Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

I haven`t submitted any recent pics lately, so here you go:
5806_img_6829.jpg

5806_img_6497.jpg

5806_img_5746.jpg

5806_img_3745.jpg
 
Question for the Orpington experts. At what age can you start to tell the girls from the boys?

I bought sexed pullets three weeks ago but I'm starting to have my suspicions about one. It's a tad larger than the other one and it's got thicker legs. But then they both seem to be growing at the same rate. And just when I begin to freak out, a few days later, I notice that the little one has caught up to the bigger one.

There's nothing I can do at this point so I should just chill. Even if it is a roo, I'm not going to get rid of it and then have a lonely chick. I'll just continue to raise them until I know for certain and can put them out with my one year old BO.

But I'm just curious at what age, I should be able to know for certain and what exactly to look for.
 
Quote:
Yes, I'm aware that it's not an exact science. I'm HIGHLY suspicious that the place I'm buying from is not buying pullets but straight run. I bought four chick from them last year and one turned out to be a roo.
I vowed I wouldn't buy from them again. But after giving away the roo, I was down to three. Then I had to give away my seriously high strung bully EE who was beating the living daylights out of the BO. And thus, I am down to two.

The BO lives with a Jersey Giant and while they tolerate each other, they don't love each other. So I thought the best thing to mix up the dynamic was to get a few more chickens and get back up to 4 birds.

I was afraid I'd have to wait till February before I could get my hands on chicks, but when I called the store on a whim three weeks ago, low and behold, they were just opening up a box of 25 BO's. So I bought 4. One died. I don't think it was right. From the time I got it home, it held its wings out and they kind of were dragging behind her. Then she got pasty butt after 7 days. Very odd, I thought. I cleaned her up and the next morning she had passed. So sad.

So now I have three in the brooder. Two are bigger than the 3rd. And of those bigger two, I'm suspicious that one is a roo. For me to get two roos out of 8 chicks just seems rather high odds. And I'll do what I can never to buy from this place again.

Provided at least two are girls, I'm good. That will give me four hens. I have room for 5 and would LOVE to keep all 5 provided they are hens. No roos allowed where I live.

But the day they develop a pill or shot to keep roosters from crowing, I'm getting one on the sly. Those BO roos are BEAUTIFUL and I'd love to have one to look after my ladies.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom