Chocolate Orpingtons

[Junibutt]

I have 11 chocolate or split-for-chocolate 3-week old babies.
I hatched 8 in the incubator and one of my hens, Cocoa, hatched 3.
Cocoa and Mocha are sharing the duties of raising them. I'm so excited to watch them grow.

Love their names and nice to have 2 broodies caring for the chicks

 

[WVduckchick]

I need some help deciding which male(s) to keep from my chocolate (or chocolate carrying) chicks.

My goal is to take advantage of the sex linkage, if I can, and know what I have at hatch. But I also wouldn't mind getting some of the other colors that I have involved. So...

If anyone can tell me what possible crosses would produce, I would greatly appreciate it. I've tried using the calculators out there, I just don't know enough of the codes to know which ones to input. Help with that would be welcome also, if its easier to tell me the codes for my colors, then I might be able to use the calculators.

Here's what I have - 2 chocolate older hens. They are raising the babies. I will definitely keep them.

The babies - (so far, this is what they appear):
Chocolate - 2 females, 1 male
Black (carrying choc) - 1 female, 1 male
Barred males (single barred) - 3 males, all 3 look a little different, I think 2 may be blue or mauve barred
Splash - 1 female
Mauve or mauve splash - 1 male


Insight anyone?

(I know the basic chocXchoc and blackXchoc results. Its the other colors and barring that I need help with mainly.)

 

[Marthab1953]

I need some help deciding which male(s) to keep from my chocolate (or chocolate carrying) chicks.

My goal is to take advantage of the sex linkage, if I can, and know what I have at hatch. But I also wouldn't mind getting some of the other colors that I have involved. So...

If anyone can tell me what possible crosses would produce, I would greatly appreciate it. I've tried using the calculators out there, I just don't know enough of the codes to know which ones to input. Help with that would be welcome also, if its easier to tell me the codes for my colors, then I might be able to use the calculators.

Here's what I have - 2 chocolate older hens. They are raising the babies. I will definitely keep them.

The babies - (so far, this is what they appear):
Chocolate - 2 females, 1 male
Black (carrying choc) - 1 female, 1 male
Barred males (single barred) - 3 males, all 3 look a little different, I think 2 may be blue or mauve barred
Splash - 1 female
Mauve or mauve splash - 1 male


Insight anyone?

(I know the basic chocXchoc and blackXchoc results. Its the other colors and barring that I need help with mainly.)

I would keep all the ones showing Chocolate. The Females, can’t “hide” chocolate[ Black female is just black they cannot be carrying chocolate like the males if they have a chocolate gene they show chocolate. I would still keep her. Pictures would help!

((- Chocolate male x Black female = 50% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 50% Chocolate females
- Black male x Chocolate female = 50% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 50% Black females

- Black male carrying the Chocolate gene x Chocolate female = 25% Chocolate males, 25% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 25% Chocolate females, 25% Black females
- Black male carrying the Chocolate gene x Black female = 25% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 25% Black males not carrying the Chocolate gene, 25% Chocolate females, 25% Black females

Double barred male x barred female = 50% double barred males, 50% barred females
- Double barred male x solid color female = 50% single barred males, 50% barred females
- Single barred male x barred female = 25% double barred males, 25% single barred males, 25% barred females, 25% solid females
- Single barred male x solid female = 25% single barred males, 25% solid males, 25% single barred females, 25% solid females
- Solid male x barred female = 50% single barred males, 50% solid females

Chocolate x splash = mauve pullets, blue cockerels
Splash x chocolate = mauve and blue pullets and cockerels
Chocolate x blue = mauve, chocolate and blue pullets and cockerels
Blue x chocolate = mauve, chocolate and blue pullets and cockerels ))

 

[WVduckchick]

I would keep all the ones showing Chocolate. The Females, can’t “hide” chocolate[ Black female is just black they cannot be carrying chocolate like the males if they have a chocolate gene they show chocolate. I would still keep her. Pictures would help!

((- Chocolate male x Black female = 50% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 50% Chocolate females
- Black male x Chocolate female = 50% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 50% Black females

- Black male carrying the Chocolate gene x Chocolate female = 25% Chocolate males, 25% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 25% Chocolate females, 25% Black females
- Black male carrying the Chocolate gene x Black female = 25% Black males carrying the Chocolate gene, 25% Black males not carrying the Chocolate gene, 25% Chocolate females, 25% Black females

Double barred male x barred female = 50% double barred males, 50% barred females
- Double barred male x solid color female = 50% single barred males, 50% barred females
- Single barred male x barred female = 25% double barred males, 25% single barred males, 25% barred females, 25% solid females
- Single barred male x solid female = 25% single barred males, 25% solid males, 25% single barred females, 25% solid females
- Solid male x barred female = 50% single barred males, 50% solid females

Chocolate x splash = mauve pullets, blue cockerels
Splash x chocolate = mauve and blue pullets and cockerels
Chocolate x blue = mauve, chocolate and blue pullets and cockerels
Blue x chocolate = mauve, chocolate and blue pullets and cockerels ))

You are awesome! Thank you so much!! I did know that the black females can't be carrying, just wasn't thinking when I typed that.

Here are a few pics, opinions appreciated!! edit to add - they are 6 weeks old now.

 

[h2oratt]

Anyone have a link to the SOP for Orpington? I have a rooster Orpington. And about 4 4 month old oringtons. How do I decide who to keep. What am I looking for? I can't keep them all but I hate to place my cockerels if they are better than the rooster..

 

[WVduckchick]

Anyone have a link to the SOP for Orpington? I have a rooster Orpington. And about 4 4 month old oringtons. How do I decide who to keep. What am I looking for? I can't keep them all but I hate to place my cockerels if they are better than the rooster..

I dont think I've ever seen one, but that doesn't mean its not out there somewhere. When I first started looking, I think I only found places to buy it, and I never did.

You could post some pics and let people offer opinions. Try and get typical stance shots, side views, combs, etc.

 

[h2oratt]

I dont think I've ever seen one, but that doesn't mean its not out there somewhere. When I first started looking, I think I only found places to buy it, and I never did.


Ok
You could post some pics and let people offer opinions. Try and get typical stance shots, side views, combs, etc.

Ok, I will try and get pictures but my birds are not very tame.

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok, I will try and get pictures but my birds are not very tame.

I know the feeling! Lol

Maybe some of the more seasoned breeders will give some tips on what to look for. Are yours all chocolate?

 

[h2oratt]

I know the feeling! Lol

Maybe some of the more seasoned breeders will give some tips on what to look for. Are yours all chocolate?

Well here is my story.

I bought hatchery chicks from mcmurrays. Ornamental layers.. decided to get a rooster. Was offered a cho orp from a lady that hatched eggs from papas poultry. I thought it could possibly be a nice bird. Is papas poultry considered a hatchery?

Anywho I decided to hatch some fertile eggs from my half breeds. It was fun. Got some very interesting birds. All with the same dad. Then I start bidding on eggs from papas. I got a big assortment of all kinds of stuff. Mostly orps three choc but I have one lavender pullet and three Colombian orp project birds. Very pretty. One Columbian orp cockerel and one black cockerel. They are nice birds. They don't fight. Even the rooster doesn't fight with them. So I will get pictures of the choc, one black and one Colombian and post on this thread.

 

[Twitterpate]

Okay, I know it's been a while and I desperately need to put up pics, but had a question, comment, and question. The chocolate Orpington 8 day-old chicks I bought at auction in May were indeed chocolate...yay! Ended up with two hens and two Roos...boo! I already have one too many Roos...so sold the youngsters.

So because I refuse to part with my two original Roos, I set up separate harems for them. Chaunte (my blue splash) and Chapo (my black silkie) are both wonderful roosters, very calming to all the girls, and keep the peace well. I've also kept them because some chicks occasionally would be nice. So after it was all said and done, and seeing how everyone interacted, I have two small groups: Chaunte with the two chocolate Orpington hens, and Chapo with the black Dollie hen that came with him. I've since learned she's actually a "peacock" or "pheasant" Silkie (can't recall for certain) because of the rainbow of color on her breast along with the black.

*Sidenote: I have bred German Shepherds, Great Danes, and non-traditional colored Yorkies, so I'm a closet geneticist...always breed back to black to enhance the richness of pigmentation, otherwise the dilute gene will continue to weaken the color over generations. With chocolate you want a rich warm brown, with no modifiers that would lighten ideally.

I will confess to the reason I got the Silkies is because I wanted fluffy feet chickens. I rationalized that I would get eggs from the Orpingtons, since they are listed as being good layers, so no problem there.

EXCEPT, my chickens apparently failed to read the memo. Didn't look at the breed manual. Must have totally missed the class for it too. My Orpingtons, at 6 months old, have NOT LAYED A SINGLE EGG. These are full-sized, beautiful hens...and nothing. Nada. Zilch. My little Silkie? Laying her little heart out. Has missed a total two days ever since she started laying...and even then, she layed two the next day to make up for it. I've never left an egg in the nest, she's never been broody. I kid you not, I skipped a day or so this week and she had 5 (yes, five) ready and waiting yesterday.

What in the world am I doing wrong?!?! Everyone seems perfectly happy...the chelates are just not laying. They all eat the same food, water, etc. I feel kind of bad really, because the Orps are in the original coop which is pretty large, while Chapo and his girl are in the smaller run I had to race and cobble together when I realized I had a Silkie breeding pair instead of two hens.

I'm asking because I'm almost to the point of switching them out and putting Chaunte and 1 Orpington in the smaller run, and moving Chappell and his girl into the Penthouse with the 2nd Orpington to see if she'll start laying? I don't have a clue...