The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[Faraday40]

I sometimes use meatbird feed for my orp chicks. It has higher protein and is easier to find in large bags. (Mana Pro Gamebird = $7 for a 5lb bag Nutrena Meatbird = $15 for 40lb or cheaper store brand for $14 for 50lb)

If you feed it to the whole flock, the adult orps may get runny poop. It's still safer than letting the chicks eat layer feed with the calcium. I just keep many feeders out. My smaller feeders were made for chicks /bantams and have the meatbird. My reg feeders have larger openings and are raised for the hens.

 

[Faraday40]

What do you guys think of this 6 wk old boy? (same cockerel in all 3 pics)

I have 2 SLO males. This one is slightly bigger but has a comb that's not straight. If it's a little to the side now, will it continue to get worse? The beak may look yellow, but it's just the lighting. Beak & legs have white skin. Lacing already looks great on both birds.

If I know he's got no chance of breeding, I'll probably cull him sooner than later.

 

[Faraday40]

Here's the other guy

Wow! The skin looks yellowish in all these pics. I'm going to have to check it out in the morning in natural sunlight.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Second guy gets my vote.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I too prefer the second rooster. The crooked comb will stay crooked in my experience. The second one does look a little smaller, but he also has the better comb.

I’m going to grab pics of all mine individually tomorrow morning before work if I have the time. It’s amazing how quickly they go through chick starter/grower. Lol I’m almost through a 40 pound bag in under two weeks between them and the Lavenders. I’m also going to start giving that little cockerel B12 directly and see if it helps him walk better. I should probably just cull him, but he’s too small for anyone to want him for eating right now.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Alright, I’ve numbered everyone off and taken pictures while I was moving them outside. The turkeys were escaping the brooder so I needed to get them in a cage. I only took a picture of one of the white ones. So there are still nine of them. I swear they are all cockerels. And what is up with those legs?! White is dominant to yellow. But I swear every chick has yellow legs.

Anyway, please take a guess at colors now that they are feathering in. Gender too if you’re that brave.

@Faraday40 @homeschoolin momma @PlainOrpingtons2018 @CountryFlock @The Moonshiner

 

[Faraday40]

@ColtHandorf
I noticed that some of my orp chicks this year are also looking yellowish in the legs. I wonder if the yellow hue could be from something in the grass or diet.

I notice that my grass has a yellow-rusty dust (pollen or mold or something) that clings to my shoes. My adult orps still look white-skinned, so perhaps it wears off.

I also remember that I hatched a few leghorns last summer and gave one to my friend. Although the same age & genetics, the leghorn who stayed had a very yellow beak & almost orange legs. Her Leghorn had pale yellow legs. Mine was free ranging in the yard with her adopted mama from day 1. My friend's was raised in a brooder for 6 wks & then in a tractor. Mine started laying in Sept 2018 but hers didn't start until Feb/March 2019. Hers was only a few weeks away from being processed for being a useless eater before she started laying.

So, I'm going to keep my nicest spring cockerel (since all 4 have yellowish beaks/legs) and see if it disappears with age.


I'll get back to you on the chick gender guessing game. All (except #5) look silver laced to me. #5 looks like a white orp.

 

[CountryFlock]

The yellow legs could be because most of the chicks are het for white legs and they possibly might just lighten up. Leg color changes quickly and with age.

All the legs on my F1 double laced orp chicks are very dark yet all parents of course have the whitest of legs. It will change and I expect the leg color of your chicks to change too. I’m expecting a large range of phenotypes in my F2s similar to the phenotypes of those chicks.

It would be interesting to see the white one to turn into a Columbian phenotype. That’s what would make the most sense.

I haven’t been paying attention 100%. What are those chicks for above? Project wise or breeding wise?

 

[ColtHandorf]

Interesting on the leg color. These babies just may end up pretty yard art until I'm done test breeding.

#5 and it's counterpart are definitely both Whites. I just don't understand the variation in the down color for all of those babies to feather in Silver-laced on a black ground. In person a couple of them look like they might be Chocolate Silver-laced? But that'll be hard to tell until they are older.

 

[ColtHandorf]

@CountryFlock - All nine of those chicks were produced from six visually Silver-laced adult birds. Three different males over three different hens.