Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[zooweemama]

Most quality Orpingtons are gentlemen. However, some hatcheries have introduced Leghorn and/or ? lines to increase production. Are yours from a quality SOP breeder or a hatchery? In the rare times we had a more aggressive male of good quality, we would try to retrain him. Place him in a time out pen... alone... for a few days. You want fertile eggs, so allow him with the hens about every 3rd day or so. If he continues to be aggressive, hatch all you can and invite the aggressive fellow in for a nice hot pot of chicken and dumplins!

Most of the Buff Orpington eggs on eBay today are from hatchery source flocks. They are nice, pretty and resemble the breed. But they are not like what Thedragonlady, HallFamilyFarm and many others on this thread raise.

Oh no. I have the good stuff. No hatchery here. I think I just have a bad roo. Such a shame. He grew up with them too. I didn't think it was typical, but by 36 weeks old shouldn't he be calming down a little? I mean he's not like a maniac but when he gets a hen he is really not nice about it. I have 2 other roosters and neither are even half as rude as he is. He has tried to show them tidbits- it's very sweet but he will just go after any hen off by herself and feathers fly. My top roo is an itty bitty bantam and he is ever the gentleman. The ladies squat for him and wait for him to finish. I was hoping my Orp roo would take a lesson or two from him but over the past months he has not. At all. I has planned on a time out in a pen - I will see if this works but I have a feeling I am starting over with a different cockerel. All my hens are really still pullets - none are even a year old.

I would really like a cockerel unrelated. I got my birds from Heaven Sent and my girls are just lovely. I did not get many cockerels - the heat took one and thinking I had two good choices I gave the 3rd to a friend. So then I am left with this guy. Who is nice to us but really not gentle with the girls. I wouldn't say he is mean- he is really rough with them I think is the big problem. My biggest girl Mama Cass has her back starting to get bare (it's fluff now, no actual full feathers)- so not ok with me.

 

[Don Chandler]

Oh no. I have the good stuff. No hatchery here. I think I just have a bad roo. Such a shame. He grew up with them too. I didn't think it was typical, but by 36 weeks old shouldn't he be calming down a little? I mean he's not like a maniac but when he gets a hen he is really not nice about it. I have 2 other roosters and neither are even half as rude as he is. He has tried to show them tidbits- it's very sweet but he will just go after any hen off by herself and feathers fly. My top roo is an itty bitty bantam and he is ever the gentleman. The ladies squat for him and wait for him to finish. I was hoping my Orp roo would take a lesson or two from him but over the past months he has not. At all. I has planned on a time out in a pen - I will see if this works but I have a feeling I am starting over with a different cockerel. All my hens are really still pullets - none are even a year old.

I would really like a cockerel unrelated. I got my birds from Heaven Sent and my girls are just lovely. I did not get many cockerels - the heat took one and thinking I had two good choices I gave the 3rd to a friend. So then I am left with this guy. Who is nice to us but really not gentle with the girls. I wouldn't say he is mean- he is really rough with them I think is the big problem. My biggest girl Mama Cass has her back starting to get bare (it's fluff now, no actual full feathers)- so not ok with me.

Not all Buff males are easy going, SOP kind. I have had them very easy on the girls and some are very rough. I have a pure Farthing male now that has 6 females backs bare.

 

[zooweemama]

 Not all Buff males are easy going, SOP kind.  I have had them very easy on the girls and some are very rough. I have a pure Farthing male now that has 6 females backs bare. 

Do you seperate or cull the rough roosters?

 

[galanie]

All this makes me glad I have some three year old hens around my young boy. He'll not get away with that stuff 'round here if he tries it. But I really don't think he will. I had one that was rough, and he was aggressive with the others all the time growing up. This boy isn't. Even the ones physically smaller than him intimidate him. lol

 

[Margitas]

My yung boy only 16 weeks old.

 

[thedragonlady]

Are Orpington roosters typically aggressive with the ladies? He is constantly jumping the girls, ripping feathers out, chasing them...he's really not very nice about it and the girls do not like him.

I've noticed in some photos that you posted that your buffs were ranging with other breeds. Are all the buffs now in a breeding pen? Sometimes competition from other Roos can make a young roo very testy and rough . He simply thinks he has to rape a hen before the other guys get to her. If your boy is that rough , and is alone with his girls, I would cull him. He will only get rougher.

I have 8 girls who have been in with Monty for 6 months. I could show 4 of them tomorrow. The other 4 have minor feather damage behind the saddle, but no bare backs here, and Monty is very large.

 

[zooweemama]

I've noticed in some photos that you posted that your buffs were ranging with other breeds. Are all the buffs now in a breeding pen? Sometimes competition from other Roos can make a young roo very testy and rough . He simply thinks he has to rape a hen before the other guys get to her. If your boy is that rough , and is alone with his girls, I would cull him. He will only get rougher.

I have 8 girls who have been in with Monty for 6 months. I could show 4 of them tomorrow. The other 4 have minor feather damage behind the saddle, but no bare backs here, and Monty is very large.

We are working on our new coop. The old one will be our breeding pen for the time being so once we are done- I can close him up with my Buffies.

 

[Don Chandler]

Do you seperate or cull the rough roosters?

If it's a real good one, I trim toenails short and cut spurs close to leg. If it was a cull to start with I would have sent him down the road for noodles at someone's house.

 

[Don Chandler]

I've noticed in some photos that you posted that your buffs were ranging with other breeds. Are all the buffs now in a breeding pen? Sometimes competition from other Roos can make a young roo very testy and rough . He simply thinks he has to rape a hen before the other guys get to her. If your boy is that rough , and is alone with his girls, I would cull him. He will only get rougher.

I have 8 girls who have been in with Monty for 6 months. I could show 4 of them tomorrow. The other 4 have minor feather damage behind the saddle, but no bare backs here, and Monty is very large.

If Monty had been very rough, would you have culled him?

 

[chicksooner]

I am buying hen saddles and one that is a butterfly version that goes over the wings as well. Trying to get as many babies out of my roo as I can and then he is getting retired in the next month or so. Would have retired him sooner but I don't have much to work with right now. He is not mean or aggressive just a bit gimpy in one leg.