Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[fried green eggs]

Hi, I'm just getting into Orps this year and am in the process of building a new coop. I have some 8 wk old BO in with 6 wk old BR in my grow-out pen right now and the BR are using the roost but the buffs are still sleeping on the floor. What is a good height to make the roost for Orps? Do I need to make a ramp for them to get to the roost?

Sorry I meant to post this in coop & run forum.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Folks need to keep in mind that Walt has been an Orpington breeder, licensed judge and a member of the Standards committee longer than many on this thread has even had chickens. Not saying Walt is old, but he may have helped Noah with the chickens on the Ark. We need to glean from his wisdom. When we post photos on public sites, folks like Walt has every right to give their opinion. It is still just his opinion. However, Walt's opinion comes with years of valuable experience and knowledge.

We can all grow, cross and breed whatever we want. But if we show, it must meet the Standard.

On the Buckeye thread someone said they were DQ because their Buckeye had a pea comb. The exhibitor grab a SOP and showed the show officials a pea comb is required. The judge removed the DQ. Obviously it did not win anything but a Best of Breed, as the judge still know very little about the breed. With Walt, we have a lot of experience.

Thanks Walt for keeping us pointed in the right direction for type!

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[HallFamilyFarm]

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Here they are side by side. The left photo is courtesy of fowlman01 aka Walt Leonard and the right was posted by OSUman.

 

[aveca]

I think monkey hand was her pet term for that LOL..the judge was certianly on the ball that day..at a glance i thought that bird is just fantastic..both the cockeral and pullet had same toe placement problem..they said it does crop up in cartian lines..it was my freind who coined that monkey hand term, have to say , they did look like a pinkish monkey hand..you wont be able to bleach that out of your mind now..monkey hand hee hee.

It is called "duck foot" by the ABA/APA and it is a DQ...never heard the phrase monkey hand before, but that aptly describes it too. It is always a shame to see a nice bird that has a DQ the owner has not caught before showing the bird. Duck foot would be hard to see in some of the British Orps. It is not as easy to see when the judge has the bird in hand...... it is easier to notice while the bird is standing. It is the first place I look before taking the bird out of the cage....well second as I always like to see how a bird stands before being handled. Sometimes it takes a bird a while to regain it's composure after being removed from the cage and gone over by a judge so it is good to know how it stands before being upset. Serious show people coop train their birds so that most things do not alter their behavior. You will not do well if you have a great bird that wants to hang upside down from the roof of the coop. The calmer they are (depending on the breed....you don't want it falling asleep) the better you will do.

Walt
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[thedragonlady]

I may be wrong, but judging from those photos, Walts bird stands with her legsmore properly under her too, so is better balanced to run about and forage. Soundness counts for longevity.

You seem to have some issue with my position, but if the bird in the picture you posted looks round on the bottom like mine....I don't know what else to tell you.
We are obviously seeing two different things. That is just not a circular underline like mine. That bird in my profile picture does not have fluff hanging down and ruining it's bottom line. Does anyone else think the bottom lines of my Orp are the same as the bird posted by OSUman? We apparently see birds differently when we look at them. I don't necessarily think yours has shorter legs either....you just can't see the thighs because they are covered by the excess fluff giving the appearance of shorter legs.

On the bottom line right before the legs your specimen cuts in to the leg in a straight line, right after the leg it sags down again because of the fluff. It is not a semi circle at all. They are right next to each other a couple pages back.

Walt

I agree with Walt. From a side view I want to see a basket ball on legs. Then there are 2 triangles...the tail and the neck, with a smaller ball ( head ) and beak . I want to FEEL that round ball of a body coming into my hand when I pick one up due to the deep keel, not just fluff. If you wet both of those birds down...WHAT a difference!

 

[fowlman01]

I can't copy the APA SOP word for word as it is protected by copyright, but there is a whole paragraph explaining how important feathering is on an Orp and how it relates to breed type.

I can post this:

Under FLUFF on page 103 it says: Moderately full, showing profile of hocks.
Page 9: Hock.....the joint between the lower thigh and the shank. (that would mean that you need to see all of an Orps shanks).
Page 102 also says---see interpretation of Standard...."Quality of feather" see page 29
Page 29 under "C" "all English except Cornish: Feathers should be moderately broad and long, fitting fairly close to the body".

This description has always been clear to me, so I can't understand how an Orp with thighs so profuse in feathers/fluff that you can't even see the shanks let alone the hock is OK. If you look at one of these Orps from the front or back they look like they have pants on...pants that don't fit very well. A front or rear view of an Orp should look balanced with nothing hanging out from the sides or butt.

If anyone can explain to me how the British type or the overly fluffy American type Orps fit the above description I would love to hear their story. The interesting thing to me is that the British Orps we see now do not even fit the British Standard. They do not say you have to see the hock, but they do say you need to see most of the shank. They also say that feathering on an Orp should not be "Cochin like" with loose feathers nor hard feathered like a game. I take that to mean medium feathered like an APA Orp. They also call for a small head which is different than the APA SOP with the exception of those two things the two Standards are very close. The British birds are very deep and impressive, but I don't think anyone can relate them to the APA SOP.

The Orpington is not the only breed where owners of a certain style of bird want to believe that the SOP describes their bird, when in fact it does not. People should read the first 37 pages of the SOP to get all the information to assess their birds. There is a lot of important info in pages 3-37 and it is often overlooked.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it, cuz it is easy to defend.

Walt

 

[galanie]

It's interesting to note that the UK type being imported into the USA fits the UK SOP better than the ones winning shows in that country. But it's true, I've read both standards and those are the only differences in the standard yet look at what wins over there. A Cochin with clean legs.

 

[hunter109]

i have some hatchery buffs but i will get some pics for you all

 

[fowlman01]

It's interesting to note that the UK type being imported into the USA fits the UK SOP better than the ones winning shows in that country. But it's true, I've read both standards and those are the only differences in the standard yet look at what wins over there. A Cochin with clean legs.

We have judges picking birds here that don't always meet the APA SOP and a lot of that is regional, as it is the only style they see, but I don't know what the Brit judges are looking at....not their Standard. They are very impressive looking birds, but they do not meet their Standard. I have judged with British judges and they seem more hung up on feathers than the shape of the bird. One time while judging with a British judge at an APA qualifying meet for the Cuckoo Dorkings at Columbus the judge would pull out feathers he liked and tape them to the coop card with his comments. Pretty cool in some respects, but most people would not be happy about me pulling a feather out of their show birds.

BTW: whatever happened to the Cuckoo Dorkings? I haven't seen one for 15 years or more. Big push to get them into the SOP and then the breeders move on to their next fad bird and the variety ceases to exist. It is much harder to get a marginal variety in the SOP now but on the other hand it is easier to get in any breed/variety that is already recognized by the ABA.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Hi. I was wondering what is causing some Buff Orps to develope white ear lobes, like a Leghorn, when they get older? I know who the parents are.

It is not just in Orps. Some "breeders" will tell you that (if it is a female) that the bird is in production and is allowed to have earlobes that are not red. This is true, but white is white and the bird needs to be DQ'd. If it looks like faded red it is probably OK. If you see positive white...even a speck...it is a lack of attention to proper breeding.
You have to pay attention to many little details to keep a breed that will conform to the SOP descriptions.

Walt