Russian Orloffs

[Sylvester017]

My russian orloff pullet. Got from the feed store. She was the only orloff left. So we bought her along with wyandottes and buff orps and then added some pure ameraucanas from a breeder. So she is our only russian orloff. But i love her personality, and her puffy cheeks!

First time I ever heard a feed store carry ROs! A really pretty bird for a feed store purchase! JMO but your Wyans & BOs might turn out more assertive than your RO and Amers. At least your RO will have less combative Amer's to hang out with -- my pure Blue Wheaten Amer was the sweetest kindest flockmate we ever had out of all our breeds. Seems like the pea-combed, crested, bearded, muffed, feather-footed, or vulture-hocked breeds are the most likely to carry the docile or sweetness genes (can you tell I'm partial to these traits)!

 

[Ducks4us]

First time I ever heard a feed store carry ROs!  A really pretty bird for a feed store purchase!  JMO but your Wyans & BOs might turn out more assertive than your RO and Amers.  At least your RO will have less combative Amer's to hang out with -- my pure Blue Wheaten Amer was the sweetest kindest flockmate we ever had out of all our breeds.  Seems like the pea-combed, crested, bearded, muffed, feather-footed, or vulture-hocked breeds are the most likely to carry the docile or sweetness genes (can you tell I'm partial to these traits)!

I am also partial to them haha!
I spend alot of time with them so i can watch their behaviors, so i will definatly keep an eye on that. Right now most of the amerauacanas are not with them yet. They are a few weeks younger and still with some heat. There is only one ameraucana with them, and funny thing is she is who bosses the wyandottes around! Lol . And she is smaller but definatly above them in the order for now. The buffs are pretty docile. But we have a seperate enclosure of leghorns who dont mix well with docile birds. So however everyones personalities pan out they can be seperated into two groups.
I was equally shocked about the feedstore having them. I called ahead becuase its an hour away , -and they told me they only had buffs and wyans available. So i went and as she was picking out my chicks she said oh that one is the orloff.... i said the what??? And she said oh we had a whole order of russian orloffs and this is the only one left! So i had to take it. Glad i did too. I love her!!

 

[Sylvester017]

I am also partial to them haha!
I spend alot of time with them so i can watch their behaviors, so i will definatly keep an eye on that. Right now most of the amerauacanas are not with them yet. They are a few weeks younger and still with some heat. There is only one ameraucana with them, and funny thing is she is who bosses the wyandottes around! Lol . And she is smaller but definatly above them in the order for now. The buffs are pretty docile. But we have a seperate enclosure of leghorns who dont mix well with docile birds. So however everyones personalities pan out they can be seperated into two groups.
I was equally shocked about the feedstore having them. I called ahead becuase its an hour away , -and they told me they only had buffs and wyans available. So i went and as she was picking out my chicks she said oh that one is the orloff.... i said the what??? And she said oh we had a whole order of russian orloffs and this is the only one left! So i had to take it. Glad i did too. I love her!!

What State is your feed store in? None of our SoCal stores ever carried ROs.

 

[Ducks4us]

What State is your feed store in?  None of our SoCal stores ever carried ROs.

Spokane washington

 

[FridayYet]

We get them in our local store every year, but the hatchery birds can have lots of issues, such as Duck Feet.

If you are really interested in good Orloffs, there are some awesome breeders in WA!

 

[Sylvester017]

Spokane washington

Spokane climate is good for ROs and fluffy breeds like EEs, Ameraucanas, Hedemoras, etc. Our climate is not conducive for raising heavyweight or overly under-downed breeds. My fluffy Blue Wheaten Ameraucana was not a heavy bird compared to common dual purpose breeds but she had so much under-down and muffed cheeks/beard that she was miserable in our humid climate - we lost her this year at only 3-yrs-old. Probably explains why our local feed stores don't get much call for ROs but the EEs go flying off the shelves for their blue-green egg production!

 

[Ducks4us]

Spokane climate is good for ROs and fluffy breeds like EEs, Ameraucanas, Hedemoras, etc.  Our climate is not conducive for raising heavyweight or overly under-downed breeds.  My fluffy Blue Wheaten Ameraucana was not a heavy bird compared to common dual purpose breeds but she had so much under-down and muffed cheeks/beard that she was miserable in our humid climate - we lost her this year at only 3-yrs-old.  Probably explains why our local feed stores don't get much call for ROs but the EEs go flying off the shelves for their blue-green egg production!

Oh how sad you lost your girl so young
Good to know about the climate stuff. We are actually about an hour away from spokane. We are in north idaho. But pretty close to the same climate. So i hope my chickens all do well. Im real excited for spring when everyone starts laying.
I will update pics of her when she is bigger !

 

[Ducks4us]

We get them in our local store every year, but the hatchery birds can have lots of issues, such as Duck Feet.

If you are really interested in good Orloffs, there are some awesome breeders in WA!

Okay, good to know. How do you find breeders? and could you tell me what duck feet means? Does it mean they would be webbed? Or is it something that happens later?

 

[FridayYet]

Do you Facebook? There's a breed group there called Russian Orloff Society of USA and Canada that has a lot of information, including links to breeders. I can PM you some names if you don't.

Duck foot is where the toe that is supposed to be pointing backwards on chickens, is rotated forward and pointing toward the front (Like a duck's) It's something that we've been trying to breed out, but still pops up.

Here's a pic on this page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/366393/question-on-silkie-toes-pic/10

You also want birds with beetle brows, yellow legs, short curved beaks and long necks.

Orloffs are great, and I'm glad you are interested in them!

 

[Sylvester017]

Oh how sad you lost your girl so young
Good to know about the climate stuff. We are actually about an hour away from spokane. We are in north idaho. But pretty close to the same climate. So i hope my chickens all do well. Im real excited for spring when everyone starts laying.
I will update pics of her when she is bigger !

Considering ROs were bred originally by a Russian they must've been pretty hardy to survive those cold frozen Russian winters. Our humid climate is the complete opposite and definitely not conducive to thick-feathered breeds. ROs should do well in your climate as long as they aren't subjected to draft/wind. I would guess ROs would have about the same expected production as EEs/Amer's for eggs. Let us know how she does her first year because I understand the 2nd year ROs drop significantly in production. I'm sure breeders are trying to improve on that but for me, I don't mind a breed that takes lengthy rest breaks from laying to give their bodies a rest and to replenish depleted body nutrients. I lost a 11/2 yr-old Breda hen this summer who layed for 10+ consecutive months without rest and died. I strongly believe that heavy production exacerbated and contributed to her early demise. I have increased the variety of nutrition with the new Breda girl we added to make sure every available kind of feed and vitamins will be available to her in case she turns out to be a prolific layer too. Look forward to your pics and updates.