Hi...I've been lurking around this site for about a year now while we fix up the ol' homestead. Now we've finally got our chickies!
They are a week old, poopin' n' scootin', and have finally learned how to play chicken derby with tiny pieces of raisin. Even the mister is having a good time with them, and he is usually not fond of birds of any sort. But I caught him smiling and watching them the other morning...he just turned to me and said "And you call ME narcoleptic!"
Our favorite game (other than chicken derby) we call Orp, or Australorp? I thought maybe some experts could give us their opinion. The breeder we got them from was advertising Black Australorps and Buff Orpingtons. When I called about the buffs, he said he didn't have many left but the missus went out for a head count and came back with 14. When I went to pick them up, their washing machine had suffered a nervous breakdown so they were in town at the laundromat. So I got to deal with their 12 year old son. He picked out about six and said "Huh, I think that's all of 'em." And he was probably right.
It was dim in the barn, and the brooder lid wasn't helping visibility any. He probably has sharper eyes than us old folks. So we nabbed 9 more of the "not black" ones so I could go home with 15.
Now that they're under two lights and a lidless brooder, I can see that I've got 5 large buff chicks, 1 small buff chick, 6 small lemon yellow chicks with a bit of black, and 3 small buff chicks with a bit of black.
Here's a pic of the color difference, and the "bit of black". That buff one is pretty much the darkest of the bunch. Most of them only have dark coloring on the wing feathers. You'll have to cut and paste these links into your browser bar. I guess I'm too new to be posting pics or links directly.
i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/brezoneg/colordiff.jpg?t=1303247794
Here's one of the big buffs next to a small lemon yellow one. The wing coloration is easier to see.
i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/brezoneg/bigbuff.jpg?t=1303247733
And these are two of the all-buff chicks. One of the five big ones next to "Tiny", to show off the size difference. All of the chicks with any dark coloration at all are the same size as Tiny.
i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/brezoneg/tiny.jpg?t=1303247863
So what do you think? Orp, or Australorp? If/when I go back for some of the guineas that are in their 'bator, I'll ask about the possibility of crosses.
Our favorite game (other than chicken derby) we call Orp, or Australorp? I thought maybe some experts could give us their opinion. The breeder we got them from was advertising Black Australorps and Buff Orpingtons. When I called about the buffs, he said he didn't have many left but the missus went out for a head count and came back with 14. When I went to pick them up, their washing machine had suffered a nervous breakdown so they were in town at the laundromat. So I got to deal with their 12 year old son. He picked out about six and said "Huh, I think that's all of 'em." And he was probably right.
Now that they're under two lights and a lidless brooder, I can see that I've got 5 large buff chicks, 1 small buff chick, 6 small lemon yellow chicks with a bit of black, and 3 small buff chicks with a bit of black.
Here's a pic of the color difference, and the "bit of black". That buff one is pretty much the darkest of the bunch. Most of them only have dark coloring on the wing feathers. You'll have to cut and paste these links into your browser bar. I guess I'm too new to be posting pics or links directly.
i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/brezoneg/colordiff.jpg?t=1303247794
Here's one of the big buffs next to a small lemon yellow one. The wing coloration is easier to see.
i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/brezoneg/bigbuff.jpg?t=1303247733
And these are two of the all-buff chicks. One of the five big ones next to "Tiny", to show off the size difference. All of the chicks with any dark coloration at all are the same size as Tiny.
i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/brezoneg/tiny.jpg?t=1303247863
So what do you think? Orp, or Australorp? If/when I go back for some of the guineas that are in their 'bator, I'll ask about the possibility of crosses.
