Orpington Rooster - Colour Question

[Phloyd]

I have 3 Buff Orpintons; 2 Hens & and Rooster. They are all 25 weeks old. The hens have not started laying and the rooster has not started crowing.......

My question is actually about the Roosters colour. The Hens are a beautiful caramel buff colour. The rooster is very dark. He is a beautiful, big bird, but he is almost red in colour with tail feathers that are black that reflect green. I am just wondering if this is Normal for the breed?

Other than the different colouring he is a lovely bird.


Thanks

 

[Duck_life]

Where did you get them? Hatcheries often make breed mistakes and sometimes the colours are correct but look different since they are hatchery birds, he looks buff but doesn't at the same time, more red looking to me. I'll let the experts join in. (don't think he is a BO.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Your rooster doesn't look like a BO...though I'm no expert.

 

[Phloyd]

I actually got him at a Fur and Feather sale from a private breeder. She only had BO's. They were just different ages, but all Buffs. They all started out looking the same, but he got darker quickly and is now really dark.

 

[Phloyd]

This is them the day we brought them home and then almost 2 weeks later. The rooster is in the background of the older picture. You can see he was already darker at that point.

 

[Phloyd]

Here is a better picture of him

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

He looks like he's either a mixed color or project color. At least one of the hens is, too, since she has black in her tail.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I think they are Buff Orpingtons, but perhaps not the best examples of their breed. It seems he has a gene that's darkening the buff up. It's not quite mahogany, but it isn't buff. Before I blew the photos up I thought he might be a New Hampshire Red.