The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[jeremy]

I saw Edmund mount two different pullets yesterday! He's starting to act more like a grown register now, calling for his girls when he finds a treat and keeping a watchful eye over the flock.

I hope within the next couple of months I start getting eggs!

 

[justuschickens59]

Jeremy - I bet you start getting eggs in the next couple of weeks. From experience with my birds, whenever one of the pullets gets mounted for the first time, I almost always start getting eggs from her within two weeks !! I know I keep asking (because my old brain can't remember much anymore), but how old are they now?

 

[jeremy]

Joy, they will be 7 months old on the 29th of this month.

I'm going to put some ceramic eggs in their nesting boxes this afternoon, hopefully it will help them understand what the boxes are for!

 

[Renie'sPeeps]

Jeremy... golf balls will do the same thing

 

[justuschickens59]

Quote:
I tried this and it never worked at all. My girls usually all go to the nest box to lay even when they first start laying, but there are a few that just like laying in the corner.

I never liked to put the wooden or ceramic eggs or golf balls in the nests because we do have snakes that occasionally will get in the coops. If a snake eats one of them, they will die. Now I don't mind a copperhead dying, but I have black snakes that live around my barn and I don't want them to die - they keep pests under control. Besides, I don't like to kill any creature unless I absolutely have to.

 

[Renie'sPeeps]

WELL.. I guess I am not very good at recognizing colors yet.. haha I hatched out 4 chicks a short time ago.. I thought.. I had 1 blue and 3 blacks.. well <cough> They are feathering out now.. and it looks like I have 1 light blue and 3 dark ones... hahahaha so much for my abilities..

 

[dandydoodle]

I am not sure if they are English or not. Thanks so much for the help.

Quote:
Are these English birds? My English boys typically start crowing around 4-5 months, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. My girls usually start laying between 7-10 months.

 

[jeremy]

Question! Well, two actually.

Joy or Julie, or even Katy or Tuffoldhen as you all have mature birds- have y'all ever has one of your English girls go broody? How often do they want to set on eggs? I've never had a successful broody here and it is something I really am anticipating and hoping for out of my girls.

As poofy as my pullets already are you could probably fit about 3 dozen eggs under one of the comfortably, maybe even with some room to spare.

My other question is... do your Orps sleep in a big pile? My birds have been in their permanent coop for awhile now, a couple of them have taken to their roost but the majority like to sleep on top of one another in a jumble of blue feathers.

I considered what others have said about how heavy they can get and did not place their roost off the ground too high, probably about 6-8 inches is all from the coop floor. Is this a baby thing they will grow out of or should I expect them to go to bed like this every night? I'm not too concerned right now but I worry that in the summertime if they sleep this way they may overheat.

 

[BamaChicken]

My large pens have roost that go up to 7 ft high in some. There are levels to climb. Charlie sleeps on the top roost with his favorite hen right by him. The smaller pens have lower roost. i like them to be up off the ground. If you have a old hen in to teach the younger ones it always helps. I always try and put the boys in with hens to start with.

I have had broodies since Nov. I have had nearly all be broody at one time and hardly any eggs being laid. One thing you can do when they go broody is give them a few eggs and if they are not fertile, let them stay on the nest about three weeks and then take eggs ready to hatch and put under them. they will hatch and brood them out for you or you can let them have them for a week or so and then put them a brooder and the hen will fuss a day or so but start laying again soon.

 

[BamaChicken]

Oh Joy I wanted to let you know Chester is getting his own very large pen with a big group of hens and pullets. He will the main man. Of course I am not going to be hatching but eating those eggs till he gets to breeding and then will move him to the right group. He is taking over Alberts pen. Albert went to live at a new home. This will be the most room he has ever had when not free ranging.