"
Arch Intern Med. Feb. 2006;166:431-436.

 

[GardenNut]

I have a BO female who has never liked being touched, even as a chick. She's a free spirit. She follows me around like a dog, like the others do, but don't touch her. She's sweet, but I just leave her alone. Same with my rooster. He tried to flog me a couple of times, and I booted him in the backside. He's settled down a lot as he learns his job. But we give each other space too. I think he's going to be a nice roo once he matures.

 

[CuzChickens]

That's cool. That's what I do - I try to keep the breeds separate. But everyone else that I know, that has chickens around here, lets them all hang out (and breed) together. I guess they are trying to Landrace breed their chickens, which is cool and all, but I don't know many of them that are keeping up with who or what went into the formation of their newest chicks.

Yeah, of the 12 different breeds I have, they all hang out in the same pen and breed together, so eggs that I collect daily are just mutts, but I eat and sell them, so it does not matter. But I never incubate the mutt eggs, I always separate them before I incubate anything so they are a pure breed.

well from my understanding and I if I am wrong sure someone will correct me, 1 breeding can produce fertilized eggs for about 2 weeks.

gonna have to brush up on stuff again, and coffee wore off an few hours ago should be in bed lol. But I've ended up with chicks that actually looked like both roosters we have. by the way our flock free ranges.

Sorry, I should have clarified, by a few days I meant 2 1/2 weeks. I am bad about saying stuff like that.:/

 

[Johnn]

Hi Bella!
She does have some pretty feathers coming in Johnn

Mine are starting to molt and look like shaggy messes, can't wait for them to get new feathers in.

Thanks. Bella was a mess too, slowly getting all the dark ones through tho! They will all look nice and pretty for Winter!