The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[ColtHandorf]

If your offer still holds, I'd love to buy some hatching eggs.
Please PM me.

The Bantam English Orpingtons belong to Anita Heatherly and she can be found on Facebook.

Love the bantam BBS orps! I don't "need" to add more chickens, but those banty blue hens are stunning!

Do we really need to add more chickens? lol If you want to get some eggs from her, she's closer to you than to me. I can get a contact for her if you want?

My mistake. I guess I'm asking the wrong person. I thought
they were Colt's.

I only have large fowl currently. The bantams I posted are Anita's. The birds @Faraday40 posted are @homeschoolin momma's birds.

@ColtHandorf does have some beautiful birds too. (.... and hopefully he'll be adding some bantams from that line. Hint! Hint!)

Well I've reached out to her and think I'm going to do a dozen white and a dozen BBS. I'm debating the patterned birds as well. I just can't make up my mind.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Everyone is locked up tight at my house. A bobcat snatched a full grown turkey hen yesterday in broad daylight. I spent all evening and half the night outside freezing to death trying to get them all properly imprisoned. I got this look all morning...

Hopefully the bobcat is like...

...and can't get any more of them.

Unfortunately the geese can't be locked up, and two of the coops are too small to keep them locked in permanently. So they'll just have to look unappetizing.

 

[Faraday40]

Everyone is locked up tight at my house. A bobcat snatched a full grown turkey hen yesterday in broad daylight. I spent all evening and half the night outside freezing to death trying to get them all properly imprisoned. I got this look all morning...

Hopefully the bobcat is like...

...and can't get any more of them.

Unfortunately the geese can't be locked up, and two of the coops are too small to keep them locked in permanently. So they'll just have to look unappetizing.

Glad the birds are locked up. How would you even get rid of a bobcat? What scares them? Would a big dog help? I've heard donkeys are fantastic guardians.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Glad the birds are locked up. How would you even get rid of a bobcat? What scares them? Would a big dog help? I've heard donkeys are fantastic guardians.

I'm trying to make the property as unappealing as possible. But yes, an outside dog would probably help. But that means fencing in the property. I'm too close to a major road to feel comfortable with a dog outside.

 

[Faraday40]

I split up this weekend's hatch into 2 incubators..... and have a 3rd going to temporarily hold the May 5th hatching eggs.

My NR360 already has 3 backyard mix chicks and 3 ducklings peeping away. They're not due until tomorrow afternoon, so these babies are fairly early. Not keeping any of them, but they're still adorable. Are ducks like chicks and can stay in incubator until the hatch is done?

My big incubator (built by DS) has a doz heritage turkey, 11 Welsh harlequin duck, 3 Spitzhauben, one serama, and 2 lav orp eggs. Some are pipped, so these eggs are on schedule.


The bad news: I STILL do not have any SLO chicks! I split the orps up for breeding around Feb 20th. The laced are my smaller group, so they're in a sandy run all day, while all the others are in the coop and tall run. First I had to wait a few weeks to make sure the SLO hens were only mated by their roo. Then when I tried for the Easter hatch..... none developed. Likewise with the eggs due this weekend. (I set 4 SLO and 2 lav orp eggs..... only the 2 lavs developed.) We did eat some SLO eggs with bull's eyes, so perhaps it was just the small sample and bad luck. I slipped another 4-5 SLO eggs in with my May 5th hatch. Only 1 might be developing.

And now it gets worse..... This past week ZERO eggs. They've been laying and then eating their eggs. The 3 hens usually lay 1, sometimes 2 eggs per day, but I'm only getting slimy crushed eggshells. I really hope it's because they're not using a nest box, so the eggs are breaking /getting stepped on. They are laying the eggs right next to the chicken door that leads to the other run. Hard compacted ground and higher traffic area around by the door. They certainly didn't like my nest idea of a plastic box with bedding; they just spill it and flip it upside down each day. I'm going to try to fix up the little red tractor coop they used last year. (It has a tiny dark coop and nest box) I hope that fixes the broken/eaten eggs.

 

[rayrose]

Do you guys vaccinate for Mareks or just wing it?

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

Do you guys vaccinate for Mareks or just wing it?

I don't have access to the vaccine, so I just try to keep home hatched chicks extra healthy. Luckily, I haven't had any cases of Mareks in my flock so that makes me feel a little better about it.

 

[Faraday40]

Do you guys vaccinate for Mareks or just wing it?

It's not economical to vaccinate small, backyard hatches. Most vaccines are not sold in small quantities. It must be refrigerated, used right after opening, and on day-old chicks. By hatching hundreds of chicks at a time, hatcheries can afford to vaccinate at a reasonable price.

What you can do is practice good biosecurity. Don't let guests into your chicken area - especially if they own chickens. Only wear "chicken shoes" (muck shoes) in the area of chickens - not your street shoes. Always quarantine new chickens. Quarantine again if your chicken comes home from a show/fair. If you visit other chickens, change clothes before handling/caring for your own. Can't protect from everything but it helps to reduce possible exposure when you can.

 

[Faraday40]

The bad news: I slipped another 4-5 SLO eggs in with my May 5th hatch. Only 1 might be developing.

Nope. Zero developing

I'm only getting slimy crushed eggshells. ..... I hope that fixes the broken/eaten eggs.

I moved them today & got my 1st, clean, perfect, uneaten SLO egg in over a week!
Now that I'll be able to collect eggs, I'll be able to incubate them.

 

[rayrose]

It's not economical to vaccinate small, backyard hatches. Most vaccines are not sold in small quantities. It must be refrigerated, used right after opening, and on day-old chicks. By hatching hundreds of chicks at a time, hatcheries can afford to vaccinate at a reasonable price.

What you can do is practice good biosecurity. Don't let guests into your chicken area - especially if they own chickens. Only wear "chicken shoes" (muck shoes) in the area of chickens - not your street shoes. Always quarantine new chickens. Quarantine again if your chicken comes home from a show/fair. If you visit other chickens, change clothes before handling/caring for your own. Can't protect from everything but it helps to reduce possible exposure when you can.

First state vet supply sells a kit for $52. It contains all you need, syringes, needles etc and dosage for 1000 birds that can be divided
into 4 dosages. One dosage is good for 2- 2-1/2 hours. You can refrigerate the other 3 dosages, until you need them. That's only $13 per dosage. Plus you can vaccinate older birds. To me, that's a small price to pay for the added security.