Too true, too true!
The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread
- Thread starter justuschickens59
- Start date
Hatched 5 orps today:
3 whites
2 SLOs
Group shot:
Close up:
I put them into the brooder with 2 10-day-old chicks (an SLO and blue SLO). I'm hoping they teach the little ones how to eat/drink.
My fav is the darker one (my gut says girl)
The lighter one has a girlish face.... but is so big. Probably a pair.
The seramas are now beginning to hatch. (Which is why I removed the orps.) This little incubator is great.... but looked very full with 5 big fat orps stumbling around. (It has a 22 egg capacity. _
3 whites
2 SLOs
Group shot:
Close up:
I put them into the brooder with 2 10-day-old chicks (an SLO and blue SLO). I'm hoping they teach the little ones how to eat/drink.
My fav is the darker one (my gut says girl)
The lighter one has a girlish face.... but is so big. Probably a pair.
The seramas are now beginning to hatch. (Which is why I removed the orps.) This little incubator is great.... but looked very full with 5 big fat orps stumbling around. (It has a 22 egg capacity. _
I hope everyone had a great three-day weekend! I did not get as much stuff done as I would have liked, but I did get to relax and read some. 
I managed to get some birds moved around and sold which was fantastic. The Silver-laced Orpingtons are back to having a breeding pen in the barn to themselves except for the quad of Chocolates. They are going on three and four months so still not old enough to breed and I didn't see any point in catching them up to move them somewhere I'd just need to move them from again. The Blue, Black, Splash, and Mauve Orpingtons are all in the middle pen together including one F1 Blue Silver-laced pullet that once she's laying, I'll pair with a Silver-laced male to get some eggs from for setting. The White Orpingtons now have an entire pen to themselves as well with no extras. The Blue Slate tom and one of the hens went to a friend's house this weekend which left the one Lavender hen. I moved her into the pen with the geese and the guineas. Sterling, the Russian Orloff and the two Delaware hens, plus Dorcas the Lavender Orpington moved into the pen with the geese and guineas as well. That lasted about ten minutes before the male guinea lost his mind and decided he was just going to make everyone around him panicked, nauseous, or suicidal. I'm pretty sure I activated some latent ability in my brain and may have spoken in tongues but managed to catch him without a net and on the first try. He went into a pet kennel and went to live at the friend's house that got the turkeys. of course the guinea hens are calling for him incessantly, but I'd rather listen to that then panicked screaming because he's ripping out everyone's tail feathers. I opened the coop to let the younger birds, namely the guineas and turkeys, start mingling with their parents and the geese so perhaps they can all learn to live together harmoniously.
I also did a head count in order to figure out what I've got that I want to take to Poultry Trades Days in Gilmer at the end of the month. I've applied for my TAHC Certificate and am scheduling the P/T testing. If everything goes well, I'll be bringing a lot of birds and attending as a breeder/vendor for the first time. A friend even offered their trailer to put all the cages in to make it easier to get everybody there. I'm really hoping it goes well.
I've got some Silver-laced Orpington eggs set, and a bushel of bantam eggs to have "day-olds" for the event. The friend that took all the trouble children this weekend also set like 60-something eggs for me that should be hatching in time. Once all the breeding pens are pure again, I may do one setting of Whites, BBS, and SL to raise through the fall/winter for spring pullets. And if the F1 Blues start laying I'll probably do weekly sets on them to hatch some F2's out throughout the winter.
I picked up the Lavender SLO that I was really hoping was a pullet. It sounded fairly masculine when I picked it up. *sigh* I suppose I won't know for sure until they feather in better, but I'm almost sure that I have two cockerels now... So I guess I'll be getting some chicks shipped in the fall to raise up for Spring.
Your babies are adorable @Faraday40! I need some of those Blue SL.
I managed to get some birds moved around and sold which was fantastic. The Silver-laced Orpingtons are back to having a breeding pen in the barn to themselves except for the quad of Chocolates. They are going on three and four months so still not old enough to breed and I didn't see any point in catching them up to move them somewhere I'd just need to move them from again. The Blue, Black, Splash, and Mauve Orpingtons are all in the middle pen together including one F1 Blue Silver-laced pullet that once she's laying, I'll pair with a Silver-laced male to get some eggs from for setting. The White Orpingtons now have an entire pen to themselves as well with no extras. The Blue Slate tom and one of the hens went to a friend's house this weekend which left the one Lavender hen. I moved her into the pen with the geese and the guineas. Sterling, the Russian Orloff and the two Delaware hens, plus Dorcas the Lavender Orpington moved into the pen with the geese and guineas as well. That lasted about ten minutes before the male guinea lost his mind and decided he was just going to make everyone around him panicked, nauseous, or suicidal. I'm pretty sure I activated some latent ability in my brain and may have spoken in tongues but managed to catch him without a net and on the first try. He went into a pet kennel and went to live at the friend's house that got the turkeys. of course the guinea hens are calling for him incessantly, but I'd rather listen to that then panicked screaming because he's ripping out everyone's tail feathers. I opened the coop to let the younger birds, namely the guineas and turkeys, start mingling with their parents and the geese so perhaps they can all learn to live together harmoniously.
I also did a head count in order to figure out what I've got that I want to take to Poultry Trades Days in Gilmer at the end of the month. I've applied for my TAHC Certificate and am scheduling the P/T testing. If everything goes well, I'll be bringing a lot of birds and attending as a breeder/vendor for the first time. A friend even offered their trailer to put all the cages in to make it easier to get everybody there. I'm really hoping it goes well.
I've got some Silver-laced Orpington eggs set, and a bushel of bantam eggs to have "day-olds" for the event. The friend that took all the trouble children this weekend also set like 60-something eggs for me that should be hatching in time. Once all the breeding pens are pure again, I may do one setting of Whites, BBS, and SL to raise through the fall/winter for spring pullets. And if the F1 Blues start laying I'll probably do weekly sets on them to hatch some F2's out throughout the winter.
I picked up the Lavender SLO that I was really hoping was a pullet. It sounded fairly masculine when I picked it up. *sigh* I suppose I won't know for sure until they feather in better, but I'm almost sure that I have two cockerels now... So I guess I'll be getting some chicks shipped in the fall to raise up for Spring.
Your babies are adorable @Faraday40! I need some of those Blue SL.
@ColtHandorf
Do your white orps hatch out white and stay white? This year, I'm getting more than the occasional white chick. I can't believe I actually got 3 in the same hatch!
They could technically be the project blue laced orps. Those chicks are mostly white with a touch of gray stripe at hatch but then grow in laced wings. I've been selling off the white ones (not something I want to get into), so I don't know how they look when feathered.
Do your white orps hatch out white and stay white? This year, I'm getting more than the occasional white chick. I can't believe I actually got 3 in the same hatch!
They could technically be the project blue laced orps. Those chicks are mostly white with a touch of gray stripe at hatch but then grow in laced wings. I've been selling off the white ones (not something I want to get into), so I don't know how they look when feathered.
So my Silver-laced Orpingtons carry recessive White. I've hatched several out of them as well as from the Whites. Some chicks are a silver-white at hatch, and others are a gold-white. Apparently that indicates the chicks are Recessive White based on silver or gold. Considering some of the SLO hatch out gold in appearance and then feather in Silver, I suppose that makes sense. Honestly I'd grow the Whites out. If they are pullets, breeding them back to a Silver-laced male means that you'd get all Silver-laced chicks that are split to white unless he also carries the White gene. If you've held some pullets back from last year, chances are they are carrying the recessive white gene. Paired with their father (or brother) they have a higher chance of throwing visually white babies as both parents are passing on a copy of the White gene. They are just the absolute softest. I adore my whites. They are very gentle, calm, and are like little puffs of clouds. Plus they are gorgeous on green grass.
Hi folks! I'm new to breeding English Orpingtons, and I need help deciding which cockerel to keep for breeding. If any one wants to give me their opinion, I'd appreciate it!
Thanks!
best-english-orpington-cockerel-for-breeding.1415880
Thanks!
best-english-orpington-cockerel-for-breeding.1415880
Hatched April 9th so 5 months old...how does his quality look? He’s my only SLO I’m debating if I should keep him and try to find or hatch him out some girls to start getting into breeding or find him a new home...
I'd have to say to avoid the gold leakage in the 1st lav orp. (unless it's just dirt from the ground.... dust bathing)
I'm not sure about the barred roo.
The other lav looks OK. Many times you have to keep them until full maturity to see all the pros and cons.
So far he's looking good. If you just want a sweet docile roo, a laced orp is the way to go. (Even if you don't breed) You'll grow more amazed each day of their gentle nature.
He’s never even crowed! Or tired to mount one of my girls. I do have one other Rooster an Easter Egger who’s definitely the dominant one.
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