Eight new baby Blues - Orpingtons!

[gclark94560]

Hi! Here's a photo of the newest members of our family. Eight blue or possibly black Orpingtons. I'm not sure how to tell them apart at one week old.



I couldn't get all 8 to hold still!

I could either have 8 chicks in the shot or have those there in focus.

Thank you to member kimberly35042 for selling these to me! I just drove up to northern AL to pick them up.

These are to replace the 2 Buff Orps and 2 Black Australorps I had that were killed last month. No more free ranging for me!

 

[chicmom]

They are so cute!

 

[gclark94560]

Thank you Chickmom! I keep going out to the barn to look at them.

You'd think I never saw a peep before!

 

[gclark94560]

What a hoot!

The peeps were looking lost and not feeding from the feeder. They were picking up pieces of wood shavings from the floor of the box they are in. so -

I put a tablespoon of dried meal worms in a jar lid and put that in the box.

It took one of them several minutes to discover them and try one. Oh Boy! Everyone wanted whatever that the one had. SO-

I dumped all of them out of the lid and onto the shavings. You would think someone had just plugged in their batteries! They went nuts!

They were like 8 little teacup sized rototillers. They tore that place up and all the meal worms were gone in seconds!

Then I got to clean up all the shavings in the waterer.

 

[iwiw60]

Hi! Here's a photo of the newest members of our family. Eight blue or possibly black Orpingtons. I'm not sure how to tell them apart at one week old.



No more free ranging for me!

Smart move on the "no free ranging" GF!! Not worth the risk and the loss...they are adorable!!

 

[gclark94560]

Thanks! Hopefully (not much chance) they are all hens. I don't want to have to get rid of any.

 

[gclark94560]

I'm trying to handle them more than I did with the previous 4. I hope that will make them more people friendly.

Every morning I pick each one up and hold them. Some really seem to freak out about being picked up. I hold them until they calm down.

I give each one a couple of dried meal worms while I hold her. A few won't eat from my hand yet but most do.

I then put them into another holding box and when they are all in the second box I clean the primary one. After cleanup, they go back into the primary box with another small treat.

Every evening I put my hand into the box with a few more meal worms in it and get them to eat from my hand. Still a few are reluctant to do so. They will learn soon I'm sure.

 

[gclark94560]

It's amazing how fast they grow! Two and a half weeks old and they can sort of fly, climb down the coop ramp - but not up yet.

They fight over meal worms and are starting to show personalities. I think I may have two or three roos. This is based on the growth of the comb bases. None have turned pink yet.



Whatchatink?

 

[gclark94560]

Here's another shot showing three possible roos.

 

[iwiw60]

Here's another shot showing three possible roos.

Still too young to venture a good guess....as the old saying goes....."patience, grasshopper" !!!