The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[ColtHandorf]

Peek and Boo are adorable names!

Usually I don't have any trouble picking the boys out. I picked seven of the eleven Lavender cockerels out at a week old. lol I still can't tell whether the gimpy SLO is a cockerel or a pullet. I swore up and down it was a male for ages, but it looks just like a well marked, albeit handicapped pullet now. I know I sent off three for sure pullets and a cockerel to a new breeder. The fifth bird was very questionable but looked less cockerel-ish than it's siblings. But now that I have the four left I swore were all males, I don't have a clue. I'll try to grab individual pictures of them all this weekend and post them for the sexing game. I haven't even looked at the two little ones that are in the house. I wanted to move them out but it's in the 80's and humid/huge chance of rain all weekend, so I think that's a terrible idea. For now they are hanging out in a very nice aviary I built for finches in the dining room because the cat would not leave them alone in the tub. He didn't want to hurt them he just sat and watched over them and there was a lot of distressed peeping. Now that they are in the aviary, Anna just watches them all day so they won't be scared of her in the slightest when they are older.

I had a good laugh yesterday. When I went to give the birds some scratch grain to get them back in the run so the dogs could have the big yard, Romanoff slipped past me when I was coming through the gate. He just bounced over to the chickens, touched a few with his nose to say hello and went off to potty. He was trying to get back in the little yard before I even got back with the grain. If Anna had done that it would have looked like a disaster area out there. She's my four-legged demolition squad and the chickens are terrified of her. As was quite evident when Sterling (the only bird currently at the house she's ever caught) jumped about three feet in the air this morning when she startled him from the other side of the fence. Romanoff doesn't bother them in the slightest.

 

[ColtHandorf]

You know, I just noticed @Faraday40, Boo has yellow legs. Both of my little Whites have white legs.

 

[Faraday40]

You know, I just noticed @Faraday40, Boo has yellow legs. Both of my little Whites have white legs.

Mine has VERY YELLOW legs. I had another that was prettier with white legs but she was sold. (I really only kept this one b/c she's a buddy & bonded to "Peek". Not sure if she'll stay or go. I feel the two should stay together, though.)

 

[ColtHandorf]

She's still a super cute little thing.

 

[Faraday40]

@homeschoolin momma

Here's "Mr Nice Guy" (So far not "Wonderful" or Gorgeous, but "Nice" It may end up being his name if we keep him.) He has some of "Mr Dummy's" line, so that's another plus. His comb, size, color are all great. His tail is more the American orp and he doesn't have the bowling ball shape.... so he's "nice"

The BB cockerel from your hatch has a very poor comb but great shape. He looks fantastic from a distance.

But, here is the strange comb I mentioned. It looks like someone messed up his hair. Poor guy. I don't know if it will improve any as he grows or just keep getting worse.

The female lav BB is awesome - definitely a keeper! She's calming down and certainly holding her own within the summer pullet group. I think she's working her way up the pecking order. If I'm near her, she'll eat treats from my hand. I can reach out and pet her without her squawking & running away. The male will come within a distance but still hates it whenever I pick him up for something.

.... and just for fun, I took a pic of Cupcake's molt progress. She now has a stump tail.

 

[Faraday40]

She's still a super cute little thing.

Boo says, "Hey, you talkin' 'bout me?!"

These 2 act like an old married couple. I really don't have the room to keep birds that I don't plan to breed.... but I love watching them together. Both are so tame & loving. These decisions are so hard.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

@Faraday40 - wow. The comb on the BB is awful! I would say let him go and use your "nice" guy with the pullet BB. I will say i am not impressed with these Bb's. I dont like their feathering in or combs at all. The only thing i like about them is their size. Sigh.....next spring maybe I'll try a different breeder to see if they have the best of both worlds, or at least two out of three....

 

[Faraday40]

@Faraday40 - I will say i am not impressed with these Bb's. I dont like their feathering in or combs at all. The only thing i like about them is their size.

Did the coloring on your other male lav BB improve? (Remember we had a hard time figuring out if the brown on the chest was dirt or gold leakage.) He had the nicest everything else.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I feel you on the Lavender thing. I'm super over mine. I only ever wanted a trio of the silly things anyway. And I've still got ten of them. On top of Suede sneezing this weekend (I nipped that right in the bud), two of the Lavender cockerels have friggen fowl pox.

These birds are about to make me lose my patience completely.

I'm not a fan of Mr. Nice's tail. But that comb on the other cockerel is wonky. I think I've decided I'm going to let all of the cockerels go except for one (maybe) and just keep the two pullets. The breeder that picked up No Name from me and the five pullets got English Lavenders and I'd rather get an extra rooster from him than deal with this bloodline. They aren't English enough and have been a total PITA since they got on the ground.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

. His tail is more the American orp and he doesn't have the bowling ball shape.... so he's "nice"

You can tell he's from Mr. Dummys bloodline. He a mirror image of Blackbeard. Same tail, same shape, and more than likely, same size. Mr. Dummy was a ginormous bird and so are his babies and grandbabies, but unfortunately they carry more of an American shape.