The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[homeschoolin momma]

Wow. I have a lot of grammar issues in that above post......didn't follow my go back and reread it rule.

 

[Faraday40]

Chick update:
I have my odd family. Black orp chick turned 4 weeks yesterday. She still looks very female with no comb, wattles, or color at all. The serama pullet hatched in October..... but mama MaiMai never seemed to notice or care much about the size difference. Of course now there's no longer a size difference.

Then we have mama Xansie who was put in charge of the one lonely serama chick. She turned 3 weeks old today. Also looks female.

Often serama males have a little hint of comb & wattles by now. This one has none.

Last but not least I let my serama, Sesame, sit on 2 orp eggs. They are due tomorrow. I was going to candle the eggs & was surprised to pull out a broken shell. The other egg was pipped.

Look what I found!

Isn't he adorable! (I'm only saying "he" because my last 3 chicks were female. I gotta hatch a male at some point, right?)

 

[Faraday40]

This morning I found this little lavender cutie under my serama, Sesame. (Both the black & lav chicks are orps, not seramas.)

 

[ColtHandorf]

Ughh, soooo cute! I want Orp babies! (And Seramas!) I'm getting ready to set some more eggs in the next week or so. Hopefully these are fertile. The last set of mine only had two fertile and of course they were in the LG so the temp spiked and they didn't make it.

The roommate has the chick bug. She's got 20 bantam chicks from three separate trips to two Tractor Supply stores. lol They are currently in a tub in her room driving her nuts. lol

 

[Faraday40]

Don't you just love a good broody stare?

I moved Sesame & chicks inside for a couple days and gave another broody serama 2 new orp eggs. To top it off, I set some eggs in my cheap styrofoam incubator. It has a temp swing, so I'm going to order a new wafer. My "good" incubator has a broken fan.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I can't wait for broodies either! With my roommate's bantam flock, I figure I can put them to good use in about a year. lol

 

[Faraday40]

Ughh, soooo cute! I want Orp babies! (And Seramas!) I'm getting ready to set some more eggs in the next week or so. Hopefully these are fertile. The last set of mine only had two fertile and of course they were in the LG so the temp spiked and they didn't make it.

The roommate has the chick bug. She's got 20 bantam chicks from three separate trips to two Tractor Supply stores. lol They are currently in a tub in her room driving her nuts. lol

Oh my! A tub of 20 bantams!

Yet, I have to be careful or that will be me with too many chicks. I probably should not have set the eggs, but it was either set the eggs or make a big omelet. If nothing hatches because of the cheap incubator, it won't be a loss.

 

[Faraday40]

I can't wait for broodies either! With my roommate's bantam flock, I figure I can put them to good use in about a year. lol

Probably more like 6-7 months. Mine tend to lay for less than a month before going broody. If you happen to get a bantam orp - look out! Cookie went broody FIVE times in one year! Her pattern is this:
Lay eggs every single day for 2-4 weeks. Then go broody, hatch, and raise chicks. Start laying again & repeat.

Now she is 6 yrs and not laying. For winter it was molt but she's getting some color back. I hope she's OK. She had some soft shelled eggs in the fall. I was pretty worried and very thankful she stopped laying to molt. I'd be fine is she never laid another egg as long as she sticks around as our veteran flock mama.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I do really want some Bantam Orpingtons. I think the roommate has got bearded and non-bearded Buff-laced Polish, Buff and Barred Cochin, Gold and Silver Duckwing OEGB, a Mottled Houdan, a Belgian Quail d'Uccle, and some little solid white and solid black chicks that could be a number of breeds. I aimagine I'll get to take advantage of some broody monsters.

In other news, someone reached out to me wanting to trade a Silver-laced Orpington rooster for a couple of Blue Slate turkey hens. After talking she decided she'd give me her single SLO hen (unrelated to mine) and both turkey hens for $120 and a dozen hatching eggs from my SLO.

Suede is still in my bathroom. That will be ending today after work or tomorrow. I just can't handle the poops. I'm going to get him in a harness/sling in a tub where he can stand. I've ordered Denegard for him that should be here over the weekend or beginning of next week.

I was really surprised that my big Silver-laced girls (and Hollywood) were flying up the four feet or so to check out those wall mount nest boxed. I figured they'd need a ladder, but they'd been sneaking a bunch of eggs in there.

 

[Faraday40]

silver duckwing OEG Ours were the sweetest birds. I really miss them!