Russian Orloffs

[desertmarcy]

did you think she was more true to type than most? Do you think that the "most true to type=stubs of feathers between toes"?

I couldn't really say. I was a complete newbie with these at the time. I took her to a local poultry club show, my very first show, and the judge wrote "stubs" on the card and told me I should pluck them out before the show, that's how little I knew. I don't really think she was any better or worse than her hatch mates that didn't have stubs.

 

[Gresh]

@Ivy: Thank for your suggestion. I will keep that in mind. And I am definitely interested in your offer, but it may be some months before I could talk seriously about it, simply because we are moving to a different area of NC and have to search for a place up there. Lord willing, it will be a place in the country, because otherwise I may have to postpone my Orloff plans for a few years.

@Riddle: I appreciate your input about Welp's Orloffs. I have wondered what kind of stock they were, and it helps to have an idea. By the way, what exactly is duckfeet? I think I've asked that question before, but I don't remember the answer.

 

[kahlua]

I like my Orloffs from Ideal, at least the ones I kept. I did order a bunch and only kept the best few. I had a couple with duckfeet, two with no beards, I think one or two with single combs and one with a pea comb. Then some just didn't have the type I was looking for. But I ended up with 4 pullets and a cockerel, I will hatch some chicks from them very soon.

I also got some chicks from desertmarcy this spring, I need to get some pics, I think they are gorgeous. I lost some to shipping stress and one does have a cross beak but the rest are really nice.
I was afraid I'd never find non-hatchery stock without wasting a ton of money on shipped eggs so I jumped on the opportunity when she mentioned she had chicks available!

Now that i have the nicer stock I will probably phase out most of my Ideal Orloffs, but I will grow some of the chicks out, hopefully they will be nice so I can work them into my breeding plans down the line as an outcross.

 

[Gresh]

@Kahlua: Some of the problems you mentioned with Ideal's Orloffs almost sound like some of the problems that I have heard about with Ideal's Kraienkoppes. I ordered 4 Orloffs from Ideal back in 2010 or 2011. Two died from shipping stress, and two remained. The cockerel turned out fairly nicely, but he had two main flaws: he did not hold himself erect enough (i.e. he didn't have that Oriental gamefowl type), and his brows were not pronounced enough. His pros were that his feet and legs were yellow, his beard was full and well-feathered, and he was developing a good strawberry comb, as far as I could tell. The pullet was a disaster in three main ways: she was not heavy enough (weighing almost as much as a bantam), she had a bad crooked beak, her legs and feet were more of a washed-out yellow than a bright yellow, and she had little feathers here and there on her shins and toes. Also, her tail angle was too low (carried horizontal instead of a 40-45 degree angle), and in that she reminded me almost of a Cubalaya or some other long-tailed breed. She did, however, have a nice full, well-feathered beard, and she had a decent spangled color (though I certainly think type is much more important than color).

 

[gbtwinsmommy]

We just got our RO chicks in the mail today. They are desertmarcy's chicks. Can not wait to see them grow into beautiful chickens.

 

[RiddleMe]

@Riddle: I appreciate your input about Welp's Orloffs. I have wondered what kind of stock they were, and it helps to have an idea. By the way, what exactly is duckfeet? I think I've asked that question before, but I don't remember the answer.

Here's a picture of two birds with duck feet, I cropped kinda close but it's very obvious on both their left feet (believe it's as bad on the right foot of the one in back). About half my culls just had it on one foot... I'm not actually sure what the criteria is to call it duckfoot, the SOP just says "the hind toe carried forward" and gives an illustration that looks like these feet. But what is the cut-off, ie is it anything forward of 45 degrees from center or... it would be interesting to get a judges opinion. For me, I'm just calling anything that doesn't look quite right a cull, so I've culled a few that weren't nearly this obvious.

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks for the picture....pictures always make things clearer!

 

[NCSprout]

I'm just calling anything that doesn't look quite right a cull, so I've culled a few that weren't nearly this obvious.

That is pretty much the idea. Breed the best to the best, cull the rest. You start from where you are with what you have then breed for nothing but improvement. I have been fortunate not to have duck feet. I have had feathers between the toes and I have been told by quite a few of the older breeders across the big pond that this is NOT a fault.

 

[Alaskan]

 That is pretty much the idea. Breed the best to the best, cull the rest. You start from where you are with what you have then breed for nothing but improvement. I have been fortunate not to have duck feet. I have had feathers between the toes and I have been told by quite a few of the older breeders across the big pond that this is NOT a fault. 

Do you think that your birds that had the feathers between the toes looked more true to type?


(I am still curious as to if that holds true)

 

[NCSprout]

I can't say that I see a big difference. I have one currently in my breeding pen that I kept for her upright carriage and overall physical qualities (beard, leg color). The other was put in the laying flock mainly due to color. They are both hens.