Lavender Orpington Thread

[Faraday40]

Cookie Monster - that's so cute! I've just put 6 newly hatched LF Orpington chicks under my broody Old English Game Bantam tonight and she took to them like a duck to water. She was immediately clucking and purring to them and organising them so everyone was comfortable and safe. I've only raised bantams before so I was wondering how she was going to get on as they grow, so it was great to hear that your Sebright is doing a great job with her big babies (you soothed a few worries for me). I suspect this is going to become a regular thing as my Pixie hatched eggs mid March, looked after the babies for 5 weeks, was laying again by 6 weeks, then she laid for a month before going broody again. She wasn't giving up and she was being such a pain in the main coop that I had to move her out. It's nice to indulge her and who doesn't love cute little chicks running around.

Your Pixie sounds like my Cookie. The only problem with a bantam broody + LF chicks is trying to keep them warm as they grow. Since it's summer here, I don't worry at all. By 4 weeks, they're mostly feathered, so if it's a colder season, they'll just use a nest box to cuddle inside at night.

Cookie can handle 7 large eggs. I've tried setting 10, 8, 8, 7, & 6. Every single time, exactly 7 chicks hatched. I guess 7 is her lucky number. (The time I set 6, she stole an egg & completely surprised me!)

Trouble (Sebright) doesn't have the Orpington "fluff". I gave her 2 eggs, but only one was fertile. My DD had an incubation experiment going, so I added some of her chicks to avoid a lonely only situation.

Here's Trouble tonight sleeping with her 3 chicks(4wks old. The black orp chick is actually 4 days younger.) She had 4, but 2 are male, so one boy was rehomed a few days ago.

 

[sdubski]

Hi! We hatched five Lavender Orpingtons in the May Hatchalong. They are two weeks old and went outside for the first time today.

Periwinkle

 

[JaeG]

Your Pixie sounds like my Cookie. The only problem with a bantam broody + LF chicks is trying to keep them warm as they grow. Since it's summer here, I don't worry at all. By 4 weeks, they're mostly feathered, so if it's a colder season, they'll just use a nest box to cuddle inside at night.

Cookie can handle 7 large eggs. I've tried setting 10, 8, 8, 7, & 6. Every single time, exactly 7 chicks hatched. I guess 7 is her lucky number. (The time I set 6, she stole an egg & completely surprised me!)

Trouble (Sebright) doesn't have the Orpington "fluff". I gave her 2 eggs, but only one was fertile. My DD had an incubation experiment going, so I added some of her chicks to avoid a lonely only situation.

Here's Trouble tonight sleeping with her 3 chicks(4wks old. The black orp chick is actually 4 days younger.) She had 4, but 2 are male, so one boy was rehomed a few days ago.

Our babies are inside with their very happy mother who has been giving them scratching lessons this morning. They will live in our lounge by the fireplace for as long as they need to as it's winter where I am. We have wooden floors, and I have to vacuum everyday anyway because of the dog, so what's a bit more dust and cleaning?

I was only going to get 4 chicks, but they were so darn cute we brought home 6. I have a heat lamp I can add if I need to. Pixie was so happy to have babies again, purring and clucking to them straight away, and helping me get them under her in the dark! The girls are destined to live at my Mum's - she has already lost two blue Orpingtons at very young ages and the breeder I got the chicks off runs all her colours together to produce healthier birds. We live in a small country so the gene pool is limited. The second Orpington Mum got had something wrong with it from the start. I can take any boys back and swap them for more chicks (which could be dangerous though I never have a shortage of broody bantams to help out) or get my money back so she is a very responsible breeder. We have 1 that looks black but maybe blue, 2 for sure blues, a buff, a splash, and a dark brown one that will be very interesting to see how it develops. The kids adore them and Pixie is very good at letting us handle her babies.

Thanks for the picture - at least now I know how big they are going to be by 4 weeks old (and what I'm in for). Trouble (love the name) is so pretty. Once our lot are bigger they can go outside on nice days I'm sure and just come in to keep warm overnight. We have an aviary we are putting birds in in Spring and it's very enclosed with wood panels all round the bottom where they would be out of the wind so that's an option. I'm so soft, our bantam pullets that are 11 and 14 weeks old still sleep inside at night.

 

[Faraday40]

I love those fluffy chicks! Such a great assortment! Every batch of chicks is different. Some are calm, quiet & really not a problem inside. Some groups I want out of the house by 2 weeks. Chatty & DUSTY. This year I tried brooding in the garage with a Broody Hen - heating pad. I found an inexpensive one (without an auto shut -off) and made something like this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update
It allowed me to put the chicks in the garage when it was still cold outside. PRO: cleaner house/ less work CON: don't get to hold chicks as frequently

Trouble was only supposed to be with us for a short time to help a lonely only chick fit into the flock.

For a chicken that's not even supposed to be here, she certainly gives us many stories. She thinks she rules the coop & is easily our most vocal bird. I wrote about her here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/trouble-in-our-flock and the mid-flight pic was used as a pic of the week back in Feb.

 

[abileneiniowa]

@wynn4578

It's possible. I picked them up at an auction just to get me started. I need to get some better pictures because my rooster looks a lot more lanky in that pic than he is.

 

[abileneiniowa]

Sooo I asked a question a few weeks ago about some eggs a lady gave me. So you don't have to scroll up: I was looking for some LO's to hatch out. A lady said she had some but when I went to meet her, she told me she wasn't going to charge me because some of hers were turning out buff and she didn't think they were supposed to. I tried to pay her but she wouldn't take anything. So I put the mystery eggs in the Bator and all have hatched but one. And this is what I got. Any guesses as to what they are? Most are lavender. 1 white. A couple black.

 

[Faraday40]

Sooo I asked a question a few weeks ago about some eggs a lady gave me. So you don't have to scroll up: I was looking for some LO's to hatch out. A lady said she had some but when I went to meet her, she told me she wasn't going to charge me because some of hers were turning out buff and she didn't think they were supposed to. I tried to pay her but she wouldn't take anything. So I put the mystery eggs in the Bator and all have hatched but one. And this is what I got. Any guesses as to what they are? Most are lavender. 1 white. A couple black.

The white one's pretty interesting. They look lav or blue and then I see the black one(s) in the back corner. Honestly, I think you got a nice assortment that should look pretty in your yard. All chickens lay eggs, but the docile nature & beauty of the orps are a big bonus. You got a great deal & will love them! If you want to seriously breed & sell them in the future, it could be a headache trying to figure out what's in their genetics. You do not know the exact breeding (Ie you could have a "mauve" or other unique mix of colors). Otherwise, have fun & enjoy them.

 

[abileneiniowa]

The white one's pretty interesting.  They look lav or blue and then I see the black one(s) in the back corner.  Honestly, I think you got a nice assortment that should look pretty in your yard.  All chickens lay eggs, but the docile nature & beauty of the orps are a big bonus.  You got a great deal & will love them!   If you want to seriously breed & sell them in the future, it could be a headache trying to figure out what's in their genetics. You do not know the exact breeding (Ie you could have a "mauve" or other unique mix of colors). Otherwise, have fun & enjoy them.

When I started my flock, I originally planned on getting some to raise chicks to sell and to sell hatching eggs out of. But I got some adult birds just to keep me in eggs and I'm just not sure about their breeding and now I've got these so I've got a mess haha. I love my Orps either way, I've got eggs!

 

[Faraday40]

I can't help but laugh at the sight of my tiny Sebright trying to cover her giant Orpington chicks. They're 4 weeks.


She certainly has the perfect expression.

 

[JaeG]

I can't help but laugh at the sight of my tiny Sebright trying to cover her giant Orpington chicks. They're 4 weeks.


She certainly has the perfect expression.

Awww, that's so cute! Loved the article about her by the way.