Orpintons or Rocks????

[minna]

I'm fairly new at this chicken venture and I seem to take everyone at their word, b/c i don't know any difference. We have been buying eggs and chicks from a local chicken farmer/friend. Living in redneck country, nobody calls anything by it's real name, we have Yellow Buffs. OK....... Everyone calls them Yellow Buffs. I decided on my own they must be buff orpingtons right. They look like buff orpintons... Then I started researching and found Buff Plymouth Rocks, they look a lot alike, and this guy raises, RIR, BR and sex-linked. I guess I just need to ask him what they are, but my hubby is the one who deals with him and he will never remember to ask. Is there a surefire way to tell the difference? I bought buff orpington chicks from the hatchery, so i know what they are, but I still have 8 from this other guy that I'm second guessing, b/c they are "yellow buffs".

 

[Katy]

Rocks have yellow legs and orpingtons have white.

If he doesn't keep them penned seperate, you probably have mixed chicks.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Katy is right, that's the easiest way to tell but there are slight differences in build ad well

 

[Katy]

I agree there's a difference in build, just thought the legs were the easiest thing for a newbie to check.

 

[halo]

The orps should be much bigger than the rocks, too. Tho if you dont have anything to compare them to, that would be hard to determine.

 

[minna]

He keeps his "yellow buffs" separate, it's just I'm all confused on what they actually are. I just talked to my hubby and he says that the guy didn't originally have any buffs so he bought a few pairs from a guy and took them to him so he would hatch them for us ect. So my hubby is actually the one who bought the buffs and he was told they are orps. But I didn't answer a question when I asked him b/c his friend who also has a few chickens was wondering why the hen my hubby gave him had white legs and his roo he bought separate had yellow legs. So as of right now, mine should be all straight orps, if my eggs do happen to hatch, some of them will be mixed, how do I tell that? Sorry, I'm trying to learn.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Bigger yes, much bigger no.
Rock Standard weights:
C-9.5 lbs
H-7.5 lbs
Ck-8 lbs
P-6 lbs

Orpington Standard weights:
C-10 lbs
H-8 lbs
Ck-8.5 lbs
P-7 lbs

 

[SterlingAcres]

I'd like to see photos of your 'yellow buffs'