The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[PlainOrpingtons2018]

This is what I like to breed more towards, I like for my birds to have more white on them that’s a personal choice, some breeders like darker birds, but I feel like breeding darker birds causes messy lacing. Almost “partridge” or “double laced” looking

I do prefer the lighter birds, and recently purchased this group of adults which this 1 darker laced hen comes from lol, she’s got beautiful type so I’ll hatch out a good about of babies from her to see if my “theory” is right about breeding SL that are heavy in black.

This is what I feel breeding darker SL birds causes, notice how heavy the black on this cockerel is, his lacing was not crisp at all. His chick down looked like a gold laced orp. He was a “surprise chick”. The breeder I got him from said she didn’t have an gold laced orps and he would “look normal” once he was fully grown.

I think I read that you want to start a lavender silver laced project? I want to start that as well, but atm I’m going to work on Isabel laced, I was lucky enough to find a hen when I went to purchase the SL adults!

 

[ColtHandorf]

@Faraday40 - Crystal is lovely! She's just sooo flooofy. I'm pretty sure that's the technical term.

I find it interesting that everyone (for the most part) is preferring Sterling over either of the other roosters. I'd like to see what I get from them in regards to size and lacing in the next generation. Sadly I only have one left from this spring (thank you rat snakes), but I have eggs in the incubator now and have two friends with eggs as well. The girls are laying with a vengeance considering this heat so I may be tempted to set some more eggs.

I really do like Hollywood though, as a nice back-up for now and main flock rooster to cover next year. What I'd love is for them all to be as well feathered as y'all's. What are y'all providing them with to help them with their molts. I wish I had the extra pens now. I'd just separate all the males and let the females relax until this fall. But despite the heat, I'm getting 100% fertility from the most recent clutch of eggs that someone set. So I suppose it is better to muddle along setting a dozen eggs or so at a time.

Does anyone have insight into his lighter feathering in comparison to either of the other two roosters?

No name isn't people aggressive. And he really isn't overly aggressive with the ladies. I think my dislike of him stems from the first weekend they were home. He very clearly was the instigator when it came to all the bloodied combs and missing feathers. When I picked them up I was so excited to get the four birds for $150 that I didn't even stop to think where they'd go when I got home. It was after 10:00 at night and so I just stuffed them up on the roost and hoped for the best. The following morning Sterling was in a corner hiding covered in blood (I'd just trimmed his spurs too, do he was at a major disadvantage despite his larger size) and the other two who had been housed together were rolling around like little boys on the playground. I separated everyone and no name would continue to start stuff. Of course my allegiance was to Sterling so I penned both the new boys up in some extra sections of fencing so he could get a break. He wouldn't even raise his head or call the ladies. Somehow by evening (I'm sure they were fighting through the fence) the new boys got out but apart from small scuffles were leaving well enough alone. Since then they all get along except when someone is breeding. Then they have to run over there and knock them off to do it themselves... *deep sigh* They've also ripped out some chest feathers but there hasn't been any fighting. Anyway, he's just very dominant. Which I don't like. lol Sterling has "first child" syndrome and Hollywood get's "pretty boy" syndrome.
@PlainOrpingtons2018 - I believe you and I are on the same Facebook group! I'm pretty sure I've seen those ladies before. We'd talked about you separating them because the males had over-bred them before you brought them in which was the same thing that happened with mine.

I do know that the yellow legs tend to pop up in CrazyEweFarm lines for some reason. I also find some posts on here when the owner used to post regularly saying that it was only a matter of time before the Silver-laced breeding produced Columbian-colored birds and to expect that. I'm not sure if the yellow legs were as common before he sold the flock, but I've noticed a lot of people that have that line claiming to produce yellow-legged birds. Thankfully white is dominant, so I'm hoping that by removing Sterling and Duchess from the breeding pens next year and only breeding back to Hollywood or another male from a white skinned line that I can weed the yellow legs and beak out. I didn't know any better when I was purchasing them and the photos didn't show the color very clearly. Picking them up at night in a parking lot didn't make it much easier to spot. Plus Sterling had sliced the bottom of his foot and was bleeding, so I was more anxious to get them home and taken care of than I was admiring them.

I haven't had any feathered shanks pop up so far. But I'll look out for them.

That's interesting that you mention the chick that feathered out silver but had down that is typical of gold at hatch. I am producing chicks like that from Duchess and Sterling. The breeder in Diana that I got the four from, produces them out of those four birds also. A few of the more genetically minded folk have looked into this without coming up with a definitive answer on what is causing it yet. I'm assuming you haven't had any since you chose to not breed that cockerel?

I do know what you mean about nice looking Silver-laced Orpingtons. This website:

https://www.chickenridgefarm.com/silver-laced-orpington.html

shows some pretty good birds. I like the males, but the hen in the first picture that is below the banner of the two females is too light in my opinion. Her hackles aren't defined because they are too "bright". Honestly the mother of one pullet I have has the most amazing lacing I'd like to breed for.

Her father is the male in the picture. He's very handsome, and also under a year old. He'd filled out quite a bit more when I saw him with better lacing as well. So I'm pleased to have her in the flock. I wish the snakes hadn't killed her two sisters and brother I brought home. It's a very long drive to get more...lol But I'll have to do it sometime.

What I'm really going for is crisp, well-defined lacing. Like you'd see on a cochin. https://www.google.com/search?q=Sho...AUIESgB&biw=1344&bih=698#imgrc=ushcbr5yWaYAcM: I think that's more realistic since they are both soft-feathered. The Wyandottes are crisp but more hard-feathered.

I am glad to be finding more friends breeding the Silver-laced. I was so shocked when I found my first pair on Craigslist. It's nice to be making contacts with other breeders.

And yes, I am planning on starting a Lavender Silver-laced project next year and if I can get the POL blue, black, and splash pullets that I want, I can start the Blue Silver-laced project this fall.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lol. Looks like I'm the @SS backwards one of the bunch.
I wouldn't breed sterling at all if I had another choice. And as far as another choice I'd pick no name over hollywood.
The reason some people's lines keep having the yellow pop up is because they did just like you would be doing using sterling..
Every chick he produces will have the yellow gene and every chick any of them produce will have a 50/50 chance of having it. They will all carry it sight unseen and continuing breeding to white skinned chicks will reduce it but not ever eliminate it.
Not a road I'd want to take if there's options not to.
If you do continue that route I'd suggest at some point to test breed every breeder to see if they carry it then eliminate all that do and that is a huge choir if you have more then a handful of breeders.
That's the fun and headaches of breeding.

 

[Faraday40]

Dinner doesnt sound like he's a ladies man, and while he doesn't necessarily attack you, you are doing the girls any favors.

I had to laugh when you called him "Dinner." That's what I named this pretty boy below. He was a lav (but I think my laced roo may have been involved somehow). Not sure exactly what caused it, but he had some gorgeous gold/buff lacing around the edge of every feather. He wasn't anything I wanted to breed, so I named him Dinner. As time went by, it became clear his personality was amazing. My DD fell in love with him and prevented me from processing him twice. I ended up giving him away to a friend (Molpet), since I knew DD would never let me cook him. The name Dinner stuck with him even though he became more of a pet.

 

[PlainOrpingtons2018]

@ColtHandorf yes lol! I thought I recognized your birds but wasn’t too sure, yup my poor gals were very overbred, 2 cocks on 3 hens!! I’ve had them separated for a bit and I’ve set what I could, I really love them! And I’m a bit of a hatchaholic lol! If you’re in Texas I can hook you up with a cockerel, I’ll be growing out what I can from these birds

 

[ColtHandorf]

Just candled eggs before bed and all nine in the incubator are fertile. I don’t think they are turning properly, but I’ll see if manually turning them a bit helps.

The birds had a nice time out on the grass and dirt this evening. It was the babies’ first time on the ground. They had a blast chasing bugs and dust bathing.

The adults were much to cool for that. And that pullet is really starting to fill out and look nice. I can’t wait to see what she looks like in a few more months. She’s almost six now.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Yep, I’m in Texas. Right now I’ve got four females and three males, so I’m good on boys for the time being. I’d love to get another bloodline or two though. Especially if I can get some with some size on them. It annoys me how small the Silver-laced seem to be compared to some of the solid colors. I really need some more females though.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

@ColtHandorf I love your goose, he/she is such a ham!

 

[ColtHandorf]

@ColtHandorf I love your goose, he/she is such a ham!

That is Golly Goose. He is ridiculous and always has to be the center of attention. I love him dearly but his is a meddler of the highest degree and he and his wife Georgia are both presidents of Busy Bodies Anonymous. Only with all the talking and grumbling nothing they do is a secret...lol Eventually they are going to be housed away from the Orpingtons in their own pen. They are too rough on the birds when the mood suits them and were downright murderous during the breeding season.

Any opinions on the pullet?

Also Duchess was sneezing on and off all evening yesterday and acting lethargic. I picked her up before putting her on the roost for the night and could hear the congestion. Any advice for something I can give her? I've never actually had to medicate my chickens before for what sounds like a wicked upper respiratory infection. On how on earth you get one when there hasn't been rain in nearly three weeks and it's averaged 95 degrees everyday I'll never know. Anyway, I'm just worried she's too weak after all the trauma she's been through in the last six months for her to fight this off by herself and I don't want to lose her. She's still eating and drinking, her poo is looser than it should be, and she's laying. But her breathing is awful.

 

[Faraday40]

@ColtHandorf
I love the pile of lav orps.

....and your photo-bombing goose! My fav old hen 'Precious' was like that. She was a barnyard mix, but the center of attention. Why would anyone want to take a pic of any other chicken while she was around!?