The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[matte]

Beautiful day for gardening before the cold front moved in.
We love to use our Orps to prepare our organic raised beds for planting. Their scratching makes a finer seed bed than any hoe.
I like to think of it as making them work for us for a change....but watching them scratch, cluck, and eat the abundance of earthworms, we're not fooling anyone. This is just another treat for them!





The great thing about using these gentle giants is that after an hour or two of scratching, we simply reach in and pick them up to take them back to the coop.

 

[juststruttin]

Beautiful day for gardening before the cold front moved in.
We love to use our Orps to prepare our organic raised beds for planting. Their scratching makes a finer seed bed than any hoe.
I like to think of it as making them work for us for a change....but watching them scratch, cluck, and eat the abundance of earthworms, we're not fooling anyone. This is just another treat for them!





The great thing about using these gentle giants is that after an hour or two of scratching, we simply reach in and pick them up to take them back to the coop.

Great idea. would love to see pictures of your garden in the Spring. I bet it's pretty spectacular. Your hens are very nice too.

 

[aveca]

Beautiful Nellie!!! What a great shape on them already..

Julie. That dark female is going to be amazing..boy is she nice and round.

 

[aveca]

Great idea.  would love to see pictures of your garden in the Spring.  I bet it's pretty spectacular.  Your hens are very nice too.  

I love that..we do same thing just open the gate and the hens go in and work..

 

[matte]

I love that..we do same thing just open the gate and the hens go in and work..

This was before the drought last year. Much of it is owed to the chickens in one way (end) or another...

 

[juststruttin]

This was before the drought last year. Much of it is owed to the chickens in one way (end) or another...

That is awesome. I have 13 beds but there are only 4 x 8 and never look like that!! I planted Asperagus and strawberry plants today. Looking forward to having a couple perennial beds

 

[Christabelle]

My big hens like to lay in trash cans. I have not found anything they like as much for sale and I'm not very handy. I think this girl is pretty. Her name is splash... Im not very creative either.


My young group of BBS and lavender from Nellie. I did not think I liked blue that much, but I think the laced (looking) ones are beautiful.

 

[Christabelle]

This guy is my favorite. He is from Nellie's own imported jubilees, and he is so friendly and colorful. He really stands out from my other jubilees. I take awful pictures though.

 

[matte]

That is awesome. I have 13 beds but there are only 4 x 8 and never look like that!! I planted Asperagus and strawberry plants today. Looking forward to having a couple perennial beds

That's a great combination! Here is our first of both from last spring....both fed from a good dose of deep chicken litter applied in the fall.



(Sorry--we have spring fever) NOW--back to English Orpingtons!

 

[ElitePoultry]

Beautiful day for gardening before the cold front moved in.
We love to use our Orps to prepare our organic raised beds for planting. Their scratching makes a finer seed bed than any hoe.
I like to think of it as making them work for us for a change....but watching them scratch, cluck, and eat the abundance of earthworms, we're not fooling anyone. This is just another treat for them!





The great thing about using these gentle giants is that after an hour or two of scratching, we simply reach in and pick them up to take them back to the coop.

You just gave me a great idea Matt!! Ive used those fence panels for hoop coops but never for greenhouses!! DUHH!!! LOL

I have very high winds here and the PVC Greenhouses just dont cut it. I have frames built for 2 now, just stopped building when i realized id be picking up the greenhouse out of the pasture in a week or two from the storms coming.

Thanks for the head slap!! LOL

My big hens like to lay in trash cans. I have not found anything they like as much for sale and I'm not very handy. I think this girl is pretty. Her name is splash... Im not very creative either.


My young group of BBS and lavender from Nellie. I did not think I liked blue that much, but I think the laced (looking) ones are beautiful.

I admit I used Dog kennels as nest boxes for the big girls before. I think they like all of the extra room. And thats a very nice group of Juveniles there. You should have some keepers in there!

This guy is my favorite. He is from Nellie's own imported jubilees, and he is so friendly and colorful. He really stands out from my other jubilees. I take awful pictures though.

He does have nice size to him.

The jubilee roosters I have been seeing dont have as much white in him as this one. Is a lot of white a desirable trait in Jubilee Roos anyone? I havent really started reading much into the jubilee yet.
But he is beautiful no less. I love the different colors on the jubilees.

That's a great combination! Here is our first of both from last spring....both fed from a good dose of deep chicken litter applied in the fall.



(Sorry--we have spring fever) NOW--back to English Orpingtons!

I woould have loved to make strawberry shortcake with those!!!