The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[Irishhenman]

I noticed that. Blue, black, buff and white seems to be it although they mention the Jubilee in the intro.  My British Standard is 10 years old though. Do the Orps in Ireland have the heavy lower fluff like the British birds that win in shows?

Walt

Some do have very thick fluff and some don't, it depends on the breeder and where the birds were sourced. I tend to prefer birds with thick fluff but a fairly upright stance. A lot of breeders breed birds very like Cochins with a low to the ground stance with a lot of cushion on the tail. Those are the birds I don't like. Birds with thin fluff are not very good though. Another problem I have seen lately is orps with incredibly flat chests, I am not liking those either.

There has been a more recent version of the book published in 2008 if anyone wants to see the standard,I have an electronic copy in I pad

 

[thedragonlady]

Some do have very thick fluff and some don't, it depends on the breeder and where the birds were sourced. I tend to prefer birds with thick fluff but a fairly upright stance. A lot of breeders breed birds very like Cochins with a low to the ground stance with a lot of cushion on the tail. Those are the birds I don't like. Birds with thin fluff are not very good though. Another problem I have seen lately is orps with incredibly flat chests, I am not liking those either.

There has been a more recent version of the book published in 2008 if anyone wants to see the standard,I have an electronic copy in I pad

I would love to see this ! Please PM me !

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Hysterical mottling must be a British term. I have never heard a anyone use that term here in the States.

Walt

It is mentioned with reasonable regularity in discussions of mottling on the genetics forum at The-Coop. I think that it is reasonably commonly used by those who focus more on genetics.

I just checked, and there is current thread there on hysterical vs correct mottling.

 

[fowlman01]

It is mentioned with reasonable regularity in discussions of mottling on the genetics forum at The-Coop.  I think that it is reasonably commonly used by those who focus more on genetics.

I just checked, and there is current thread there on hysterical vs correct mottling.

Thanks. They don't seem to know a lot about it.

W

 

[fowlman01]

Some do have very thick fluff and some don't, it depends on the breeder and where the birds were sourced. I tend to prefer birds with thick fluff but a fairly upright stance. A lot of breeders breed birds very like Cochins with a low to the ground stance with a lot of cushion on the tail. Those are the birds I don't like. Birds with thin fluff are not very good though. Another problem I have seen lately is orps with incredibly flat chests, I am not liking those either.

There has been a more recent version of the book published in 2008 if anyone wants to see the standard,I have an electronic copy in I pad

Thanks for the info. I'm not fan of flat chests either and I often wonder how so many people miss it especially when the British birds are so deep when they are good.

W

 

[Irishhenman]

yes, good British orps are nice and deep but they should also be round. Generally if the birds chests and sides form an angle it isn't good.

 

[fowlman01]

Generally I see them fail in the lower chest.

W

 

[thedragonlady]

Generally I see them fail in the lower chest.

W

My state NPIP head vet was here to test my flock today, and asked if she could bring a 3rd year vet student, who wanted to specialize in poultry, specifically poultry owned by individuals. Lovely girl, who had obviously not really handled a lot of big poultry.She got an education with my biggy hens. Then came the boys. Oh, my! I showed her how to properly hold big birds, after she had noticed that the birds I picked up did not struggle. Bright girl got it in a flash, when I explained that clutching a bird keeps them from breathing.

This vet student asked a lot of questions, as I have 2 different types here.I explained to her that I was trying to hit a happy medium between the very short backed Engilsh birds, who are not very good layers, and the SOP type, who are good layers, but who need more meat. FEEL the KEEL, and look at the depth of fore chest, and length of bird. I explained the difference in concave and convex top lines, and their correlation with laying/ meat properties. She got it, and selected my best bird.

Hopefully, this young gal will remember today. I don't think she'll forget me handing her my giant cockerel, Moose, as her eyes got very big.Pictures were taken to show her professors what she had been up to. She will be a friend to all of us poultry breeders/fanciers in the future.Win, win, all around.

 

[aveca]

sounds like a good thing for that girl vickie..i learned that years ago and it truly works..they just sit still in your hands..took some practice but i got it..i find it a bit harder with these very big birds for me but we do pretty good..not much if any struggle..you need the bottom half of a fridge box to haul these things in..i used to carry sebrights all over balanced on 1 hand..so took me a while..now i dont even think about it.

 

[TheNuttyChick]

sounds like a good thing for that girl vickie..i learned that years ago and it truly works..they just sit still in your hands..took some practice but i got it..i find it a bit harder with these very big birds for me but we do pretty good..not much if any struggle..you need the bottom half of a fridge box to haul these things in..i used to carry sebrights all over balanced on 1 hand..so took me a while..now i dont even think about it.

I still have a little trouble with some of the big boys, but I think a lot has to do with how well you know the bird or vice versa. It's a matter of trust