Do I really have "Blanche and the girls"?

[HJSmith]

Yeah I dont mind the size of the BO, but when we first decided to get chickens I read about alot of different breeds and decided I wanted at least a couple of them. I went and googled pictures of BO chicks and you are right, they should not have the coloring their wings

I have 2 RIR and 3 Buckeyes too (I googled pics of what they should look like and they look right) and the wing color is very similar between the three breeds, the coloring and comb on each breeds head is different though. I think I might have to call and fuss at the man from the hatchery we got them from

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[CascadiaRiver]

Yeah, if they gave you the wrong birds tell them! sorry about your buff's.... That kinda sucks~

 

[ChickenMammX4]

I have 2 Buff Orpingtons, they're solid yellow. Below are 2 pic, 1 as young chicks and at 6 weeks. Have you called the guy you got them from? Maybe he'll give you a couple free BOs.

Edited: 6 weeks in pic, not 8

 

[newmarch2014]

For the future though, I do love my Buff's. Neither are top of the pecking order though the one is a full 2 lbs bigger than the head hen. My favorite one is completely comfortable around people, in fact too much, when my husband grabs a yard tool she is right on his heels to wait for him to produce some bugs for her. The bigger one is very easy going and doesn't mind handling. Both of them are interested in the 9 week old chicks but not aggressive with them yet. The Reds are too rough with the young ones still. I very much enjoy the Buffs and am glad we got them, decent layers, good demeanor and not too noisy.

 

[HJSmith]

For the future though, I do love my Buff's. Neither are top of the pecking order though the one is a full 2 lbs bigger than the head hen. My favorite one is completely comfortable around people, in fact too much, when my husband grabs a yard tool she is right on his heels to wait for him to produce some bugs for her. The bigger one is very easy going and doesn't mind handling. Both of them are interested in the 9 week old chicks but not aggressive with them yet. The Reds are too rough with the young ones still. I very much enjoy the Buffs and am glad we got them, decent layers, good demeanor and not too noisy.

I have heard/read this alot from people with Buff's, thats the main reason I really wanted at least a couple of them. I guess when we figure out how many roosters we have, since we will have to get rid of them as we cant have them in our city, I will know how much room I have to try and get actual Buff's

 

[newmarch2014]

So just something to think about....I have limited room so I got a little over 1/3 of my capacity the first year (knowing I would probably lose some to roosterhood and other things. Ended up with 4 laying hens, got another 4 this year. I did end up with a rooster out of the 4 but luckily I can actually have a quiet one and the one that ended up being a cockerel is a Brahma (another breed you may be interested in if you like the Orpington idea). Brahma roosters are a bit more likely to be nice and a tad quieter than a lot of other breeds on average. I chose to do the extra work of chicks for the 2 years in a row and will skip next year and depending on the situation will maybe get 4 more the following year. Egg production drops off a lot after the 2nd year so staggering my flocks means that I wont be completely eggless since mine have a home till they die of natural causes. Plus it gives me time to perfect my setup and choices....for instance I wont ever do Production Red (hatchery Rhode Island Red) ever again. They are just too ornery for integrating chicks and are loud and unsociable. Though they are great layers (and not mean to humans) that is only a secondary interest for me over bug eating/compost/enjoyment factor.
Look into Brahma or Cochin, both breeds are generally very sweet tempered and still adequate layers. Though you may have some integration issues with some of the breeds you ended up with this year.