Lavender Orpington Thread

[wynn4578]

3 years and 3 generations I haven't noticed any declination in feather quality.

 

[Faraday40]

3 years and 3 generations I haven't noticed any declination in feather quality.

That's great. I've seen some pics of nasty-looking lavs with tattered feathers. (Looks like they're always in need of a molt or went through a shredder.) I certainly never want to breed that. I think the gold can come from too much sun damage, because I once had a roo with a touch near his tail just before he molted. After molt he looked great again. (Mine free range & are always in the sun. Especially the roos who must stand guard out in the open whenever a female decides to go for a walk.

This is my 1st year with lav x lav combo =





(One on right is a sexlink orp hybrid & not purebred. She's a DominiquexOrp mix)
The other 2 are blk/lav splits



I've always done split x lav over the past few years because I like both colors. One thing I wish I could improve is the pink toe tips. They bug me, but they always turn gray/black by the time chicks grow in their feathers.

 

[HatCreek77]

Who are some well known breeders of English Lavender Orpingtons? I am wanting to purchase a few chicks but I want them to be of excellent quality. (I know that will come with a price) I am very new to this, and have done a lot of research on here and throughout other sites. But thought I would ask here to get some insight on who people feel is the best. Thanks for any advice!

 

[ChickenS41T]

Meet Violet!

 

[WVduckchick]

Meet Violet!

She's beautiful!

 

[WVduckchick]

I had a good hatch this past weekend. 16 of 19 that were locked down are now fat and fluffy! Of the 3 that didn't hatch, one quit around day 20ish, one died after internally pipping, and it looks like it rotated and drown. And one died after fully zipping, but not able to push out. After that one quit, I ended up tearing the membrane on several that zipped completely, but couldn't push out. I didn't have this problem last year, but my last 2 sets have seen this happen a few times. Anyone else ever experience this with lav orps? Those membranes are tough!

Also, good news, I have one black/split hen, from my original set, over 2 years ago. I finally got a black/split chick this weekend. As many as I have hatched, or other folks have hatched from my girls' eggs, I had yet to see another black one.

 

[Flaisure]

Are LO slow growing? Mine is so tiny compared to my other 6.

 

[Faraday40]

Are LO slow growing? Mine is so tiny compared to my other 6.

Mine tend to grow bigger than the other chicks because they're a bigger breed. However, they are very slow to mature. While many pullets may start laying in their 4th month, my LO's like to wait until they're over between 6-9 months. Both sexes continue to fill our until they're well over a year. In fact the roos don't look their best until they're 18-24 months.

 

[LuvnEnglishOrps]

I had a good hatch this past weekend.  16 of 19 that were locked down are now fat and fluffy!  Of the 3 that didn't hatch, one quit around day 20ish, one died after internally pipping, and it looks like it rotated and drown.  And one died after fully zipping, but not able to push out.  After that one quit, I ended up tearing the membrane on several that zipped completely, but couldn't push out.  I didn't have this problem last year, but my last 2 sets have seen this happen a few times.  Anyone else ever experience this with lav orps?  Those membranes are tough!

Also, good news, I have one black/split hen, from my original set, over 2 years ago.  I finally got a black/split chick this weekend.  As many as I have hatched, or other folks have hatched from my girls' eggs, I had yet to see another black one.   

I had 2 mottled that did the full zip but couldnt push out this last hatch..i blamed the weather on wrecking havoc on my humidity.. i helped those 2 and they are both perfecy (I know a lot of people are very hands off and believe if its not strong enough to hatch that it will be a weak bird.. thats not me and if its a weak chick, I will baby and nurse it along as long as needed).. anyways, i just had another group hatch and i put 2 old washclothes in opposite corners of my hatcher and dumped hot water on them about every 12 hours to keep the humidity sky high and didn't have the same issues...

Im going to pm you too.. wanted to talk to u about some eggs..lol..bc Lord knows I need more..

 

[WVduckchick]

I had 2 mottled that did the full zip but couldnt push out this last hatch..i blamed the weather on wrecking havoc on my humidity.. i helped those 2 and they are both perfecy (I know a lot of people are very hands off and believe if its not strong enough to hatch that it will be a weak bird.. thats not me and if its a weak chick, I will baby and nurse it along as long as needed).. anyways, i just had another group hatch and i put 2 old washclothes in opposite corners of my hatcher and dumped hot water on them about every 12 hours to keep the humidity sky high and didn't have the same issues...

Im going to pm you too.. wanted to talk to u about some eggs..lol..bc Lord knows I need more..

Hmmm, interesting, thanks for some input. I actually had humidity pretty high, 75-80% because I can be quite hands-on also. I wished I had watched that first one and scooped it out sooner, but I didn't hesitate on the others.

lol, I'll look for a pm.