Russian Orloffs

[ashandvine]

You know, the calcium deficiency statement piques my attention because I have an Orloff who lays rubber and often extremely thin shelled eggs. Supplying oyster had helped get them from rubber to useable but if I don't keep the calcium in there she reverts to them. I wonder if this isn't something I should pay close attention to while bringing up young so that their bones have plenty of time and calcium to develop and thereby support the meaty structure of their bodies.

Silly question, but curiousity is high today: In keeping several roosters/cockerels how are people managing their housing so they remain healthy outside the main flock?

 

[desertmarcy]

You know, the calcium deficiency statement piques my attention because I have an Orloff who lays rubber and often extremely thin shelled eggs. Supplying oyster had helped get them from rubber to useable but if I don't keep the calcium in there she reverts to them. I wonder if this isn't something I should pay close attention to while bringing up young so that their bones have plenty of time and calcium to develop and thereby support the meaty structure of their bodies.

Silly question, but curiousity is high today: In keeping several roosters/cockerels how are people managing their housing so they remain healthy outside the main flock?

I have a series of 4'x4' pens all built together in a unit. I call it my chicken condo. The Orloffs are the only breed so far I have been able to house 2 adult males together. In my first group of Orloffs, I got 3 males. One was in with the pullets and I put the other two together in one of these smaller pens. They were buddies and didn't try to fight, would sit side by side up on the perch. I eventually sold one of them and wanted to take the other male away from the hens since I wasn't hatching and some of the hens were getting bare backs. I wondered if I'd be able to now house these two males together since they had been apart since they were young. There was a little bit of initial squabbling, but since then, they have been fine together. I am quite amazed at this, but I'm not complaining since they keep each other company. I'm not sure if this is the kind of information you were asking for. I really like how mellow my Orloffs are.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Silly question, but curiousity is high today: In keeping several roosters/cockerels how are people managing their housing so they remain healthy outside the main flock?

All our Orloffs are in the same coop. Right now I've got 26 in the coop until my final cull in late December, about 5 cockerels and my old rooster and the rest are hens and young pullets. I've never had a problem with housing the roosters together as long as they are raised together.

When I pull out pairs to single mate in the spring there will be a little fighting when they are put back together, but they settle down after a few days. What I do on single mating is I pull out the pullets/hens I want to breed and put them in individual coops. I get the rooster I want to mate to that hen and add him to the pullet's coop for 24 hours at a time, a couple of times a week, then put him back with the rest of the flock. It seems they don't really fight much when put back together if they aren't apart any longer than that. A hen doesn't need to be kept with the rooster all the time to keep her fertile.

So I guess I'm saying ours really aren't raised outside the main flock.

BTW, I also hatch out the eggs from the flock pen, just mark them separately. Sometimes I get lucky and get better birds that way than the ones I mate up myself. It's a learning curve for me.


I just promised a young man a trio of my adult birds when I get ready to set up my breeders in January. I like paying it forward and I think he'll do well. It will be one more breeder to work with them.

 

[ashandvine]

BTW, I also hatch out the eggs from the flock pen, just mark them separately. Sometimes I get lucky and get better birds that way than the ones I mate up myself. It's a learning curve for me.

The woman I am getting a few birds/eggs from also has all her cockerels in one pen and they are fine but I don't know if that is because they are not exposed to hens and there by avoid the cause to fight.

I am not clear what you are saying above and would like to be if you don't mind trying to explain it again. How are you marking and how do you know who's the parents? I am at a point with some of the roosters i have here that I want to get them separated. I have one that is really over mating the girls and I think molt might be starting too... so what I am saying is these girls look pretty shabby.

 

[sandycrkbtms]

Very nice birds, I waited 5 years to get my spangled bantams qand the wait was worth it!

 

[livin-green]

I have been searching online for anyone breeding large fowl Spangled Russian Orloffs...UUUGGHHH! I can't find any breeders...Does anyone on here breed SRO's or know someone who does?? I ordered a couple from Ideal Poultry this past spring, and I want more!! I'm not yet positive, but I think I have a cockerel & a pullet. I'm trying to line up where I can get some more. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[desertmarcy]

I have been searching online for anyone breeding large fowl Spangled Russian Orloffs...UUUGGHHH! I can't find any breeders...Does anyone on here breed SRO's or know someone who does?? I ordered a couple from Ideal Poultry this past spring, and I want more!! I'm not yet positive, but I think I have a cockerel & a pullet. I'm trying to line up where I can get some more. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm breeding them. Mine did not come from Ideal. I won't be hatching any until the fall or later though, it is too hot here right now.

 

[BlackPanther]

I'm thinking about getting Russian Orloffs and have some worries about how they will do in the south; particularly about the heat and humidty -- we usually get 97+ degree weather. (I don't have a mister and cannot install one.)
Does anybody have any experience with/insight on this?

Does anybody know of a good-quality place to order Russian Orloffs from in the south?

 

[NCSprout]

Welcome to all the new people! Glad you're here. As far as getting Orloffs goes, I think you will find later in the fall or nest spring to be the most opportune time to get them. Mine have handled the heat and humidity here in NC well, and I have no fans or temperature regulating system, just a few frozen water bottles and frozen veggies. I house males together in a rooster coop until I have decided which ones to keep as breeders then cull the rest. I let them run with the flock until I breed. I breed either 1 or 2 hens per pen and move the roo between them every other day. The boys squabble a bit when put back together, but usually work it out in a few days.
MFB, I hope to get down to your place sometime next spring and get some of what you've been working on. Definitely looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll have something worthwhile to bring with me and broaden the gene pool a bit.

 

[ashandvine]

Mine just hide in the shade or barn and pant but we have higher humidity than temps, only high 90's usually. For those of you 'breeding" how are you tracking your pairs and are you incubating or using silkies/muscovies/brooders?