The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[thedragonlady]

love those buffs

Goodness! The "Golden Horde" thanks you everyone! Good food, worming, debugging, and sunshine do a lot! The girls all thought I was nuts today crawling about, and getting my butt wet!


"Whatcha doing down there, Mom???"

 

[juststruttin]

They certainly look like they are living the good life

 

[deek]

Some of the SOP girls at 6 months and 3 weeks. All bred to Monty. Mrs. P. was not ready for her close up. She was laying an egg.

Just noticed something about those girls. I knew type would be awesome, because they're your girls. But what I find totally amazing is that they don't show any shafting. I have been researching how to correct shafting in the Gold Laced for months now. Almost all of the GL lines have shafting. My girls all have shafting, some of my boys do too. You pop them out, and their color is uniform and rich, and NO shafting.

 

[thedragonlady]

They certainly look like they are living the good life

All my critters do.The kale, turnip greens, rye, and oats are now up for their winter grazing too. Crimson clover comes up in the early spring. I actually fertilize chickweed. They love it, and have good foraging year round. Saves a lot of $ on feed too!

 

[thedragonlady]

Just noticed something about those girls. I knew type would be awesome, because they're your girls. But what I find totally amazing is that they don't show any shafting. I have been researching how to correct shafting in the Gold Laced for months now. Almost all of the GL lines have shafting. My girls all have shafting, some of my boys do too. You pop them out, and their color is uniform and rich, and NO shafting.

Thanks Dee. Some of it is hereditary, and some is due to faulty diet. I have been so pleased with their lack of shafting since so many Buffs, EBOs and SOP, have it. I'm sure when yours molt out on your good diet that the shafting will have gone too.

 

[BamaChicken]

Beautiful Buffs Vickie. I hope I get to see a lot of them at shows I attend this year. '' Thanks for all the compliments. Irene i am so happy your pleased with your soap. My family thinks the same thing. Hopefull I can make some more next week. For all of you who live in Fl, Al, Ga areas , Ms. too, There is going to be a Show in Pensacola,Fl Dec 8. I know Matt Ulrich who has some really beautiful Buffs will be a part of the show and showing. I am planning on going and if I have anything with feathers by then or any pullets that look okay I may show one or two. I may show a Choc bantam pullet too. I can post the website for info if anyone is interested

 

[Don Chandler]

How does diet have anything to do with shafting?

 

[thedragonlady]

How does diet have anything to do with shafting?

Hi Don,

Take a good look at the OLD feathers on your Buffs. This is the perfect time of year to do it. Those old feathers fade, and tend to develop a soft Wheaten pattern with the shaft being lighter too.....shafting. Buffs, genetically, are really Wheatens. The trick is to breed the the wheaten markings in the same shade of buff, with deep Buff shafts to the roots to lessen the wheaten effect, and make a solid gold bird.

The more carotine and oils are fed, the more intense the color on Buff. Canary breeders have known this for years..yup, bred those too... and routinely color feed their birds. I've seen them produce gorgeous red and golden birds with color feeding. Those birds on their next molt, if not color fed, will molt out into pale, washed out birds, much to the surprise of some new owners.

Feather quality...substance of feather, will also affect shafting, and can be greatly altered by diet. I'm sure you've bought a few birds in poor feather, molted them, while feeding them a better diet, and have seen them vastly improved in feather quality and color. I know I have. I've also seen it work in reverse when I have sold birds in the past who were correct in color, to owners who skimped on diet. Those birds end up as very washed out shadows of their former selves.

And my recipe is......Bugs, sunflower seeds, and eye of newt!

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Do you keep the roo with them all the time? How do you keep their backs so nice? They're so cute.

 

[galanie]

Hi Don,

Take a good look at the OLD feathers on your Buffs. This is the perfect time of year to do it. Those old feathers fade, and tend to develop a soft Wheaten pattern with the shaft being lighter too.....shafting. Buffs, genetically, are really Wheatens. The trick is to breed the the wheaten markings in the same shade of buff, with deep  Buff shafts to the roots to lessen the wheaten effect, and make a solid gold bird.

The more carotine and oils are fed, the more intense the color on Buff. Canary breeders have known this for years..yup, bred those too... and routinely color feed their birds. I've seen them produce gorgeous red and golden birds with color feeding. Those birds on their next molt, if not color fed, will molt out into pale, washed out birds, much to the surprise of some new owners.

Feather quality...substance of feather,  will also affect shafting, and can be greatly  altered by diet. I'm sure you've bought a few birds in poor feather, molted them, while feeding them a better diet, and have seen them  vastly improved in feather quality and color. I know I have. I've also seen it work in reverse when I have sold birds in the past who were correct in color, to owners who skimped on diet. Those birds end up as very washed out shadows of their former selves.

And my recipe is......Bugs, sunflower seeds, and eye of newt!

And now I know why it is that one of my hatchery buffs who feathered out with a very washed out color last year, became a much darker, richer buff after molt this year! They have been getting better diet this fall and more oils.