Question about my Buff Orpingtons

[dandydoodle]

We just got 3 buff Orpingtons. They are about 3 weeks old. One was a lot lighter then the others. I thought when her feathers came in she would darken up. Well the feathers are really light also. She doesn't look Buff she looks a light lemon color. Other then that she looks just like the others. Does this happen sometime with Buff Orpintons or does it sound like I might have a different breed or could she be a mix of a white and Buff Orpington? Sorry I am very ( green) knew to the chicken thing?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/68254_10-09-08_chickens.jpg

If you go to this site the darker chickens are the color of my two chicken and the lighter color is the color of my other chick. What do you think?

Thanks,
Michelle

 

[hinkjc]

Hi and welcome to byc! Is the picture you shared the picture of your birds? If so, I only see one that looks like a buff orpington. The rest appear to have a crest. Buff plumage can have varying shades, but there are also white orpingtons. A good picture of the specific bird(s) in question would help to identify them.

 

[iluvmichickens]

I am anxious to have "the experts" answer this question since I'm in the same boat. I ordered some buff orps from McMurrary and noticed that a few weren't as "bright" in color. They are about 8 weeks now and they still have the different shades. Other than that, they look exactly the same! Cute as can be!

 

[tammyd57]

Buff Orpingtons from hatcheries do vary a lot in color. Out of 15 I started with last Spring, there were at least 4 distinctly different colors. One of the hens that I still have is very Orpish in type and size, but is a very light strawberry blond color. Another is almost red.

 

[dandydoodle]

No that isn't a picture of my bird. I was just using that picture because, the buff color is the color of two of my birds and the lighter color is the color of the bird in question. I will try to get a picture of Molly on here today. Thanks for the help.

 

[NYREDS]

Buff would seem to be an easy colour to breed but it's not. The buff colour in many strains is highly variable. This is true of "breeder" strains as well as hatchery strains. When breeding Buffs it's important to pay attention to undercolour & this is something many breeders overlook.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

My four Buff Orps are all slightly different from each other. One is a deeper, more red color. Another is very light, like a sun-bleached blonde. The other two have feathers of each color all mixed together. They are hatchery birds, so I don't expect breed perfection from them.