Can you help me decide...Orp or PR?

[Darklingstorm]

I live in Oklahoma and last year it hit 120 degrees. I didn't lose any chickens but it was a rough one to keep them all healthy and producing.

Next year I'm planning on starting a totally new flock of a pure breed only. The last two years has been my testing ground. I built a coop and got chickens of different breeds. Learned a lot about raising them and what to do and not to do. So now I'm ready to invest more money into a flock. I've narrowed down my choices to two: Orpington and Partridge Plymouth Rock but sooooooo undecided.

My goals are to bred my own replacements, sell chicks to those wanting them and eggs. I do sell eggs but not at a high demand....yet. Those that I do sell to want the medium/large brown eggs. I can barely give away my green ones (they totally freak people out), Thank you Dr. Suess. And until I can find someone to teach me IN PERSON how to process a chicken, I'm not doing it again. I also have a young son (3) that my hubby would love to have join 4H and show a chicken.

I've read several sites that say Orpingtons don't tolerate the heat to well and others say they are fine. I've raised two so far but none have turned out to be very big and fluffy (more like medium and slightly fluffy). I don't know if its the heat that stunts them or of poor quality (got them from feed store). Both were/are very gentle (to the point of being bullied). Neither girl ever laid a large egg and always a pale brown color. My first hen died by dog before age 1 but never went broody before that. The one I have now is only 6 months and just started laying. If I go with them, then I can get birds of different colors (which I like) but I'm not to sure of the breeding outcome. I really love the Blue coloring in a Rooster so would likely keep one but mixing it with a Buff?

I've never raised Rocks so don't know much about them except what I've read. I don't like the black/white pattern in any bird, to me its hard on my eyes. I love the partridge coloring though but read they are smaller then their Barred relatives and thus less meaty. I've read that they are good layers of large eggs. As for going broody,some say seldom some say frequent.

I plan on getting two Silkie hens to be surrogate mothers, since all I've heard on them is they go broody a lot. But will sell them if one of my large hens shows to be a momma-wanna -be.


I would love to have your opinion on both breeds, especially if you have raised them yourself, but all are welcome.

 

[galanie]

I have had Orpingtons these past three years, both breeder quality and hatchery birds. I've also had a parade of other breeds. I live in Texas and summer temps do get to 110 and sometimes higher. I can tell you that the Orps don't suffer any more than the rocks, EE, dark cornish, or sex links do. In fact, my barred rocks start suffering and holding their wings out at only around 80.

Edit: It is poor quality that "stunted" them. My hatchery orp hens are around 4 lbs while my breeder quality ones are 7-8 lbs.

 

[Darklingstorm]

Thank you for the info.
As a kid I remember the Orps being lots bigger than the ones I have had.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

I love both, but I like my current BO more than my PR. I raised one of each the same year, and got equal handling, but the BO is friendlier. The PRs have stayed in nicer shape their whole lives than the BO has. The BO lays big dark brown eggs, the PR a light tan (about the same size), and even my 5 (yep, 5 or 6) year old lays HUGE light tan eggs, EVERYDAY. So, I would say BO for large eggs and a good pet in their younger years, or PRs for long laying seasons of very big eggs and more aesthetic appeal.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Oh, also Partridge rocks are MUCH smaller and mine has never gone broody. Here's a pic of mine from Murray McMurray (I would not recommend their Partridge, but their Barred ones are very nice):

She's never gone broody.

 

[AinaWGSD]

If your goal is to sell chicks and eggs locally to those who want them, then local preferences and demands may make your job of deciding a little easier. You already know that the people local to you who are buying eggs for eating prefer brown eggs, so that doesn't help much since both of the breeds you mentioned *should* be good layers of medium to large (with occasionally extra large) brown eggs. So your next step is to look at what kinds of chicks the feed stores seem to sell/carry the most. You could also cruise Craigslist to see if one or the other pops up there more frequently. If one breed or the other is significantly more popular, then you may want to consider going with that one (assuming you have determined all other factors to be equal).

Personally, I adore orpingtons. I only have one though, so take my personal experience with a large grain of salt. The ones you have are most definitely "stunted" due to their hatchery origins. You aren't going to get good quality orpingtons through a hatchery, period. Hatchery birds (orpingtons) are bred with high egg production as the main goal and are typically only about half as big as they should be. They may or may not be prone to broodiness (although I personally feel most hatchery birds, even in breeds that are known as being broody, are less inclined to go broody than non-hatchery birds). I got my orpington hen from a breeder at a show when she was 4-6 months old. She did not start laying for another 3 months after I got her, but already at 4-6 months she was bigger than any of my adult hatchery hens (sussex, wyandotte, and easter egger). She went broody this spring when she was about a year old and I gave her some chicks to raise. She took the chicks quite willingly and was a very protective mother for 6 weeks. Then she stopped the whole motherhood business. Two months later, she decided to give being broody another go (this time I broke her up because it was right after the excessive heat hit and I did not want any more chickens plus I was concerned about her health setting in the heat). Her eggs are a very pale pinkish brown and have been large from the very first pullet egg. When she's not playing at being broody she lays every day or every other day. She has a great personality. She's not cuddly by any means, but that's not surprising since I doubt the breeder I got her from spent a lot of one on one time with his chicks. But she is very easy to handle and very calm nonetheless. Except when she's broody and she thinks you are stealing her eggs...then she hits hard with that beak. But otherwise I feel she would be safe around young children. And while she does try to avoid being picked up and handled, she doesn't run screaming as though you're going to eat her when you go to pick her up. She simply walks away and only as fast as is necessary to keep two steps ahead of you. I would think that an orpington would be a great choice for a child as a 4H bird. As for breeding replacements, if you are looking to show in 4H or to sell chicks or hatching eggs to others you will probably want to stick to one color (or color family). Mixing colors will maintain the temperament and production qualities of an orpington but you will be left with mixed colors that look like barnyard mix chickens to most eyes. Anyone you sell chicks or hatching eggs to is likely to be disappointed in the resulting chicks if they are expecting a certain color.

 

[Darklingstorm]

Thank you both for the info. I'm almost certain I'm going to go with BO but would love to find some good quality ones that don't cost an arm and leg for a starter flock.

As for Craig's list most people are selling mutts or hybrids or meat birds.

Going to take a trip to the local Poultry Auction to see what they are selling there, when it cools down anyways.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Mine from Murray Mac Murray is not a very nice looking bird, she's super sweet though. She has no feathers on her head either. So I wouldn't recommend them for BOs, but their d'Uccles and d'Anvers are very nice

That is, if you want to go with a hatchery....