Russian Orloffs

[Maligator Love]

I want to start breeding these beautiful birds but i need to know some info on them.
Are the flighty or friendly or neither?
Good layers?
Do they stay with the flock or are they independent?
Do you wonder off or stay close to barn?
Good in heat, cold or both?
Do they get along with other birds and each other?
Hard to hatch or lots of problems?
Smart (as smart as a chicken can be)?
Good for free range or penned?
Depend on foraging or grain?
that should cover my question but feel free to answer more, if you think of anything.

I understand all birds are different but i would like a general idea to see if they are right for me.
Also is there any established breeder that ships chicks? I was going to order a bunch from ideal and pick the best of the best for my program.

Mailligatorlove, Orloff are a friendly breed which with time will follow you around & let you hold & pet them. As for laying they will lay through the winter when other breeds decrease in their laying. They are a cold hearty breed and very docile towards other chicken breeds. As for hatching they do tend to be broody but like any other chicken it depends on individual hen IMO. I'm just a beginner in this breed and this is just from what I've read about the breed. There are other more experienced Orloff members on here that perhaps can inform you better. I can tell you from my little experience with it hat this is a breed that anyone who has it will definitely fall in love with. There are a few breeders just a matter of asking them if they ship chicks. Are you interested in Spangled or Mahogany orloff?

Well I just found this breed a few hours ago and I think they sound perfect for me. I like the spangled out of the offered colors but on feather site I found crele and splash. The crele and splash would be an amazing addition but i am thinking they are seriously hard to find. Do you know if mixing the spangled and mahogany colors is a no-no?

See answers imbedded in your questions.

Thank you so much! This is very informative.

Is there any place I can buy chicks that are not from the hatchery, for a reasonable price?

 

[desertmarcy]

Well I just found this breed a few hours ago and I think they sound perfect for me. I like the spangled out of the offered colors but on feather site I found crele and splash. The crele and splash would be an amazing addition but i am thinking they are seriously hard to find. Do you know if mixing the spangled and mahogany colors is a no-no?

Thank you so much! This is very informative.

Is there any place I can buy chicks that are not from the hatchery, for a reasonable price?

You can try contacting the people Ivy has listed in the new USOrloff club and see if anybody is still hatching chicks. I have stopped hatching for the season. If you want good stock, I would not worry that much about price. Quality birds are worth paying more for and the real cost comes in the feed required to raise them. Just my opinion.

 

[vtguania]

Well I just found this breed a few hours ago and I think they sound perfect for me. I like the spangled out of the offered colors but on feather site I found crele and splash. The crele and splash would be an amazing addition but i am thinking they are seriously hard to find. Do you know if mixing the spangled and mahogany colors is a no-no?
Maligator Love, the Spangled is the most common found in the US although there are a few members and breeders that have Mahogany. Creole would be a nice addition although I don't think there is almost anyone here in the US with it. Not sure what splash would be. There are around 8 different color variations mostly in Europe & the other side of the world. I don't really know if mixing Spangle d& Mahogany is a no-no. IMO I guess it depends what you are trying to achieve as far as the breed goes.

 

[vtguania]

I agree with Desertmarcy, quality birds are worth their price and for me the Orloff are my favorite breed from the ones I have.

 

[Alaskan]

Can some of you'll guess as to number of eggs per week?

 

[Maligator Love]

I am a broke college student just doing this for a hobby but i would still like quality birds.

I payed around $20-30 for my isbar chicks so some were in there is ok. When I say reasonable I mean that, I get what I pay for. I do not want genetically defective birds with missing beards and twisted toes for $5; I would like breeding quality and good examples of the breed for a reasonable cost(not nessisaraly cheap)

Then the next question would be, what is a reasonable price for good birds? And what makes a good bird?

 

[RiddleMe]

I want to start breeding these beautiful birds but i need to know some info on them. Are the flighty or friendly or neither? Good layers? Do they stay with the flock or are they independent? Do you wonder off or stay close to barn? Good in heat, cold or both? Do they get along with other birds and each other? Hard to hatch or lots of problems? Smart (as smart as a chicken can be)? Good for free range or penned? Depend on foraging or grain? that should cover my question but feel free to answer more, if you think of anything.

I understand all birds are different but i would like a general idea to see if they are right for me. Also is there any established breeder that ships chicks? I was going to order a bunch from ideal and pick the best of the best for my program.

I just got mine this year, they are about 4 months, so can't answer all your questions. Mine are "reactive", I wouldn't say flighty exactly, I can hand feed them and when caught, they settle pretty quickly, but if I don't move slowly they will bounce off the walls, literally. I integrated 7 culls into my layer flock a few weeks ago without any issues/drama. Those 7 are awesome foragers, first out, out all day looking for food, last in at night to roost. I think they would rather forage than eat from the feeder, unlike some of my other birds! They do prefer roosting in the tree in their covered run vs inside the coop, only two have decided to move inside with the rest of the flock. I've let them since its pretty secure (they have 24/7 run access, I never close the coop pop door). If they haven't moved inside by the time they are ready to lay I may have to rethink, but from what I've read, I have at least a couple more months. The 7 are a sub flock, they do wander from the main group, but stick together. The 10 I've held back as possible breeders have had very limited, and closely supervised, free range time, they are doing fine in confinement. Though they have about 46 sq ft per bird (my layers have ~25 sq ft/bird in their coop/run). I have noticed they seem to be more sensitive to heat than my other breeds, mid/upper 80's has them holding out their wings and panting, even with plenty of shade, when my other (heavier) birds are unaffected. Fortunately it rarely, if ever, breaks 100 here, so we will see how the summer goes.

 

[ashandvine]

it's a pity that people will not share in trying to make this breed more common here in the US in all of it's variations of color if possible. Pehaps trying again may change her mind or like you said having NCSprout work their charm on her. Either way it would be worth trying for the breeds sake. I'll keep you guys posted on my Mottled eggs, I have 7 so we will see how many actually hatch.

I am working on blacks myself so no worries about getting some, although knowing who else has them and how they got there will be important to future breeding. If you know someone with a flock of anything other than RBR or Spangled please pm me and NC the details.

Can some of you'll guess as to number of eggs per week?

My older hens were laying 3,4-5 a week and the younger 4-5. Pretty good really.

 

[vtguania]

ashandvine not sure what RBR is if I find out any other variations out I will most def let you & NC know. The person I got my Mottleds from has creole, cuckoo, & black they're working on but as you say it's important to know how they got it. I have a young pair of white bantams but I'm more on the LF side. I also have a few Mahogany eggs coming in this week so we'll see how that goes. Would like to find some Black Breasted Mahogany as well.

 

[Alaskan]

ashandvine not sure what RBR is if I find out any other variations out I will most def let you & NC know. The person I got my Mottleds from has creole, cuckoo, & black they're working on but as you say it's important to know how they got it. I have a young pair of white bantams but I'm more on the LF side. I also have a few Mahogany eggs coming in this week so we'll see how that goes. Would like to find some Black Breasted Mahogany as well.

Who did you buy your Orloffs from?


Ashandvine,

Thanks for the answer about egg production. I am happy with that output. By older hens, how old?