Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[thedragonlady]

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.

A good cartoon can be drawn of an Orp with :

1 big circle with feet
1 smaller circle for the head
3 different sized triangles for the neck, tail, and beak Add comb and wattles.

 

[galanie]

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.

This old book has some tips on bird anatomy and photos that might prove useful. It's mainly an old book explaining how to select for breeding egg layers but goes into some detail into anatomy that you might like, and there are pictures of parts of the skeleton but anyway, give it a look: http://archive.org/details/callofhenorscien02hoga

The link is to a free online book but you can download it in many formats.

 

[fowlman01]

Not to worry, Aveca. They weren't born knowing either.

I still don't know. I can't build anything out of wood.

Walt

 

[aveca]

I still don't know. I can't build anything out of wood.

Walt

i can . but its pretty funny..

 

[choptank330]

One of my English blue babies

 

[littlechicklet]

One of my English blue babies

What a cutie!

 

[littlechicklet]

Okay I am going to ask everyone to send good vibes my way please.

I am setting eggs tomorrow for the first time in my new incubator.

I have had the incubator up and running for about 2 weeks or so trying to get used to it and making sure the temp and humidity are holding & correct. I have collected eggs all week and it will be a mix of my LF bbs Orps and EEs.

As a back up I have a friend who is experienced that is going to set some for me next Sat. or Sun. So I will be putting in 30-40 and she will be doing about the same amount for me. So out of 60-80 eggs I hope to get 30 chicks but will settle for any number but hopefully not just 1 lone chick.

Thanks

 

[RoosterMoose]

Sounds like you'll have your hands full in a few weeks

 

[thedragonlady]

Okay I am going to ask everyone to send good vibes my way please.

I am setting eggs tomorrow for the first time in my new incubator.

I have had the incubator up and running for about 2 weeks or so trying to get used to it and making sure the temp and humidity are holding & correct. I have collected eggs all week and it will be a mix of my LF bbs Orps and EEs.

As a back up I have a friend who is experienced that is going to set some for me next Sat. or Sun. So I will be putting in 30-40 and she will be doing about the same amount for me. So out of 60-80 eggs I hope to get 30 chicks but will settle for any number but hopefully not just 1 lone chick.

Thanks

Just watch for the temperature spike at 7-10 days.

 

[littlechicklet]

Just watch for the temperature spike at 7-10 days.

What do I do when the temperature spikes? thanks