The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[ColtHandorf]

That's Sterling's chick, right?

This is the last egg he could have fertilized.

Are there more eggs in the incubator?

I only set two eggs and while both developed the second appears to be DIS. Candling doesn't show any movement and I can't hear anything when I hold it up to my ear. I'll probably set the little fart up in my bedroom with a heat lamp and a stuffed toy when I get home. One little chick can't smell that bad. lol

 

[homeschoolin momma]

One little chick can't smell that bad. lol

Sure.....for about a week......

 

[Faraday40]

[QUOTE="ColtHandorf, post: 21939526, member: 533208"One little chick can't smell that bad. lol[/QUOTE]
It's not the smell but the noise that one lonely chick can make.


Hold me
I'm lonely, mama
I'm hungry
Hold me
I'm bored
I'm cold
Hold me
Mama, where are you?
I miss you
Hold me

Yep. It will be fun times at your place with one lonely only peeper.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Sure.....for about a week......

It's not the smell but the noise that one lonely chick can make.

Lol The tub is huge! I'm hoping the little stinker doesn't make too big a mess too quickly...lol

Hold me
I'm lonely, mama
I'm hungry
Hold me
I'm bored
I'm cold
Hold me
Mama, where are you?
I miss you
Hold me

Yep. It will be fun times at your place with one lonely only peeper.

Don't I know it...lol The breeder I got the quad from way back in the Spring has Seramas, but I don't know if I want to drive two hours one way to get them. lol I've got a lot of breeder contacts written down and of course they are all at home. I was going to text a couple that are about an hour away to see if they had any SLO chicks.

 

[Faraday40]

How old is Mr. Nice? Is it worth replacing him, or hoping to see if you produce another nicer cockerel from him next year? I'd be tempted to keep him due to the comb issues with both the younger boys.

Because "Mr Potential" may not have as much potential as I orig thought, I'm going to get rid of Wonky 1st. Then I'll decide between Nice Guy & Potential for the #1 lav roo spot. I'll hold on both of the 2 Sept lavs until I can determine gender. If the little lav of ??? gender ends up being male, then he may the winner. I really like the shape. If both are female, then I'll have to sell one. I already have enough females.

This is such a hard decision. I love the way Wonky's long saddle & hackle feathers blow in the wind. (reminds me of Fabio in Orpington form) Hopefully Wonky's sister + whichever roo I keep will produce a new, even more stunning cockerel for 2021.

=

 

[Faraday40]

Lol The tub is huge! I'm hoping the little stinker doesn't make too big a mess too quickly...lol



Don't I know it...lol The breeder I got the quad from way back in the Spring has Seramas, but I don't know if I want to drive two hours one way to get them. lol I've got a lot of breeder contacts written down and of course they are all at home. I was going to text a couple that are about an hour away to see if they had any SLO chicks.

Wish I could send you a couple of mine. I have too many seramas & may end up eating some. For now they're fine, but if they start acting overcrowded, then......

My next big trick is introducing DS's serama (who was raised with giant orps) into the bantam group. it won't help that she's currently mothering 2 chicks. Even the sweetest hens can become bullies when those hormones come in to play. DS wants to put her (& the chicks) in his bedroom. After all, his sister has a mini rooster in her room!

 

[ColtHandorf]

Wish I could send you a couple of mine.

It's probably too cold to ship right now, even with adult birds. And they wouldn't be any help for the little peeper. I've rummaged through my whole desk at work and I guess I took the list of SLO breeders I'd compiled home. I'll have to send some emails and text messages to see if I can track down some young chicks.

DS wants to put her (& the chicks) in his bedroom. After all, his sister has a mini rooster in her room!

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable place for them to me. I'm only going to put the chick in my room because it's warmer there than the main part of the house, I don't let the cats (or the poodles) in there and if it's not peeping in a 1200-ish square foot dining room/living room/kitchen with all tile and hardwood floors maybe everyone in the house won't be annoyed. lol

 

[Faraday40]

Deciding which chickens stay & who goes is such a hard decision.

I love my Blizzard & decided that she should have a loving home with @homeschoolin momma. Her dear rooster, Taj, needs some laced girls for breeding. Also, I've come to see her flock as my own "back up" flock - just further south. I get to see pics, hear stories, & even visit when time permits. More importantly, if ever tragedy struck, I know I'd be able to replace my birds with related ones. Next spring will be very exciting when we can swap eggs.

Blizzard is still molting & looks a bit deflated, but I had to take a few pics before she left today.

Along with Blizzard went 2 of Crystal's babies. The male on the right is mostly for companionship during the transition.

@homeschoolin momma 's son gets a little, cuddly silkied serama. I can't wait to hear what he thinks of her..... and learn her new name. Tribble is the name of my gray one, but this one was also called Tribble for a while. Those little birds multiply like crazy - like Tribbles! LOL

So the other reason for the visit was to help each other out with the overpopulation of roosters. We processed SEVEN birds. I'm no expert, so it was slow. We finished & when the sadness fades, life will be easier. (especially for those hens!)

 

[homeschoolin momma]

I was a long hard day. I've never processed a bird before, and @Faraday40 was so very patient. Seven was a lot to do, but we got it done. Learned a hot water bath is SOOO much easier for plucking, but water needs to be reheated after each bird.
Some of the birds that went:
My partial gold laced

My roo I originally thought was a lav, but after his hackles and saddle feathers came in, we think he may have been a light blue. Either way, he was a beauty.

Taji went back to the big coop tonight with what seems like minor scuffling. Will introduce the girls tomorrow with supervision.

I'm physically and emotionally exhausted tonight. Just typing this, I've dozed off a dozen times, so......

Night night all!

 

[Faraday40]

A few of those boys pictured above almost stayed here. I loved the look of the lav. I had to save some some gorgeous feathers from that light blue & an inky black. Even the partial gold laced would have been great to keep for my golden girl. I was seriously tempted but the numbers must go down. Perhaps next year, I grow out a handsome gold laced boy.