Orpington Thread

[HighStreetCoop]

I want to know if anyone could tell me if he will stay the same personality wise or will he change in the spring when the breeding season is here? It's awful cold now but my 10 year old daughter really likes to pick him up a lot and he seems content to let her at the moment. Are there warning signs that he could hurt her? Or is about to ? Thank you.

If he's good natured, that will hopefully not change. I got rid of all my "uppity" cockerels right of the bat and like you am hoping my mellow boy stays that way.

 

[Ashley Stroud]

I agree with your guesses. Pullet and then two cockerels. Mine are 10-11 weeks and the wattles are a pretty clear sign. Also the tail shapes. Stubby/square seems to = cockerel, pointy/fluffy is a pullet.

I think you got them right.

Thanks for the pic examples HighStreetCoop and thanks for the input Hennible!

Well, that means 4 of 11 are cockerels. Not bad!
I also have a Lavender and a Black out of this batch of chicks. I think the Jubilees and Lavender will be the ones seeking new homes. My Black one, Alistair, is huge and mellow and very laid back. He's calm but assertive and already watching over the others and chirps to alert them to tasty finds in the yard. He jumps into my arms the moment I open the coop door and lets me carry him around while I go about morning chores.
The Jubilees and Yardley the Lavender are very sweet too, but silly and are happy to concede to Alistair.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

My Black one, Alistair, is huge and mellow and very laid back. He's calm but assertive and already watching over the others and chirps to alert them to tasty finds in the yard. He jumps into my arms the moment I open the coop door and lets me carry him around while I go about morning chores.

The Jubilees and Yardley the Lavender are very sweet too, but silly and are happy to concede to Alistair.

I'm keeping Sylvester, who is my "Alistair". He's a big splash and has been the top cockerel since pretty much day one. "Calm and assertive" sums him up perfectly. Easy going with me and the pullets, took no guff from the other cockerels.

 

[Amberjem]

I had wanted a buff orpington and then read something somewhere that the blacks and blues were a larger bird I had thought the colors were the same before until I had read that or is this a matter of english liens versus american lines of orps?

 

[hennible]

Hi Jem!

 

[Amberjem]

Hi Jem!

 

[hennible]

Lol

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I had wanted a buff orpington and then read something somewhere that the blacks and blues were a larger bird I had thought the colors were the same before until I had read that or is this a matter of english liens versus american lines of orps?

If you want BIG, beautiful buffs, look at @thedragonlady 's birds or @rockinpaints . I believe The Dragon Lady breeds both American SOP lines and English import lines and her birds are AMAZING!!!

The English lines are definitely bigger than hatchery birds. I'm not sure about their size versus an American SOP show bird, since I haven't spent any time studying those.

 

[Amberjem]

If you want BIG, beautiful buffs, look at @thedragonlady 's birds or @rockinpaints . I believe The Dragon Lady breeds both American SOP lines and English import lines and her birds are AMAZING!!!

The English lines are definitely bigger than hatchery birds. I'm not sure about their size versus an American SOP show bird, since I haven't spent any time studying those.

ty one had a website they did remark the black lines were the biggest they bred so maybe?

 

[Kinmera]

ty one had a website they did remark the black lines were the biggest they bred so maybe?

Any bird produced by a breeder is going to be larger than a hatchery stock bird. I've seen that myself in the white rocks I raise -- my partridge rocks were 2/3 the size of my white rocks. They are supposed to be the similar size according to the SOP.

I am still looking for someone who breeds American SOP Black and White Orpingtons East of the Mississippi and Preferably in the North East. I found Blue Stock. At this point I would even consider English if I could find true Breeding stock in the North East - I just prefer the lines on the American.

My current stock is from a small hatchery out of Iowa -- they are good looking - but they are still Hatchery.