Lavender Orpington project ....

[bobbieschicks]

We had a flock of 5 LOs and thought they were all roosters because their combs were big from birth. It was about 4 weeks before we could distinguish who was the rooster in our clutch as Francis' comb was larger and turning pink early. But we definitely knew by 6 weeks old - thankfully we ended up with 4 pullets and 1 cockerel.

Here are my black and lavandar (self blue) project Orp. chicks. They are four weeks old, unfortunately it looks like most of them may be roosters. Hope they at least look good as they grow. They are in a really ugly stage right now

I also have Speckled Sussex and a few other chicks in there!

 

[Harveyb123]

What I found out is that if there back feathers or wings can't queit remember if there feathers are not straight and there out of line with each other there a hen but if there in line there a rooster and you can spot this from a day old

 

[Harveyb123]

I'm just really stuck what to do with all these roosters I mean I'm breeding buff black lavender and blue and I don't want them to go to the pot it would be a waist because they are quality birds I'm selling orpingtons next spring if any one wants to buy some £25 hen £10 rooster contact me at [email protected]

 

[cowchick11]

It's annoying when you put so much effort into looking after them and they end up mostly rooster, one question what will you do with all those roosters ?

I will probably keep one large good looking one that looks really Orp like. Some are small and some are a good size, keeping up with my BBS Orp chicks! The rest will either go in the freezer or to the local auction as eating cockrels.

 

[Harveyb123]

Are you in america because we are are based in Essex England

 

[cowchick11]

Are you in america because we are are based in Essex England

Yes, Washington State, USA

 

[Harveyb123]

I am based in Essex. Next year hoped to be showing some show quality birds.

edited by staff

 

[clucking cuties]

This is a question for those of you who are experienced with newly hatched Lavender Orpington chicks. I do understand that these are “project birds”, and may not yet breed “true to type”

My 12-year-old son, who can best be described as “chicken crazy”, is in love with the look of Lavender Orpingtons. (We already have Buff Orpingtons, purchased from the feed store as layers) We have had some limited success hatching eggs from ebay, for those breeds that are not often carried by hatcheries, or locally available. We have tried to hatch out 2 batches of ebay Lavender Orpington eggs. The first batch was all “clears” after incubation for 3 weeks, and did not to me appear to have ever been fertile. I tried a different seller, who advertised the following: “12 rare pure breed lavender Orpington hatching eggs. These are show Quality birds from the Hink-JC line. The hens are excellent egg producers. These are young birds and fertility has been confirmed.”

We were really excited to have these eggs, because we know of the excellent reputation of these lines (Hink-jc)

, from this forum and elsewhere, although we also realize that ebay sellers don’t always tell the truth about their products.

Out of 12 eggs shipped, two had hairline cracks, and were discarded because I didn’t want to chance the contamination of the incubator. Of the remaining 10 eggs, all but 3 died during various stages of development, but we are still perfecting temperature, humidity and other factors for high-altitude incubation (6,200 feet), so I am not blaming the seller in any way for this, and left good feedback. One died without pipping,

(full term), and it actually looked like what I have seen pictured for lavender Orpington chicks, color wise. The two that hatched do not look anything like the lavender Orpington chicks that I have seen pictures of here or elsewhere. They have no grayish tinge at all, not even in subtle spots like I have seen in the “mottled recessive” pictures. They are golden all over, have orange looking legs and beaks, in fact they look exactly like the buff Orpington chicks we purchased earlier this year.

My son is heartbroken; he is too smart not to see that these cute little ones look more buff than lavender. He is trying to tell himself that are chocolate Orpingtons, but they don’t look like that to me either. I currently have another set of “lavender Orpington eggs in the bator from the same seller, so I have contacted them with the above questions, but no answer so far.

I am new here, so I don’t know if I can post pictures, but I can try when I get home tonight, but my questions are as follows:

1. Could they really be just very light colored lavender Orpington babies, that will change color later?
   
2. Is it common to get buff colored “throwbacks” in lavender lines?
3. Could they be subtle manifestations of the mottled gene in the early lavender lines,
   
   
   (I would actually be quite OK with that, as their pictures are rather stunning)
4. Do lavenders have any special problems with fertility rates, late or difficult hatching?

Thanks for listening

, all opinions are appreciated, as I am trying to comfort a heart broken

12-year-old.

 

[cukooformarans]

Ok, there are many people more experienced than I am. And without pictures, it is hard to say for sure. However, I think those two babies may still be mottled. I have seen some pure yellow mottled babies. Also, leg color takes a while to stabilize, so I would give it three weeks and then see what things are looking like.

As far as fertility and hatching, I have had great success hatching lavender orps. I do not think the breed is your issue. It is more likely due to the shipping, or fertility of the eggs due to something other than the breed. (IE Not enough roosters to breed all of the hens, a rooster which just isn't getting the job done, etc.) Or perhaps the altitude is to blame. (I have zero experience with high altitudes.) Also, even with Post Offices that try to be gentle, shipping itself is tough on the eggs. Good packaging can help with that. How have the eggs you have received been packed?


I'm sorry that you are having such a tough time, though!

I know it is frustrating. Do you know if anyone nearer to you has eggs for sale? The shorter the shipping distance the better. And if it was close enough to drive that would be even better for the eggs AND you could get a look at the parent stock. Good luck!

 

[clucking cuties]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your opinion; I am hoping that they are mottled

.

I can try to post pictures tomorrow and see what everyone thinks. I do know that the altitude does make the hatching a bit trickier. I am just hoping that some of the next batch in the bator hatch and look a little bit like lavenders

. We have had pretty good luck hatching Black Copper Marans, and they seem like such tough little chicks

compared to these guys.

Thanks again for your thoughts on this.