ColtHandorf, Yes the English Chocolate Cuckoo Orp is a standard size. I hear ya about the size and mating. I will have to see what kind of roo he is and how big he will get. Ideally, if I do put them together it would be very briefly only to mate.
That's good. We don't want any Bantam Orpington pancakes.
Because the legs are white, I'm pretty sure the white chicks are from my laced orps. The eggs were collected while the flock was still in breeding groups. At 1 week old, I thought the Colombian one was male & the other white a female. Now my predictions have reversed. Of course they could both be male.
Hmm, that's interesting. I keep hearing that Silver-laced Orps will throw Columbian chicks because they carry the Columbian gene. I'm not sure what causes all the other genes to not present though. I thought in that last big set of colored chicks I was going to get some but both the Whites don't have any stray dark feathers anywhere. They've rapidly begun growing on me. I think they are quite cute.
Jewel is my orig "big blue orp." She makes gorgeous babies of all colors.
Well it sounds like everyone needs a Jewel. If Dahlia keeps laying these very round eggs, I'll easily be able to tell her's apart from the Silver-laced. Not that I plan on having her in with them once they've been separated out for breeding. Although I might cross Hollywood over her, just to see what I get. I wouldn't mind Silver-laced birds with her size.
She's smaller but also faster than the LF orps, so they'd have to catch her first.
Good on her for being quick on her feet. I saw someone selling out their whole bantam flock on Facebook and though of you but it was pick-up only and they were several states away.
Cookie's usually right next to me for protection - just like she did with our old roo.
That's so sweet. My geese are pretty good at policing the roosters when they get too rough. Suede still hasn't figured out anything but the chase. He can't catch them and Hollywood would probably flog him if he did. Now that he's the most mature rooster he's one of those leaders who occasionally catches their underling off guard, just so they don't forget who's boss. He is not the benevolent overlord that Sterling was.
I also had ordered Gold Laced english orp eggs but none developed at all. Booo! Either non-fertile or too rough in shipping. I really hate shipped eggs.
Honestly that's one of the biggest reasons I haven't had any eggs shipped in. I've preferred to find local breeders, or to pick them up on my own. Combine the actual shipping with me having to hatch them in an incubator that has a less than amazing track record (all my eggs develop and I only ever manage to get the first two to hatch successfully because the humidity jumps so high the others drown after they begin pipping) and I haven't ordered any. I've thought about trying it with Serama eggs, but I figure those are probably more delicate than the Orpingtons'.
Yes, Get used to saying that one!
Poor blond, fluffy, creatures.
