The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[Faraday40]

I think the Lavender rooster looks good.

Thanks. I already like him a little more than my current lav. The current guy has a nice comb & looks wide from above..... but it's mostly fluff. He feels too thin and has a long neck. He's "OK," can easily be picked up at any time (doesn't run away or fuss much when I bend down to pick him up) and is safe around little kids....BUT I was very spoiled with a nearly perfect rooster for the past 5 years.

I've got two more sick ones now, Sterling and the pullet. I'm treating with VetRX but am open to anything else.

If it's spreading, you may have some sort of respiratory infection or there could be something wrong with their feed. If you list the common symptoms and do a search, you may be able to narrow down possible illnesses.

You could also use the BYC forum "Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures " If you start a thread and give a detailed description of what's happening, someone may be able to help you figure out what it is. There are some herbal remedies for symptoms, antibiotics, and sometimes sadly, they either build up an immunity (or they don't & die). It's possible one of the new birds you obtained had something, or was a carrier, or the moving stress weakened it's immune system, or any other combo of things that could cause them to be sick. (moldy or old feed, something passed via wildlife, drinking from a muddy puddle in the yard, etc.) Once you have an idea of what's going on, you can then choose how you want to treat.

Farm stores used to sell some animal antibiotics, but now you'd have to get a vet's prescription. (Too many people using it too frequently makes drug-resistant super germs.) Most people won't bring a chicken to the vet due to cost, plus the extra stress to an already weakened bird. However, if there is something spreading through the flock, it could be worth it. You could give your reg vet a call & see if he/she is willing to work with you.

 

[Faraday40]

Nice deal on the new pen. Wish I could find something like that!

 

[ColtHandorf]

Everyone is alive this morning. Sterling and the pullet both perked up after their morning dose of VetRX. I also picked up some Denegard yesterday evening and they are beginning a five day treatment with it in their water. I did give a few drops to each of them orally as well this morning. I'll be interested to see how much water was drunk when I get home. I didn't want the geese to not get any as maybe they are spreading it? But I also don't want them hoovering down a gallon of water, making it a huge mess, or knocking it over. But the four healthy chickens were drinking when I left. Sterling and the pullet were still catching their breath on the roost.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Newest pictures of the babies...ignore the two baby turkeys. My friend gave them to me last night.

 

[boggart]

Newest pictures of the babies...ignore the two baby turkeys. My friend gave them to me last night.

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Beautiful little birds, I love big round doe eyes on chicks and chickens!

 

[CountryFlock]

Beautiful little birds, I love big round doe eyes on chicks and chickens!

Love the gif!

 

[ColtHandorf]

They are absolutely the cutest things. They are so low slung and fluffy even at this age. I do wish I knew how they were going to feather in. Their siblings should be hatching this Saturday and then a few days later someone else has some eggs hatching out. I'll be interested to see what continues to hatch from them.

Sterling and the pullet were actually off the roost with the other chickens this morning waiting to be turned out on the yard. That's a first since last weekend. I didn't expect to chase them around in my work clothes this morning to give them their dose of VetRX as the last few mornings I've just given it to them while they are still up on the roost. I didn't want to stress them out so I just turned them loose on the yard. They actually started foraging with the other birds. The pullet actually ran down a grasshopper or a cicada. Sterling still has a little sneeze but nothing like earlier this week. I'll see how they look tonight and I'll give them some at bedtime for sure. But I think we might be venturing out of the woods a tiny bit.

 

[Faraday40]

@ColtHandorf
Glad to hear that your pretty Sterling is doing better. I hope you continue to see improvement.

Your chick bin is looking good.

Is that little brown chick feathering in white? That's what my recessive whites did. They were supposed to be "mauve" and hatched out the proper cinnamon color. Then when they got feathers, they were white. I kept one and named her "Oopsie." I told the breeder that he must have had a visiting orp from another pen. As time went on, we figirued out that his rooster and one of his hens had the recessive white. (I bred Oopsie to my black roo and got some blue orps.)

Here was Oopsie:
(I ended up selling her b/c she was too submissive and over-mated. Her line (and recessive white genes) live on with her mauve daughter "Jewel."

Below is a white orp from this year. Although she could be from Jewel (definitely has the size), I thought her egg came from my laced pen. Unlike the other recessive whites I have hatched in the past, she came out of the egg with yellow down. (Just like yours.) Her body shape and face more resemble my laced orps. Also like yours, I see a yellow hue on her beak and legs. None of my other laced orps (adults & chicks) have yellow, so I'm a little confused.

My Wonderful has white skin.... but he did come from the Ewe Crazy line - also like yours.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Glad to hear that your pretty Sterling is doing better. I hope you continue to see improvement.

Oh, me too! He had me really worried, but he seems to be coming around. Of course we know with chickens that doesn't mean much. But I'm hoping for the best.

Is that little brown chick feathering in white? That's what my recessive whites did. They were supposed to be "mauve" and hatched out the proper cinnamon color. Then when they got feathers, they were white.

You know there are two in there that are the chocolate/red color. The darkest one has little white feathers coming in, but has some silver/grey edging on them. The lighter one has grey patterned feathers coming in. I'll see if I can't set up a little photo box and get some good pictures of all of them.

In the first picture that I'm holding a chick you can see the faint stripes on its back that reminds me a bit of a Dark Brahma chick.

I kept one and named her "Oopsie."

She is gorgeous. I do hope both of my whites aren't boys. lol

Unlike the other recessive whites I have hatched in the past, she came out of the egg with yellow down.

I have been told the yellow/white down indicates recessive white from a line carrying gold, versus silver-grey/white down indicating a recessive white from a silver line.

Also like yours, I see a yellow hue on her beak and legs. None of my other laced orps (adults & chicks) have yellow, so I'm a little confused. My Wonderful has white skin.... but he did come from the Ewe Crazy line - also like yours.

These little ones are so young I'm not sure I can accurately predict what color legs they are going to have. I do know White should be dominant over Yellow. So I'm not at all sure why none of the chicks seem to have white skin. I foresee a lot of test breeding in my future.

One interesting thing I did notice today when they were all strung out across the yard is that one of the roosters from Diana (too far away to see which one but I think No Name) and the pullet from Burleson are truly black. Like a deep, light sucking sort of black. Whereas Sterling, Hollywood, and both the mature hens, Mel and Sue are more of a smoky black. Maybe charcoal would be a better description. It almost makes me want to bathe them to see if that's the actual color of their feathers and if so does that indicate they are the ones carrying weird genes.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Alright @Faraday40, @PlainOrpingtons2018, and @homeschoolin momma take a look at these three videos. When the babies were up on wire I never really noticed the single Silver-laced having issues. In fact, I don’t think it did when it was smaller. But as it’s gotten larger it has progressively gotten more uncoordinated. It’s very unsure on its feet (which are massive). Literally all it does is eat, lie down, and wobble around when it does walk. Have any of you ever seen this before? Is it going to grow out of it or is it just going to get worse? This is the single chick that came with the four breeders I got from Diana. The one that earlier in the thread showed the gold patterned down that has feathered in Silver. Honestly the bird reminds me of a Cornish x. It’s very strange.