Russian Orloffs

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
On a scale of 1-10...I'd give my boys a 4 on frequency and a 6 on volume. Their crows are "deeper" in pitch than normal...at least I think so.

Mine crow the most in the mornings and sporatically/rarely throughout the day.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
I'm not sure where in SW WA you are...but I'll be traveling to Portland for Christmas and I do have a cockerel I'd be willing to part with or perhaps an rooster....both are Erhard lines...

 

[savingdogs]

I actually would be quite interested, I'm very near Portland, but just invested in some rabbits and supplies so don't have much to spend this month. How much for the cockerel? He would probably fit in better with my situation than an adult roo, as I already have the one who is dominant but not mean. My orloffs who are 1 1/2 and "their" chicks who are about five months old pretty much run in their own little flock in my group although they are not orloffs. I would want a new one to hang out with them. How close is he to five months?

I do have a smaller coop I could put just the orloffs into when I want to hatch eggs. Is he spangled? Does he have a good muff and beard? One of my hens does not, so I should probably look for one with good traits and breed him to my more correct one for hatching eggs.

My orloff hens are not currently laying however, I would sure hope they get back to it if I get a roo! Anyone have experience with this? Their chicks are five months old now and they have still not gotten back to laying any eggs. They are my only white egg layers so I know I'm getting zero eggs. Last year, their pullet year, they were my best layers through the winter. However in springtime they went consistently broody and have not really layed eggs since. But they were fantastic protective mothers and raised all five live offspring successfully. They were as good as having an incubator!

 

[GoneHomeGrown2]

I have seen the Russian Orloffs listed as a white egg layer and as a brown egg layer. My girls are hatchery chicks and I am pretty sure that they are giving me brown eggs. I was thinking that they haven't started laying yet as I have gotten no white eggs yet but caught one of them on the nest and just after she left I had a very warm brown egg. Is this a pretty good indicator of something else mixed in? It doesn't really matter too much I guess, but am now not sure and I am still trying to decide which standard breed I want to have as my main breed, and this has thrown me off on figuring out who is laying well in winter.

 

[Celtic Hill]

they lay brown eggs

 

[GoneHomeGrown2]

Thank you. I am going to have to start monitoring who is in the next boxes and the eggs that I am getting. I really like the Russian Orloffs. They have always been in the top running for my breed of choice.

 

[savingdogs]

Mine lay white eggs.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
My hatching eggs I got were brown. All 29 of them. I don't think you have true Orloffs.

 

[savingdogs]

If you look at different hatchery websites, they say they lay light brown or white eggs. Check this one out:
http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/products/VRB_Sexable_White_Egg_Layers-3040-424.html
Here on BYC under breed descriptions it lists them as laying white eggs.

I will say, mine lay a dirty white color. Buff? Taupe? .....eggshell?

I'm pretty sure they are orloffs though.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I've read both egg colors as well. I don't think that was really an issue when they were creating the breed. I just wish mine would lay something!