The BANTAM ORPINGTON Thread

[edahcsmac]

Does anyone know of a bantam breeder in the Pennsylvania/ New Jersey/ Maryland area? I would love to get some bantam orpingtons!

 

[Faraday40]

Guess who's broody AGAIN!


Cookie turned into the Cookie Monster last week. On Memorial Day, we found her sitting on 11 eggs. Some of the hens broke 2 eggs. Out of the remaining 9, 7 eggs are developing. We removed the clears, so the viable eggs have a better chance. Four look like full sized, purebred orp eggs. Our roos are too big to mate Cookie, & she's too fast for them. For a hen who's never laid a fertile egg, she has hatched the most chicks. This is her 5th time going broody & the 3rd time we're allowing her to incubate. (Cookie's only 1yr 5mo old.)

 

[Faraday40]

BTW- The netting is to keep the big girls out - not to jail Cookie. I open it up each morning so she can take a quick bio break & dust bathe while I clean the coop. I found this makes it easier for her to transition back into the flock, b/c she never really left. Once the eggs hatch, I move the little family to a wire cage inside the run.

 

[jeremy]

Go Cookie!

My broody had a difficult time transitioning back into the flock after she brooded chicks, she's always been a sweet & mild tempered girl. So when I reintroduced her & her babies, she quickly fell to the bottom of the pecking order. Poor girl.

Quick pic (with my iPhone) of one of the Chocolate pullets I've grown out this year. She should be laying any day now...

 

[Faraday40]

Go Cookie!

My broody had a difficult time transitioning back into the flock after she brooded chicks, she's always been a sweet & mild tempered girl. So when I reintroduced her & her babies, she quickly fell to the bottom of the pecking order. Poor girl.

Quick pic (with my iPhone) of one of the Chocolate pullets I've grown out this year. She should be laying any day now...

Very pretty. Too bad we're not closer. I was tempted to hatch a few more bantam orps this summer (maybe even a boyfriend for Cookie), but the breeder I got them from got rid of her bantam orp flock.

 

[jeremy]

A few more pictures...

Blue split Chocolate cockerel I'm growing out, the only Blue boy I hatched this year.
His color is a bit all over the place right now, but I like his type.
He's showing some promise.



Splash split Chocolate cockerel, half brother to the Blue, same father but different mother.
He's shaped more like a brick, sort of how a good Rhode Island Red should be.
I don't think I'll be holding onto him for breeding.



Another Chocolate pullet, younger sister to the pullet I posted a picture of the other day.
She's a couple months younger, but I like her.



Black hen... mother to the Blue split Choc cockerel, and Chocolate pullet.
She's going thru a rough molt... LOL.
Poor girl.

 

[Honora]

One of my splash pullets just went broody. She won't leave the nesting box and if I try to pick her up she makes the most hilarious squawk! I've never had a broody before; if she stays that way I'll have to get her some eggs.

Your blue cockerel is very pretty Jeremy; would you consider renting him out? I don't know if people do that, ha ha! I wish I could have a rooster but we go away in the summer so I'd have to get rid of him again before next summer.

 

[Faraday40]

If you don't want more chicks, you could "break" her by keeping her in a wire bottomed cage for a few days. If you want chicks, just place some fertile eggs near her. She will roll them with her beak & add them to her collection. I mark the incubating eggs with a Sharpie so I can keep track. (Sometimes she'll find & add extras. i need to keep track of which are hers, so i can remove the new additions. Pencil rubs off.)

 

[Honora]

If you don't want more chicks, you could "break" her by keeping her in a wire bottomed cage for a few days. If you want chicks, just place some fertile eggs near her. She will roll them with her beak & add them to her collection. I mark the incubating eggs with a Sharpie so I can keep track. (Sometimes she'll find & add extras. i need to keep track of which are hers, so i can remove the new additions. Pencil rubs off.)

I would love to have chicks! I don't need any but it would be fun to let her raise some. This morning she was off the nest so I thought she had quit, but I was out all day & when I got back she was sitting again.

So I want to make sure she will stick with it before I get any eggs. She is very young, only started laying a month ago.

 

[Faraday40]

Broodies need to take bio breaks, but you're right to make sure she's truly broody before giving eggs - especially with a 1st time broody. Cookie 1st went broody at about the same age. For her it was a cold November, so I kept trying to talk her out of the idea. (Dec-Feb are brutal here! No time to have chicks.) She showed me by molting & stopped laying eggs for almost 2 months.

I'm allowing her current hatch b/c it's not that cold & I already have someone interested in the chicks. I was also curious to see if our young cockerel was doing his job. Turns out he's doing it very well.