The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[BamaChicken]

That is interesting Jeremy. The mottled I worked with all always hatched with black chick down with more white than a black chick though. I know that the fellow that gave me the original hen said white had been crossed in. We originally swapped chicks. He gave me black chicks and I noticed one was different and ask if it could have come from his black and white hen he had penned separate from his others. He said no but I noticed the difference in leg color as it was mottled. The bird was black until it started turning nearly white. After his hen ended up molting out black he gave her to me to work on the project. I mated male to the hen. When she molted again she mottled out like a true mottle and looked nothing like she did originally. Next time she molted black again. her eyes were gold, legs mottled. They did produce mottled chicks or at least they were black and white with some mottling and mottled legs. It was very interesting. The hen was a big Momma. I have picture of her somewhere standing in the back of some other birds with her mottle on. I will try an find it today.

 

[JHorn91180]

Quote:Originally Posted by jeremy



Genetically it is impossible for this chick to be Splash. It just can't be. A Black bird cannot give a copy of the Blue gene necessary for it's offspring to have 2 copies of the Blue gene (1 from each parent) in order for it to be Splash. So there's just no way it's Splash IF it's parents are a Blue and Black Orpington. Are you 100% sure this chick hatched from a Black X Blue mating? Could there have been any potential pen hopping or maybe a chance that it hatched from different birds and you just confused the egg?

Theoretically it could be white, genetically it would be recessive white. Both parent birds would have to be carrying the rec. white gene and the genetic roll of the dice would have to land just right but it could happen... the fact that it looks yellow could just be because of whatever other genes are present in the birds, I've seen many pictures of white chicks as day olds that don't look white. Some look yellow, some look gray like you would expect a Splash chick to at hatch to look and others look like a combination of the two I just described and others look pure white. Again it just depends on what other genes are in the birds background. I used to breed Delawares and they are a pale yellow at hatch similar to the color of this chick and yet they feather in predominantly white. I wouldn't say it's not a white just because it has yellow down.

The only thing you can do is wait and see how it feathers in, if he or she is white then congratulations, you've got the beginning of a new white line. They will be recessive white, which means they might leak color, but with selective breeding you can clean them up. It will also be beneficial to know that the chick's parents are carrying recessive white, something you didn't know before. To produce more white chicks simply breed this chick back to it's mother or father, depending on it's gender.

Here's a crazy thought too... you did mention that this bird was out of Julie's line, right? Have you considered that maybe it's Mottled? Julie just recently posted some pictures of some Mottled birds she was working with a few years ago, Maybe the gene went unnoticed in a solid colored bird and was recessively propagated for generations without knowing it and you got lucky breeding the two birds together that you did? For the naysayers who are going to say that the down color is wrong don't jump the gun... Mottled Japanese bantams start out completely white/yellow as well and then eventually feather in black and white. So it could be...



That crazy thought made me think of another crazy thought... Julie, maybe the reason you had such difficulty breeding the Mottled birds was because they weren't actually Mottled at all but were actually just recessive white? That might explain why they would start out partially white and then molt solid black. At least I'm pretty sure that could be the cause... I need to talk to some folks who are more versed on white genetics but that may very well be the explanation.

Okay, I'm done thinking aloud now... sorry for my rambling everyone.




Wow Jeremy thanks for the info and I have to say I found your post very interesting and very easy to understand and follow. Lets go over what I have. First of all I dont own very many LF chickens as I am def a huge fan of the Orp breed. Especially the english imports. I have young birds that r about 4 to 5 months old in chocolate, jubilee ect. These r housed seperate and its currently snowing here so they r still in an enclosure under heat lamps and r not old enough to reproduce and never have access to any of my other birds anyways. As far as adults I own the 2 pair of English I previously mentioned housed seperate. In another enclosure I have one adult Jubilee roo that I love named Sir Edmond who is housed with a splash BLRW pullet who just started laying a small pointy tinted egg last week and a red and black streaky Americauna who lays a very pretty blue egg. These r his women for now since I currently dont have a mature Jubilee hen. With each pair of blue and black Orps there is also 1 Americauna hen each that look like twins both being white with red streaks all over but one of those also lays a pretty blue egg and the other lays a med green egg. The Americauna hens only purpose is to aide the poor Orp hens from getting too much attention from thier mates and there eggs r easily identified and r very tasty and I have not set any colored eggs at all. In yet a seperate enclosure I do have 5 american lavender project Orps. One roo and 4 hens. These alternate and take turns each day on which pen gets to come out and free range. Also I would like to note that my black orp hen lays a jumbo sized tinted egg that r a bit round. The Blue Orp lays a tinted egg also I would say r about 2 shades darker then the blacks and jumbo in size also but r very oval in shape to the point I sometimes have trouble figureing out which is the big end. All of my other LF chickens eggs r small in comparison to these. I do have a decent size flock of silkie bantams that colors r still mixed together at this point as I have yet to seperate them by color but will this spring again. They never get to free range as the poor things just dont seem right in the head at all and are easy prey to predators. Hawks and falcons seem to pick them off so easily. Thats all my chickens besides the young chicks. A couple months ago I gave away my black copper maran hen. She laid a very dark brown egg that I found very neat but when u would break them open to eat most had a bloody dot inside that I found repulsive and since that was her only purpose I gave her to a maran breeder. Now last fall at a swap I purchased 3 american white orp hens. One looked very old and fell over dead while in quarintine for no appearent reason. The other 2 were young pullets at the point of lay. One got took out by a hawk that couldnt even carry her off b4 she began to lay and the other one laid about 8 eggs and quit then found her laying down one day unable to get up. Since there was no sign of illness I put her in a pen by herself thinking the roo may have broke her down or she broke or was compacted by an egg internally. She still ate well but after about a month of not getting back up I gave her away to be butchered but its been a good 8 weeks since I got the last egg from her. Her eggs were very dark brown for an Orp and altho these hens had white legs and beaks I suspect they may have had rock or somthing else in them just going by her egg color and combs and wattles being too large and size for american birds was heavy. Anyways I did set all of the eggs she laid as at that time I had my english Orps penned as a trio and the white hen in with the other blue roo. Her eggs were not very fertile only having 2 develop and hatch. I consider these mixed breeds and they r feathered out white with dark legs and beaks and a black feather here and there. These 2 have blue bands to keep them seperate and havnt decided what I wanna do with them yet if anything. Now both of those hatched out white with a smokey grey cast so no suprise just assumeing from chick color these were dominate white(ermite). Strange thing is the mom of those 2 had a white beak and legs and no black feathers. Im very glad I banded these as I have splash pure english orps chicks that as of now appear to look about the same but figure they will get blue feathers in later as they r younger. K so thats my chickens. There is no way anyone can litterally jump pens as pens r covered and seperate, not runs that r along side each other. They alternate to freerange and I have known of no escapes from the other pens. I have hatched and sold many lav chicks and those eggs r small even for LF chickens and all of been lav. I do plan to make english splits with those later in the year tho. The odd chick is still doing very well and promise to post pics again as soon as it gets visible wing feathers for a clue of what color it might be. I gotta admit I am crossing my fingers that it does feather in white as I would love to have imported big fluffy white Orps but as of now they r a bit over my price range. I would also be just as happy with mottled. If it does end up staying white and does well then I will def take your advice and cross it over its parent bird and cross my fingers. Im not sure how it would be splash but then again doesnt seem to make sense that it will be buff or white either. Lets all just wait and see as Im not a lucky person and my luck it will feather in like a red sex link or poor colored columbian or somthing that no one would want. Its different and for now its special till blue feathers appear and its legs darken and we will all forget it ever hatched yellow. It def hatched from an egg marked B for Mrs.Buttersworth that also matches all of the other eggs she lays in tint size shape and color.

 

[pips&peeps]

Generally speaking splash chicks will have dark legs. Buff and white orpington chicks will have light legs like the one pictured.

 

[rebel yell]

Generally speaking splash chicks will have dark legs. Buff and white orpington chicks will have light legs like the one pictured.

Ever splash chick I have hatched has lite colored legs to start with like the one pictured, They get darker as they mature, but my splash has never had dark legs when they hatch, Yea it is supposed to be imposable to get splash out of a B/B mateing but I had one very good breeder tell me they have had it happen, It looks just like a spash chick to me. I hope it turns to be white for you though, This is just my thoughts on this.

 

[JHorn91180]

Ever splash chick I have hatched has lite colored legs to start with like the one pictured, They get darker as they mature, but my splash has never had dark legs when they hatch, Yea it is supposed to be imposable to get splash out of a B/B mateing but I had one very good breeder tell me they have had it happen, It looks just like a spash chick to me. I hope it turns to be white for you though, This is just my thoughts on this.

So far all my splash chicks have had grey legs but this is my first year hatching them. Maybe we have different lines or something. Do u have pics of fairly new hatched splash chicks with lite colored legs so I see what u mean? Some of mine do have lighter color toes. U may be right and its just as splash. I suppose this is more likely then it being white or buff. So far I just have not hatched one this color or with this color beak and legs. My splash chicks down color just kinda puts me in mind of the lav chicks I hatch but just lighter in color and more of a blended patchy look of white and lite grey.

 

[thedragonlady]

So far all my splash chicks have had grey legs but this is my first year hatching them. Maybe we have different lines or something. Do u have pics of fairly new hatched splash chicks with lite colored legs so I see what u mean? Some of mine do have lighter color toes. U may be right and its just as splash. I suppose this is more likely then it being white or buff. So far I just have not hatched one this color or with this color beak and legs. My splash chicks down color just kinda puts me in mind of the lav chicks I hatch but just lighter in color and more of a blended patchy look of white and lite grey.

I haven't experienced this in Orps, but in years of breeding colored Silkies in White, Black, Grey (Chinchilla grey) and Buff, I have had LOTS of recessive whites crop up.It wasn't surprising to me as ALL the colors were inbred to ONE white cockbird. It can happen. Whites from a colored breeding are generally PURE white, with no yellow cast at maturity.They carry silver, not red. This would be a very useful chick if it feathers in snow white.

 

[jeremy]

Quote:
My thoughts exactly, this could be a very special little one.

 

[juststruttin]

Deann, I will have Lavender chicks next month!

Hi Rhonda, Great. I will send her your way. I thought you only had blues too. Good to know. Deann

 

[heirloomorps]

I love my Jubilees already.

All of my English Orps seem to be living with Silkies right now though. Need to build a couple more brooder pens.

 

[ElitePoultry]

I love my Jubilees already.   All of my English Orps seem to be living with Silkies right now though. Need to build a couple more brooder pens.

I agree with you.I love the jubilees too! The complexity of their pattern and color is enchanting.