Orpington chicks growing up

[bk15]

They are adorable. Such sweet babies and it's so fun bringing them up ourselves. Chocolate Orps are so pretty but we don't have any in New Zealand. You're so lucky! 

Thank you I wish you get a chocolate cause they are to die for hope you can eventually get one!!

 

[peastix]

Hi JaeG Sounds like you might have bought your orps from the same breeder as me.Are you in Auckland? I bought older pullets but ""Betty White'' turned out to be ''Bertram'' and was replaced as that was the deal.I also live in suburbia.Orps certainly grow into very handsome birds-big and fluffy! Good luck with your little cuties.

 

[JaeG]

Hi JaeG Sounds like you might have bought your orps from the same breeder as me.Are you in Auckland? I bought older pullets but ""Betty White'' turned out to be ''Bertram'' and was replaced as that was the deal.I also live in suburbia.Orps certainly grow into very handsome birds-big and fluffy! Good luck with your little cuties.

Yay, nice to meet a local on here! I'm hoping all 4 'girls' stay girls. Fingers crossed. They are all sweet, even the boys.

 

[peastix]

Yay, nice to meet a local on here! I'm hoping all 4 'girls' stay girls. Fingers crossed. They are all sweet, even the boys.

You seem to have quite a few breeds judging by your photos.What breeds and how many do you have? Cheers Penny.

 

[JaeG]

You seem to have quite a few breeds judging by your photos.What breeds and how many do you have? Cheers Penny.

We have ended up with a few more birds than we should have (I don't even know if the number we're allowed in our area is still the same since we became a big 'Supercity', and quite frankly I don't want to know!).

We are very lucky to be on a 1200m/sq section, though we have a storm water culvert running through the back which makes at least a third of the property unusable, though great for growing weeds for hungry chickens. We mostly have bantams - 4 Old English Games (which are really tiny and don't lay many eggs but are such little personalities), 2 bantam Wyandottes, then we have 2 Houdans and 2 Lavender Araucana, and we recently hatched a booted bantam and a few pekin bantams. I give the odd dozen eggs away (mostly to our elderly neighbour) but for the number of birds we have we don't get that many eggs - there's always between 1-6 broody bantams most of the year and none of them are high production breeds.

I really wanted a booted bantam and found a breeder who would take back boys. Only one booted bantam egg hatched which thankfully turned out to be a girl. The other three that hatched were pekin bantams and they all turned out to be girls too (unlike our previous hatch where no booted bantam eggs hatched and most of the pekins turned out to be boys who went back to the breeder). These 4 gorgeous girls ended up getting sick - I do not know how as I don't free range (due to the neighbour's cat who is a very accomplished bird catcher) and they are still young so separated from everyone else (and mostly indoors!), but having put them on antibiotics I don't feel right about re-homing my extras (plus they are such a tight-knit group I'd feel downright mean splitting them up).

And kids don't make it any easier! It was hard enough for our daughter to give back the pekin boys (they started crowing at 6 weeks old so it was a great relief for me)! Hatching that first lot of eggs was our first home schooling project as our daughter was getting badly bullied at school (and not just by other students). Our son started his before school visits and quickly started not wanting to go because of how rough the other children were in the playground. I never thought I would be a home schooler but here I am. And they adore their chickens, as do I.

 

[JaeG]

Finally I am getting round to posting these. The photo of Greeny is the last you will see of him as, at the age of 7 weeks (exactly) he started crowing!!! So he got returned to the breeder (which is quite a trip for us as they live an hour away). Hopefully none of the other boys pull the same trick!


Little Boy Blue


Blueberry Muffin


Butternut


Cuddles


Greeny


Fairy Floss (when she finally got off my shoulder and decided to pose for me)
.

Cinnamon Roll


Sooty


Miss Muffet (who has beautiful lacing).

 

[peastix]

We have ended up with a few more birds than we should have (I don't even know if the number we're allowed in our area is still the same since we became a big 'Supercity', and quite frankly I don't want to know!).

We are very lucky to be on a 1200m/sq section, though we have a storm water culvert running through the back which makes at least a third of the property unusable, though great for growing weeds for hungry chickens. We mostly have bantams - 4 Old English Games (which are really tiny and don't lay many eggs but are such little personalities), 2 bantam Wyandottes, then we have 2 Houdans and 2 Lavender Araucana, and we recently hatched a booted bantam and a few pekin bantams. I give the odd dozen eggs away (mostly to our elderly neighbour) but for the number of birds we have we don't get that many eggs - there's always between 1-6 broody bantams most of the year and none of them are high production breeds.

I really wanted a booted bantam and found a breeder who would take back boys. Only one booted bantam egg hatched which thankfully turned out to be a girl. The other three that hatched were pekin bantams and they all turned out to be girls too (unlike our previous hatch where no booted bantam eggs hatched and most of the pekins turned out to be boys who went back to the breeder). These 4 gorgeous girls ended up getting sick - I do not know how as I don't free range (due to the neighbour's cat who is a very accomplished bird catcher) and they are still young so separated from everyone else (and mostly indoors!), but having put them on antibiotics I don't feel right about re-homing my extras (plus they are such a tight-knit group I'd feel downright mean splitting them up).

And kids don't make it any easier! It was hard enough for our daughter to give back the pekin boys (they started crowing at 6 weeks old so it was a great relief for me)! Hatching that first lot of eggs was our first home schooling project as our daughter was getting badly bullied at school (and not just by other students). Our son started his before school visits and quickly started not wanting to go because of how rough the other children were in the playground. I never thought I would be a home schooler but here I am. And they adore their chickens, as do I.

So sorry your daughter has been bullied.And well done you for taking on home schooling.I wouldn't be so brave! Thankfully we've been lucky with children and grandchildrens' schools.Regulations for numbers are still the same for individual areas as they where before supercity.I know this because my daughter had a visit from the compliance officer.A neighbour[not next door but next street] complained about 1 incidence of noise! After 3 years of keeping chickens! He said she complied in all areas so he went back to talk to complainent.They've since sold their chickens to a lifesytle block as an exstension is going to turn their back yard into a construction site.Short answer council won't check unless someone complains.Ssh I have more than allowed too! Just seen your photos of chicks. They are growing up! Pretty colours and names.All the best .Penny.

 

[JaeG]

So sorry your daughter has been bullied.And well done you for taking on home schooling.I wouldn't be so brave! Thankfully we've been lucky with children and grandchildrens' schools.Regulations for numbers are still the same for individual areas as they where before supercity.I know this because my daughter had a visit from the compliance officer.A neighbour[not next door but next street] complained about 1 incidence of noise! After 3 years of keeping chickens! He said she complied in all areas so he went back to talk to complainent.They've since sold their chickens to a lifesytle block as an exstension is going to turn their back yard into a construction site.Short answer council won't check unless someone complains.Ssh I have more than allowed too! Just seen your photos of chicks. They are growing up! Pretty colours and names.All the best .Penny.

It's not an easy job I have to say! I can't believe the council investigated over one bit of noise (considering barking dogs are far more annoying and a much more frequent noise) and considering they never did anything to help us when our neighbour kept lighting big fires in his backyard to get rid of building materials (in an urban area). These babies are growing fast. They are as big as my bantams now. I'm not used to large breeds and my Mum's chickens always look enormous when we go to visit. I'm still dreaming of winning lotto and moving to the country so I can go chicken crazy!

 

[OrpingtonChick]

These were some of my Buff Orpington babies, they are almost laying now

 

[OrpingtonChick]

Here's some more