The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[Faraday40]

Laadeebug
14 months does sound rather long. Perhaps one of the experienced keepers will have some ideas.

My Orp roo's 1st crow was at 22 weeks. I thought he was a late bloomer, b/c my other roos started around 7-8 weeks (not orps). Even now my orp doesn't crow much. It took at least another 1-2 months after crowing before he tried mating.

My hens started laying around 8.5 months.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

This is a bit concerning... Reds genetically should be Wheaten based, so as chicks they should be orangey-yellow.

The fact that yours have "chipmunk" marking indicates that they are either Partridge, or Wildtype/BBR instead of Wheaten. Do you plan on watching these birds as the mature to see if they have any color faults when they're mature? Do you know if there is any mixed color parentage in their ancestry? Where did you get your Reds?

Yes, we are watching them to see how the chicks come out. These came from a breeder in west TN. The first 3 chicks that hatched are very light yellow- almost white with no chipmunk stripes. These three threw me for a loop! I have a trio of reds I am working with. The rooster has great color, one hen is great and one hen has some lacing showing through which could be partridge coming through. We indicate that these are still in project mode because this is first generation- even though when purchased they were supposed to be pure. Here are the breeders: They are about 7-8 months old
To the right is the hen with lacing on the tail





this is our good hen

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I have been following this thread for a while and maybe I missed it somewhere but I have a question about my roos crowing and the hens laying.
I have Blue and Blue splash Orps that are 14 months now and have yet to lay an egg. And my roos hardly ever crow. The boys have just recently started to take an interest in the girls but it sure seems like it is taking forever for them to mature. Is this normal?



My boy checking in on his ladies..he he..

Are you sure about their age? He looks quite a bit younger (based on shape and feathering).

 

[Mahen100]

@Fariday40, I think BOSS is short for Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.

 

[CarsonOrps]

Hey everyone! I've been in the shadows lately but I'm back! I've decided to sell by BBS flock and move to a different color! I would like to hear what you guys think I should breed! I have a pair of chockolate orpingtons and I have a trio of red/buff orpingtons and I have a quad of blue hens but selling 2 here soon and i have a trio of black Roos and I maybe selling 2 Roos here soon too!

 

[jeremy]

@TNBEARCHICK I'd cull the hen with faint lacing from your breeding program, she's undoubtedly carrying genes you don't want in your Red line. If you continue to hatch chicks with the partridge/wildtype markings after doing so... you might want to source a different line of Reds altogether.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

@jeremy I think we have decided to pull her out this weekend into our flock that doesn't quite make the cut for breeders. We thought we would try breeding her and seeing what developed but, obviously we are getting too much diversity from the chicks. I have some messages into Keith from UK to see if he has any idea of a standard of the Reds and specifically what the chicks should look like. Got a message into Sandra also, as I greatly appreciate her opinion and profession

 

[Papa Brooder]

Quote: I bet your first three chicks were from the good hen and the last three were from the one that looks to have been crossed with partridge.

 

[Faraday40]

Hey everyone! I've been in the shadows lately but I'm back! I've decided to sell by BBS flock and move to a different color! I would like to hear what you guys think I should breed! I have a pair of chockolate orpingtons and I have a trio of red/buff orpingtons and I have a quad of blue hens but selling 2 here soon and i have a trio of black Roos and I maybe selling 2 Roos here soon too!

I personally like the blues a lot, but if you want something different, how about those silver laced orps? Some people posted pics of theirs & had everyone drooling!

 

[CarsonOrps]

I personally like the blues a lot, but if you want something different, how about those silver laced orps?  Some people posted pics of theirs & had everyone drooling!

I've been thinkin of get them but they are such a huge investment! I've looked and looked and can't find any chicks that are a good price but I don't wanna get eggs cause they could be damaged in the mail