Russian orloffs?

[Burnttoast5475]

i got this russian orloff hen and I instantly fell in love with the breed! She is the speckled kind which is the most common color. I was wondering if anyone sells the white kind? I understand those are pretty rare but its worth a shot!

 

[CombNWattles]

i got this russian orloff hen and I instantly fell in love with the breed! She is the speckled kind which is the most common color. I was wondering if anyone sells the white kind? I understand those are pretty rare but its worth a shot!

She’s gorgeous! Those are definitely on my bucket list…
I don’t know anyone who has them sadly.

 

[Burnttoast5475]

She’s gorgeous! Those are definitely on my bucket list…
I don’t know anyone who has them sadly.

I know someone who sells the spangled ones like her in turlock CA but not any other color :/. Thank you tho!!!

 

[NatJ]

i got this russian orloff hen and I instantly fell in love with the breed! She is the speckled kind which is the most common color. I was wondering if anyone sells the white kind? I understand those are pretty rare but its worth a shot!

Unfortunately I do not know of anyone who sells white ones.

Depending on what you like about the breed, you may be able to find another breed with those same traits (example: White Ameraucana or White Easter Egger if you really like the muffs, or White Chanctecler if you really like the comb type).

Or you may be able to start with Spangled Orloffs plus some white chickens, and breed yourself a line of White Orloffs. It would only take a few generations to get them fairly close, although getting them really truly "right" would probably take quite a lot longer.

 

[Burnttoast5475]

Unfortunately I do not know of anyone who sells white ones.

Depending on what you like about the breed, you may be able to find another breed with those same traits (example: White Ameraucana or White Easter Egger if you really like the muffs, or White Chanctecler if you really like the comb type).

Or you may be able to start with Spangled Orloffs plus some white chickens, and breed yourself a line of White Orloffs. It would only take a few generations to get them fairly close, although getting them really truly "right" would probably take quite a lot longer.

Thank you for the advice!! What white chicken would you recommend? I can always get more spangled hens or roosters.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you for the advice!! What white chicken would you recommend? I can always get more spangled hens or roosters.

If you already have any white chickens, I would consider them first, regardless of what breed they are.

The awkward thing about white chickens is that there are at least three different sets of genes that can cause that coloring, and it's not always obvious which ones are present until you are a generation or two into the project.

If you have access to Paint Ameraucanas, they have the "white" genes that would be easiest to work with. (You could breed out the colored egg gene along the way, or keep it if you like to get some green eggs.)
The Paint color of other breeds would also work.

Among solid white chickens, White Leghorns almost always have the right "white" genes to work easily, and they are pretty easy to get. The obvious disadvantage is that their body type and temperament are quite a bit different from what you want.

The basic breeding pattern would be Paint x Orloff gives some chicks that are White or Paint, and some are other colors. Pick one that is White or Paint, breed back to Orloff. Keep repeating. At some point, breed two of the White or Paint ones together to get more White and less Paint in later generations.

What country do you live in? In the USA, I see that Cackle Hatchery sells White Chanteclers, and they would probably work well.

I don't know for sure if the White Chanteclers have the same "white" gene as the other ones I mentioned, but you would find out in the first generation of crossed chicks. If none of the chicks are white, breed two of the mixes to each other and you will get some white chicks among their offspring. Then breed one of those whites back to Orloff again, and keep repeating the two-generation cycle (white to Orloff, then those chicks to each other, pick a white one to breed to Orloff, then those chicks to each other, etc.)

Most other white chickens should also work with one or other of those breeding patterns. I don't think it even matters if you start with purebreds of any kind, or if you start with a white chicken of unknown ancestry. If it is white, it obviously has some set of genes that can make a chicken white, and those can be crossed into a line of Orloffs.

In general, it's easier if you can start with a chicken that is more similar to an Orloff, rather than one that has big differences, but that only applies if you have any choice of white chickens. It is possible to start with any white chicken and end up with white Orloffs eventually.

 

[Burnttoast5475]

If you already have any white chickens, I would consider them first, regardless of what breed they are.

The awkward thing about white chickens is that there are at least three different sets of genes that can cause that coloring, and it's not always obvious which ones are present until you are a generation or two into the project.

If you have access to Paint Ameraucanas, they have the "white" genes that would be easiest to work with. (You could breed out the colored egg gene along the way, or keep it if you like to get some green eggs.)
The Paint color of other breeds would also work.

Among solid white chickens, White Leghorns almost always have the right "white" genes to work easily, and they are pretty easy to get. The obvious disadvantage is that their body type and temperament are quite a bit different from what you want.

The basic breeding pattern would be Paint x Orloff gives some chicks that are White or Paint, and some are other colors. Pick one that is White or Paint, breed back to Orloff. Keep repeating. At some point, breed two of the White or Paint ones together to get more White and less Paint in later generations.

What country do you live in? In the USA, I see that Cackle Hatchery sells White Chanteclers, and they would probably work well.

I don't know for sure if the White Chanteclers have the same "white" gene as the other ones I mentioned, but you would find out in the first generation of crossed chicks. If none of the chicks are white, breed two of the mixes to each other and you will get some white chicks among their offspring. Then breed one of those whites back to Orloff again, and keep repeating the two-generation cycle (white to Orloff, then those chicks to each other, pick a white one to breed to Orloff, then those chicks to each other, etc.)

Most other white chickens should also work with one or other of those breeding patterns. I don't think it even matters if you start with purebreds of any kind, or if you start with a white chicken of unknown ancestry. If it is white, it obviously has some set of genes that can make a chicken white, and those can be crossed into a line of Orloffs.

In general, it's easier if you can start with a chicken that is more similar to an Orloff, rather than one that has big differences, but that only applies if you have any choice of white chickens. It is possible to start with any white chicken and end up with white Orloffs eventually.

I currently dont have any white chickens available but i feel like a white ameraucana would be closest based on the bear muffs and facial structure. Orloffs have a more pointed downward beak but it is dominant so im not worried about that. I also live in the US! (California)

 

[NatJ]

I currently dont have any white chickens available but i feel like a white ameraucana would be closest based on the bear muffs and facial structure. Orloffs have a more pointed downward beak but it is dominant so im not worried about that. I also live in the US! (California)

I have read that White Ameraucanas often have the recessive white gene, while Paint Ameraucanas definitely have the Dominant White gene.

Dominant White is probably easier to work with: just keep crossing back to Orloff, picking a White or Paint chick in each generation (aim for more white/less paint as much as you can). After a few generations, you should have chicks that are enough like the Orloff that you can breed some of the white/paint ones together and select for better amounts of white. This should be the fastest way to get birds that are mostly white and have mostly Orloff traits, but it may be hard to get rid of all the black bits and have birds that are completely white.

Recessive White may ultimately give you a nicer "white" color, but it takes longer to get any white chickens by this path. Breed white to Orloff and all chicks carry the gene you need but do not show it. Breed two of those chicks together, and you will get some white chicks and lots of colored ones. Breed a white one back to Orloff to get another generation of colored chicks that carry the white gene...

Either way, as you are selecting for the right color, you obviously want to pick the ones that look and act most like Orloffs. Chicks in the first generation will be pretty similar to each other, but after that it helps to hatch large numbers of chicks, to increase your chances of finding ones with the right color and more of the right other traits.

 

[Burnttoast5475]

I have read that White Ameraucanas often have the recessive white gene, while Paint Ameraucanas definitely have the Dominant White gene.

Dominant White is probably easier to work with: just keep crossing back to Orloff, picking a White or Paint chick in each generation (aim for more white/less paint as much as you can). After a few generations, you should have chicks that are enough like the Orloff that you can breed some of the white/paint ones together and select for better amounts of white. This should be the fastest way to get birds that are mostly white and have mostly Orloff traits, but it may be hard to get rid of all the black bits and have birds that are completely white.

Recessive White may ultimately give you a nicer "white" color, but it takes longer to get any white chickens by this path. Breed white to Orloff and all chicks carry the gene you need but do not show it. Breed two of those chicks together, and you will get some white chicks and lots of colored ones. Breed a white one back to Orloff to get another generation of colored chicks that carry the white gene...

Either way, as you are selecting for the right color, you obviously want to pick the ones that look and act most like Orloffs. Chicks in the first generation will be pretty similar to each other, but after that it helps to hatch large numbers of chicks, to increase your chances of finding ones with the right color and more of the right other traits.

Okay that helps a lot! Thank you so much!! I will keep you updated

 

[AinaWGSD]

In this case, dominant white is not going to get you very far towards a solid white bird. Dominant white basically only affects black (and black based) pigment. It does not affect red. Recessive white will turn both black and red pigment white, so recessive white is a better option for this project.

The silver gene can also make white chickens. Silver changes red pigment to white but does not affect black pigment. So you would need dominant white in addition to silver to get from spangled to white orloffs.