Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[BamaChicken]

I have moved back to Newport, TN to teach ag till schools out. This is where I retired 3 years ago. One of the ag teachers quit and they was in a bind. I got a place where I lived in Oklahoma to keep my big buffs and I brought my bantams with me. I had several pens at school when I taught here and it worked out nice. I had to give all the chicks away I had hatched this year, will be a little lean showing this fall but the bantams will be OK. The big guys hatched out late will never get big enought for fall. Just have to do better next year.

Don I was wondering what happened to you. Are you done when summer gets here and going back to OK?

 

[Don Chandler]

Well at least you're well situated to attend the nationals!

I will only be here till schools out. I do hope to come to the 2014 Orp National at Knoxville, TN. I know Fred Farthing said he was going to come. Doug Akers will be there, the good ones will be there.

 

[galanie]

Well at least you're well situated to attend the nationals!

I will only be here till schools out.  I do hope to come to the 2014 Orp National at Knoxville, TN.  I know Fred Farthing  said he was  going to come.  Doug Akers will be there,  the good ones will be there.

I'm hoping I can go too. But not counting on it. I'm so dense, of course school will be out by then!

 

[thedragonlady]

Good Morning, Dragon Lady,

You have made a comment referring to an Orp.'s chest. It would really help a novice such as myself, if you please elaborate as to what a desired " deeper and rounder chest" is. If my birds have not so deeper and/or rounder chest, is it an easily correctable fault, or is it so difficult that it would take almost a life time to see the improvement?

At what age do you consider a stud chicken, and a brood chicken as adults? What is a good age one can have good idea if they are developing correctly? My birds are babies who are almost 5wks. old. but, it is never too early to learn, and also would help me make the correct decisions in the future. Is there any literature which you would recommend?

Thank you very much!

Look at the 5 month old pullet on my avatar, and then go back and see photos of her youngsters posted by AVECA, and GALANIE recently.You can see the deep ROUNDED fore chest on all of them. That must be bred in. It comes from a very deep keel (breast bone). You can feel that deep keel in the palm of your hand when the chicks are small. The depth and roundness of chest and lower chest gives more room for the bird's organs. A pullet should that chest well before she lays, but on good ones it will get deeper with age.Roos keep on developing until they are 2.

Look at the recent photos that BAMA posted in the English Orp thread of her Charlie. You can see the huge deep, rounded chest, and how it progressed as he grew up.Then compare him to the European Blue that was posted. See the difference?

The APA SOP has great drawings of the proper chests in the front 30 pages of the book.The SOP is a great tool to breed from.

 

[galanie]

I found it very helpful to feel those birds under that fluff. Get them off the roost and really feel that chest. Also butchering helps but it's not like I'm saying to do that but is has been instructional for me. It helped me develop much more of an "eye" for it. Mostly though, I take them off the roosts from time to time and just feel of them under all that fluff and check their condition, etc. Knowing how well they are fleshed out around that breast bone helps to know their overall health as well.

 

[Don Chandler]

Don I was wondering what happened to you. Are you done when summer gets here and going back to OK?

Yes, just helping out till school year is over.

 

[lualshannon]

Look at the 5 month old pullet on my avatar, and then go back and see photos of her youngsters posted by AVECA, and GALANIE recently.You can see the deep ROUNDED fore chest on all of them. That must be bred in. It comes from a very deep keel (breast bone). You can feel that deep keel in the palm of your hand when the chicks are small. The depth and roundness of chest and lower chest gives more room for the bird's organs. A pullet should that chest well before she lays, but on good ones it will get deeper with age.Roos keep on developing until they are 2.

Look at the recent photos that BAMA posted in the English Orp thread of her Charlie. You can see the huge deep, rounded chest, and how it progressed as he grew up.Then compare him to the European Blue that was posted. See the difference?

The APA SOP has great drawings of the proper chests in the front 30 pages of the book.The SOP is a great tool to breed from.

I found it very helpful to feel those birds under that fluff. Get them off the roost and really feel that chest. Also butchering helps but it's not like I'm saying to do that but is has been instructional for me. It helped me develop much more of an "eye" for it. Mostly though, I take them off the roosts from time to time and just feel of them under all that fluff and check their condition, etc. Knowing how well they are fleshed out around that breast bone helps to know their overall health as well.

Thank you very much, Dragon Lady, and Galanie, for taking the time and replying to me. This is a very helpful, and valuable lesson! I will make a copy of both, and will keep it in my room to compare my birds against your descriptions. Yes! I will most definitely will be studying both of yours, Aveca's, as well as Bama's photos. I went back on the posts and noticed that all the gorgeous Deep Gold Orps. I fell in love with are related to each other.
I wish it was possible for me to find a skeleton of a correct Orp. just like the ones we had at the Academy. As per your suggestion, which would be quite helpful to be able to go over a body; but, I am a vegetarian, and can not process an animal.
From now on, I will look at the Orp. photos from a different point of view, and will go over my growing chicks on regular basis to take note of their development.

 

[Don Chandler]

I am about 4 hours from there Don.

Roger, get a pic of the black guy I sent.

 

[aveca]

Not good, I was used to a little nap after lunch, now thats over.

..Like sarah said..you can get right over to nationals...Good deal!! ..when you get back to OK..you can catch up on the nap naps..

 

[aveca]

Thank you very much, Dragon Lady, and Galanie, for taking the time and replying to me. This is a very helpful, and valuable lesson! I will make a copy of both, and will keep it in my room to compare my birds against your descriptions. Yes! I will most definitely will be studying both of yours, Aveca's, as well as Bama's photos. I went back on the posts and noticed that all the gorgeous Deep Gold Orps. I fell in love with are related to each other.
I wish it was possible for me to find a skeleton of a correct Orp. just like the ones we had at the Academy. As per your suggestion, which would be quite helpful to be able to go over a body; but, I am a vegetarian, and can not process an animal.
From now on, I will look at the Orp. photos from a different point of view, and will go over my growing chicks on regular basis to take note of their development.

I am like you..I need visual examples..The deep chest is ingrained in my mind..When you pick up some of them, you feel how deep in the hand and its like a second helpful example.....