Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[cherylcohen]

Please check out my new hatching eggs FOR SALE listing below

 

[littlechicklet]

I would suggest you join the American Poultry Association first. They publish the Standard of Perfection. Hold off joining any breed club until you are sure its the breed you want and the club you wish to join. I know judges that have raised a certain breed for decades and never joined a breed club. They support the "parent" clubs.

A wise old judge once said, "You start where you are at and go from there."

Start with what you have. Take your birds to a show and allow a judge to look them over. He will mark the coop card with his thoughts. You may not have wasted your time on what you have. Hey, post some photos on here and allow some of us to tell you what we think. We will be polite, even if you just have fried chicken.

Thedragonlady is just recently returning to the Fancy. This spring she purchased 6 eggs from me. 5 hatched. That is a start. She has added some stock from other breeders and now has a nice flock of Orpingtons. Just start small. The Orpingtons you have may be worth keeping. If not, place them in a layer pen. Eat the culls (males and hens). We have a layer pen with an assortment of breeds. There are hatchery Buff Orpingtons, Australorp, Marans and production Reds. Not show stock, but great layers. This fall I would like to replace them with our own cull pullets. Eventually we will only keep the top quality and have nothing but our show stock. Its just difficult to eat an egg that sells at auction for what these sell for.

My wife's favorite hen is a hatchery Black Cochin Bantam. Its sort of cute and lays seldom. But she is a wonderful mother. This hen moves between the various extra pens we have for our excess show bantam males. She is probably about 5 or 6 years old now. A friend gave her to use in 2009.

Enjoy the positive and ignore the negative. Difficult, but necessary.

For a calendar of poultry shows check out:

http://www.metzerfarms.com/CalendarofEvents.cfm?CustID=1052793

or

http://poultryb.dot5hosting.com/upcomingshows.html

There is also a free online magazine that lists many shows.

http://www.exhibitionpoultry.net/

Thank you. I have posted some pics & will try to get new ones to put up. The pullet in my avatar is one of them. I just signed up for the APOF & am waiting on a verification. How old do the chicks have to be in order to put them in a show? The ones I have were hatched Feb/March & May? I will check out the links you provided.

 

[lildinkem]

I know there are alot of folks new to Orps. And have the choice of getting hatchery stock or Exhibition stock. As the saying goes it costs just much to feed hatchery birds as Exhibition birds.
For those who wish to get Exhibition quality, there are many ways of deciding how to go about getting what you want. My long time poultry friend and buddy LEE told me to go to shows and decide on what breeds and varieties you like and see who is winning. Get a year long subscription to Poultry Press for $25. That is a monthly news magazine that lists all the winners of shows, ads from breeders of high quality Exhibition birds and the once a month Purina Feed coupon for $8 for purchases of 6 or more bags will pay for the subscription in just a few months. And 3rd join the breed club and ask the Prez and Secretary who you want to get birds from. This goes for all breeds not just Orps. There are 2 Orp clubs now, and I suggest you join them both IF you have any hesitation and who to get advice from. My choice was the United Orpington Club before the newer club was formed scrictly because one of the best Orp breeders who frequently wins show not just Champ English or best of breed is in this club. Once you get to know some of these better breeders if you need to get on a waiting list if necessary. You can ask them questions about the SOP. I had to get on an 8 month waiting list with Terry Britt to get my 2 Buff Orp duos. One of those birds is father to the bird in my avatar who won Champ English twice and her brother won Reserve English and these were at 1,500 plus bird shows. Like the Central Indiana Poultry Show and the Greenville Ohio show. Winning is nice, but just having nice birds is what it is about for me.
There are many who like to do their own thing and not show who still have great birds. And it seems the officers of the United Orpington Club know who they are. And can help you with contact info to get in touch with these folks. So, visit breed clubs websites. See who are their members. And contact those who frequently win with their birds.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Most will not show a bird under 6 months, 8 months may be better. I have seen a judge write "age" on a coop card, meaning too young. The Feb/March should be ready for the fall shows. It is doubtful the May hatch will, but it depends on the bird. You can always enter them and then ask fellow exhibitors of Orps or the judges what they think about them. At the 2010 APA National in Shawnee, OK I entered a trio of Buff Orpingtons. Did not even place. Terry Britt told me to give them another few months and they would look nice. He also confirmed that ours are 50% his line. Here is one of those I entered posted below.

Your Blues look nice. Can not tell on their size in a photo by themselves. Have you weighed them? The SOP calls for C 10#, H 8#, K 8.5# and P 7#. Their type seems alright and color is good. Just enter them at a show. If nothing else, you get your feet wet and meet a lot of nice folks. Worse case scenario, you get disqualified and learn a lot. Best case... you win Grand Champion!

As for the too young trio we took to Shawnee. I think "Golden Gentleman" has grown into his own! Now if Jacob would just mature a bit we would be very happy!

 

[galanie]

Thank you all for the interesting links. I am waiting for a shipment of quality Orp eggs but they'll likely not be mailed until the fall. It is much too hot here, I know stuff just sits in trucks in the sun for a couple hours sometimes waiting on the next truck to pick that trailer up and don't trust the post office to keep them safe.

 

[Johnn]

Chick is camaflaged in well!

 

[deek]

Chick is camaflaged in well!

Oh my goodness, I'll take him! He want to come home with me.

 

[Johnn]

Oh my goodness, I'll take him! He want to come home with me.

Haha, it's hard to catch! especially when you have its mother ripping your hand open and flapping at you!, i don't know if it's a girl or a boy, i want it to be a boy so i have another cockerel because my rooster isn't doing his buisness on all the hens but i want it to be a girl aswell so it can go broody!

 

[valschicksrus]

Hello I have a question here. I wanted to post a cute photo of my buff orpington just to try it out, but I can't figure how to do that here. Help!

 

[valschicksrus]

Oh my goodness, I'll take him! He want to come home with me.

I would like to know what is in the dish??? In fact what is the best food to feed as the chicks get older and ready to lay eggs? Any special type of food?
Thanks for your time in answering. Val