The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[aveca]

I made my white bantam orps using a white splash male orp over half rock and half wyantotte females. I got alot of blue legs, I picked 4 females with white legs and got a new white orp male and crossed over them Every year I kept daughters and bred back to sire for 4 years. Then I got a new male and started over again. I never got all the blue out of my white females legs. The percent went down but always had a few females with blue legs.

Thanks Don..important info....Isnt it interesting that mine start out a pale blue then turn to white ? strange ..its a head scratcher ... some hatch pink legs, some pale blue, nothing as blue as reneies white splash..I honestly have no idea how this happens..She told me to keep those ones with blue legs..they are oh god I forgot his name..bob follows? I really like these birds ..and its kind of fun but this is odd that they can start out a blue then turn , well you can see in pics below..

here is a befor pic, you can see the bluish legs




Here is same baby at around 3 months



and a couple of close ups...maybe there is no explanation ..I would like to keep a pen of those that hatch pink legged and pen of blue legged that turn white..eventually I will, next year Im going to tag the blue legged ones just for record..I have to tag them, as you can see , they dont stay that way, and I would forget who is who..

 

[aveca]

Show them. There are those that show the ones bred to the UK standard here in the USA and do very well. Don't worry overmuch about it, show and have fun.

Thats what I say..go take your birds and have a great time.I show some...there are several people in here that have been successful showing english birds..the type is paramount, the judges will guide you on how they think you can improve....

 

[deek]

...

Heres something interesting..the imported whites I have were bred much more to everyones standards, they were german imports to england then bred into some brit whites..this caused a few interesting things to come out, nothing bad, just an off colored feather here or there on a few birds, very minor stuff..they have a shorter feather pleantly of leg showing and beautiful orp type..one of the strange features they have is some of them hatch with blue legs..but by the time they are 5 months old the legs are winter white..Not sure why that happens but its interesting..Pastor romig said to me when looking at the babies, are those legs blue, some are pink, some blue? I said yep, now look in this pen with 4 month olds..beat both of us why this happens..but the end result was there..white legs that look like buff legs..white scales..a few appear to carry the gold gene, corn and grass roaming affects tips of feathers, but all of the females stay stone cold winter white no matter what..so Im guessing the whitest and largest male will be in the breeding pen with the hens next year.. I need some coaching on these. LOL. Just noticed the head in the upper right corner...

 

[aveca]

I enjoy learning about your whites. Fascinating. I sooooo love the whites. Do they handle the heat any better? My blacks sure hate the heat. They start panting before the GL do

Almost as much fun as I have had following the GLs with you Dee!! Lots to learn here, the whites run from shade spot to shade spot.., so did I hee hee..boy that sun felt like a microwave this summer..they seem to do just fine in the heat ..,

like you I ask lot of questions here and abroad.. I just couldnt be happier.. like your project birds , they need some work .... funny how somone who is more intimate with these birds can say , take that big male and breed him to these 2 females..and heres why..I kind of thought that but their validation helps..then they explain things like dont use the one with the smutty feathers..and ressessive white and dominamt white ect..ect...silver genes ,gold genes..like a college course..I see lot of people talk about it but applying it is a whole different ball game..seems like some of the european breeders are very comfortable with not only projects but fixing tid bits..they reach right in and do it..they have tons of project birds and varities, what happens when a blue or white is borrowed for a lemon chiffon cuckoo project , , sometimes the whites that hatch wind up back in white pens , then a funny anomolie will pop out later on, they seem a lot more comfortable with this than we do.or I should say I do...a flat color like white and black is daunting enough for me..you took on those GLS like the best of the european breeders..your an inspiration Dee

 

[Roxannemc]

Quote: What a beautiful bird

 

[aveca]

Yep Dee , thats a GL head LOL!..like I said , those people have so many varieties, and colors its just amazing, a calidascope of color..and it amazes me how comfortable they are with making varieties like mottled or lavander cuckoo ect....the shows that Sandy goes to have up and over 8000 entries sometimes more..there is something for everyone..HUGE orp classes so competition is tough..I think you could hold your own with those GLs over there..

 

[aveca]

What a beautiful bird

Hes a beauty..he belongs to Sandra Hildreth..an amazing orp breeder..

 

[fowlman01]

Scroll back.... I posted 2 pics of one.

I haven't heard the term "white splash " before.

Walt

 

[deek]

Almost as much fun as I have had following the GLs with you Dee!! Lots to learn here, the whites run from shade spot to shade spot.., so did I hee hee..boy that sun felt like a microwave this summer..they seem to do just fine in the heat ..,

like you I ask lot of questions here and abroad.. I just couldnt be happier.. like your project birds , they need some work .... funny how somone who is more intimate with these birds can say , take that big male and breed him to these 2 females..and heres why..I kind of thought that but their validation helps..then they explain things like dont use the one with the smutty feathers..and ressessive white and dominamt white ect..ect...silver genes ,gold genes..like a college course..I see lot of people talk about it but applying it is a whole different ball game..seems like some of the european breeders are very comfortable with not only projects but fixing tid bits..they reach right in and do it..they have tons of project birds and varities, what happens when a blue or white is borrowed for a lemon chiffon cuckoo project , , sometimes the whites that hatch wind up back in white pens , then a funny anomolie will pop out later on, they seem a lot more comfortable with this than we do.or I should say I do...a flat color like white and black is daunting enough for me..you took on those GLS like the best of the european breeders..your an inspiration Dee

Two things keep me from going to the German Shows: theft and illegal imports...by me... I'd be guilty on both counts LOL! Now everyone reading this needs to know I don't even speed because it's wrong. This is just a joke.

 

[deek]

Lynne, my poor husband is getting into the whole chicken thing too. Poor guy. I told him this morning before he left for work, "let's look at the girl's tails this weekend." And he said, "I knew there'd be something I'd like about keeping chickens." Have to love the man. It takes a sense of humor to work with these birds.