Fairy Tail Farms English Orpingtons

[Tehwrd]

...and occasionally other poultry.

After some good-natured ribbing and sometimes pleading from some members here I've decided to start a thread that will showcase my English Orpingtons (and probably the Seramas and Cochins occasionally). Currently I am breeding large fowl English Orpingtons in the following colors: Silver-laced, Blue, Black, Splash, Chocolate, Recessive White, Blue/Black/Splash Mottled, Lavender Mottled (growing out splits now), and am working on Lavender Silver-laced and Blue Silver-laced. In addition to the Orpingtons, I also breed American Seramas, Lemon-blue Bantam Cochins, Porcelain (Blue Cream) Silkies, Bourbon Red Turkeys, Guineas, Khaki Campbells, Chocolate (Pied) Muscovy, American Buff Geese, and Grey Saddleback Pomeranian Geese.

This is a satellite image compliments of Google Maps of the property so you can visualize the breeding set up:

View attachment 2459973

That is a future projection of the set-up I hope to have built before March of 2021. Currently pen numbers 3, 4, 5, 20, 21, and 22 (plus the fenced in backyard) exist. The end goal is this:

1. Grey Saddleback Pomeranians & Khaki Campbells
2. & 3. American Buff Geese, Chocolate Muscovy, (and possibly Guineas)
4. Bourbon Red Turkeys
5.
6. Silver-laced Orpington
7. Blue, Black, Splash Orpington (Mottled)
8. Blue, Black, Splash Silver-laced Orpington
9. Chocolate & Mauve Orpington
10. Lavender Silver-laced Orpington
11. Recessive White Orpington
12. Porcelain Silkies
13. Bantam Lemon Blue Cochins
14. American Seramas
15. American Seramas
16. American Seramas
17. **Bantam English White Orpington
18. **Bantam English Jubilee Orpington
19. **English Jubilee Orpington
20. **APA Bantam Buff Orpington & Call Ducks
21. Grow-out
22. Grow-out

** Are tentative as I have leads on them, but honestly I may need additional space to grow birds out next year. So we'll see where that goes.

Here are two of my threads that dealt with building the first pen and house: Build Thread and the Finished House that were for the original Silver-laced Orpingtons that started this whole journey all over again. Here is a thread devoted to converting the barn into the current breeding pens. I have a lot of content posted in the Imported English Orpington thread, and if you want to keep up with the other Orpington breeders and see some pretty birds, it's a great place to hang out. The purpose of the thread again is to share my birds with you all, do some learning, do some teaching, and see some pretty pictures. I'll try to keep it on topic best I can. Without further ado, let's introduce some Orpingtons...

Sterling and Duchess, my founding pair of Silver-laced Orpingtons I happened across while browsing Craigslist. While their type and lacing were phenomenal, both birds had yellow skin which is not correct. Additionally Sterling also had side sprigs on his comb. While I did produce some birds from them, I only have one hen (with correct skin color) left from that breeding. Sterling and Duchess have both passed away and are no longer part of the breeding program. Their son I kept back for sentimental reasons was also sold off this fall. This bloodline came from Crazy Ewe Farms before they sold their breeding stock to Carolina Rare Chicks.

View attachment 2460019View attachment 2460020View attachment 2460021View attachment 2460022View attachment 2460023View attachment 2460024
View attachment 2460027

Later that year in the late spring/early summer I found a breeder that due to a series of accidents was selling off their last four Silver-laced Orpingtons; two males and two hens. I made the two hour drive (one way) to get the birds and brought them home. Thus Hollywood, "No Name", Mel, and Sue came to Fairy Tail Farms. These birds had the correct skin color and were all two years and younger. Those four birds also came from three different bloodlines and were all unrelated to my original pair.

View attachment 2460031View attachment 2460032View attachment 2460035View attachment 2460036View attachment 2460038View attachment 2460040View attachment 2460041View attachment 2460034
View attachment 2460042

Again on Craigslist I stumbled across a breeder in Burleson that was selling some young English Silver-laced Orpingtons. I made the 2.5 hour drive (one way) to pick up six of these; four for myself (three pullets and one cockerel) and a pair that was going to love at a friend's house as an insurance policy should something happen to my flock. These birds came from two different breeders and were unrelated to one another, as well as all four bloodlines I currently had.

Here is a picture of the pair that threw the chicks I purchased:

View attachment 2460046

The male was very young in that photo and matured beautifully as I saw him a year later in person. Sadly I lost all the pullets, save one, to very large rat snakes living in the bedding in the hen house. They were coming out and taking the birds off their perches and killing them, despite being unable to eat them. Golly, my American Buff gander killed the cockerel.

View attachment 2460037

Surviving pullet, Victoria, who is now a lovely, well-filled out hen:

View attachment 2460051

Pre-pandemic in February/March of 2020 I drove back to Burleson and brought home the Silver-laced hen that produced the pullet as well as the pullet's brother. I also brought home a White hen to add to the White breeding pen. The Whites were produced by the Silver-laced as they carry Recessive White. I also made another four hour drive in another direction to bring home another unrelated Silver-laced pullet that was bred by someone in Waco that was getting out of the Silver-laced Orpingtons. I now have six bloodlines that I've founded my flock with and am not planning on outcrossing unless needed at this point. I have two unrelated males that are being used in the Blue Silver-laced project.

I will also post a chick picture for now from my original pair of Silver-laced. All breeding combinations have thrown these two down colors in addition to the Recessive White chicks that also crop up from their breeding pen. We have discussed in other threads before the reason behind it. But no one has ever been 100% certain in their opinion. As you can see one looks like a traditional Silver-laced, while the other looks Gold-laced.

View attachment 2460059

All of the birds that start out with a faux gold down feather in Silver-laced as adults.

Feel free to discuss. I'll be adding additional posts with the other varieties in the near future as well as updates.

Do you sell any hatching eggs or chicks? I just learned of this silver laced Old English Orpington and I am in love! From what I have read it is EVERYTHING I want in my chickens.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Do you sell any hatching eggs or chicks?

I do.


I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and New Year. I stayed busy around the farm but I got some new pictures I'll be sure to post soon.

 

[Tehwrd]

I do.

Would you be able to email or message me with pricing and availability? The only place other than you that I have been able to find so far is Cackle... I have some Bovan Brown ladies whom I love, but those silver laced English Orpingtons are just beyond stunning - and I've always loved Orpingtons!

 

[ColtHandorf]

I can tell you that right now they aren't laying at all. So if you check back with me in a few months I can have a better idea what is going on.

 

[Tehwrd]

I can tell you that right now they aren't laying at all. So if you check back with me in a few months I can have a better idea what is going on.

Sounds good! I will definitely do that!

 

[ColtHandorf]

Posting from the phone so I’ll follow up with an edit or an additional post with details on the Chocolates well the Duke of Cadbury at least. I didn’t realize I missed all the Chocolate pullets. Lol

 

[The Happster]

Posting from the phone so I’ll follow up with an edit or an additional post with details on the Chocolates well the Duke of Cadbury at least. I didn’t realize I missed all the Chocolate pullets. Lol

View attachment 2477409View attachment 2477410View attachment 2477411

He's gorgeous.

 

[ColtHandorf]

He's gorgeous.

Thank you! He was hideous for months. He and his sister looked like little Chocolate Tyrannosaurs. They were naked and had bits of fluff and wings. I'm so glad he's started to fill out and get handsome. He still has a way to go though. And I've got to wait to hatch any eggs now that he's breeding because so is Jamie, the Porcelain (Blue Cream) Silkie.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I bought wire and posts to build goose pens this weekend. Yay!

Okay so here are my tentative orders for Spring chicks. I haven't placed them yet, because I'm going to immediately experience buyer's remorse.

Papa's Poultry:

Lavender Silver-laced x 6 - $35.00 each = $210.00
Blue, Black, Splash x 8 - $15.00 each = $120.00
Chocolate x 4 - $15.00 each = $60.00
Silver-laced x 4 - $20.00 = $80.00
Lavender x 4 - $20.00 = $80.00

Total: $550.00 (before shipping)

Carolina Rare Chicks

White x 4 - $20.00 each = $80.00
Blue, Black, Splash x 4 - $25.00 each = $100.00
Lavender x 4 - $20.00 each = $80.00
Black Mottled x 2 - $22.00 each = $44.00
Chocolate x2 - $22.50 each = $45.00
Silver-laced x 4 - $25.00 each = $100.00

Total: $449.00 (before shipping)

Cackle Hatchery

Silver-laced x 6 (female) - $19.95 each = $119.70
Rouen x 5 (female) $7.95; x 1 (male) $4.75 = $44.50
Silver Appleyard x 5 (female) $14.65; x 1 (male) $7.10 = $80.35

Total: $244.55 (before shipping)


I've lost my mind. Every bit of it. I really just want to see what the Cackle Orps look like and I decided if I'm going to have ducks I should at least have ducks that I like/want.

And I also need to buy the supplies to build the new breeding pens.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Look here @Overo Mare and @OneHappyRooster, heart reacting does not make me think this is a bad idea. lol