Russian Orloffs

[gander007]

11 weeks old now. These are my 1st Russian Orloffs. Do they both look like pullets?

You have a set there as the bigger one is a roo you see them fat neck feathers well they are going to get long and in the next several weeks he will start to develop some saddle feathers and she will get nowhere as big as he is but make sure she gets her fair share of feed so as her development is not stunted he will eat all he can and leave her next to nothing .........

Good lucking RO's ..........

 

[EledaWV]

WeatheredWings both are pullets. The bottom one has no beard/muff therefor I suggest not using her for breeding purposes if it's what you plan. Here's a link to our facebook group page if you're interested in joining the Russian Orloff Society of USA and Canada https://www.facebook.com/groups/uscaorloffs/

Its a great group! What makes you think they're both pullets? Always trying to learn

 

[vtguania]

EledaWV, the fact that a cockerel will have a darker (almost black) chest at this point with white through out. Also a cockerel will have narrow pointy hackle & sickle feathers. You can notice that the one one the right has wide rounded feathers. I disagree with gander007, ROs will have thick boule giving the appearance of a ball regardless of sex. I will post some photos (when I get home from work) of a cockerel to show the way the feathers look and chest color

 

[goshana]

I could be wrong but the one with beard/muff looks like it has duck feet, which is not recommended to keep for breeding. I would post pictures on the facebook page as they are more people on there.

 

[Cknldy]

Vt, gander and/or desertmarcy-I have a question on feed for my Russians. Yall seem to have the experience so here goes: I give a cup of feed per chicken in the mornings when tending all of the poultry. For now the feed consists of a 50 pound bag of layer mixed with 25 pounds of cracked corn. I give all adults wet feed. (Not fermented just add water and stir until all is moistened.) All other breeds including Orpingtons are 'well rounded' but with the ROs the breast bone can still be felt when I pick them up! They get more free range days than other breeds. So am I not feeding them enough? I started mixing in the cracked corn because supposedly it adds weight to the birds. Right now I am debating feeding a second time each day but don't want to spend all that money on more feed if it will be overfeeding them

 

[Cknldy]

And I weighed the cup of feed- it is just over 4 ounces which is the estimate for feeding adult poultry in commercial standards. Of course I don't have 'commercial' birds so I think I just saw a problem there too...:-(

 

[desertmarcy]

Vt, gander and/or desertmarcy-I have a question on feed for my Russians. Yall seem to have the experience so here goes: I give a cup of feed per chicken in the mornings when tending all of the poultry. For now the feed consists of a 50 pound bag of layer mixed with 25 pounds of cracked corn. I give all adults wet feed. (Not fermented just add water and stir until all is moistened.) All other breeds including Orpingtons are 'well rounded' but with the ROs the breast bone can still be felt when I pick them up! They get more free range days than other breeds. So am I not feeding them enough? I started mixing in the cracked corn because supposedly it adds weight to the birds. Right now I am debating feeding a second time each day but don't want to spend all that money on more feed if it will be overfeeding them

How old are the Orloffs? I think this breed tends more towards a gamey appearance, so they are just not going to have the kind of breast you have on an Orpington. You can breed for this, for sure. Orloffs mature slowly, maybe they are still in their lanky stage? You might also need to worm them, that can cause underweight. Mixing that much corn in with layer feed is going to significantly lower the protein content. I'm guessing your layer feed is 16-17% protein, while corn is only about 8-10%. Hopefully they are getting enough bugs while out free ranging, because otherwise, you are not giving them high enough protein. Corn is high carb, so it will add weight--in the form of fat layer.
On the hens, feel their rear end to tell how much fatty tissue they are holding back there. If a lot, then they don't need the corn. Getting a nice big rounded breast on a bird is also a matter of selective breeding.

 

[ashandvine]

I could be wrong but the one with beard/muff looks like it has duck feet, which is not recommended to keep for breeding. I would post pictures on the facebook page as they are more people on there.

Yes, on one but not the other by the pic. The one on right is tough to see at all. Sometimes beards do grow in. Wait till your juvie molt at least to make decisions. I am just getting ready now.

 

[gander007]

Quote:

And I weighed the cup of feed- it is just over 4 ounces which is the estimate for feeding adult poultry in commercial standards. Of course I don't have 'commercial' birds so I think I just saw a problem there too...:-(

Vt, gander and/or desertmarcy-I have a question on feed for my Russians. Yall seem to have the experience so here goes: I give a cup of feed per chicken in the mornings when tending all of the poultry. For now the feed consists of a 50 pound bag of layer mixed with 25 pounds of cracked corn. I give all adults wet feed. (Not fermented just add water and stir until all is moistened.) All other breeds including Orpingtons are 'well rounded' but with the ROs the breast bone can still be felt when I pick them up! They get more free range days than other breeds. So am I not feeding them enough? I started mixing in the cracked corn because supposedly it adds weight to the birds. Right now I am debating feeding a second time each day but don't want to spend all that money on more feed if it will be overfeeding them

desertmarcy, gave you some great advice and not much to add but this is what I do when I get my food wet and do not give it time to ferment is to let the water soak for one to two hours but this is more so because it is just so hot here and I do not want the chickens to use any of their own body fluids to moisten the feed and if properly soaked with water the more nutrients from the feed will be absorbed by the chicken also have you ever added Apple Cider Vinegar to their drinking water and just a half a shoot's worth to a couple of gallons this just makes a difference and helps keep their digestion system clean and healthy as the ORs are a funny bread ..

Are you giving them any other feed as mine get Flack raiser, Laying mash, and as we do not have grass around here a square of alpha in tossed into the bucket and allowed to soak but the alpha is soaked separately to insure it dissolves totally then added to the mix and they eat the feed morning and again in the evening and there are 3 RO hens and 1 RO rooster with 6 EE hens in the coop and the EE hens are in there till grown as Buddy is so gentle with them so he is allowed to have baby's in his coop and run ..... But Buddy is also mostly hen pecked as he likes to roost between the lady's ....

Big Brest on ROs I normally have a bone for the chest in the summer it is only in the winter when cracked corn is in the mix and always available ..

Also due to the chicks being in the coop chick feed and I use Turkey Grow for this is available ....













gander007

 

[Cknldy]

Some turned a year old in April and the others turn a year old in October. They don't look gaunt or bony but when I pick them up by scooping (?) from the front the bone can be felt. I had read somewhere that a chicken's eating/healthy weight could be determined by if that bone could be felt= needs more feed. They eat like pigs! Good point on the corn too, wrong type of fattener...threw a mouse in this morning and it was WWIII in there;-)