The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[LadiesAndJane]

Congrats!!! One of mine is laying a very pink egg and I'm not sure who it is. Either Agnes the Blue Orpington, or her half sister Kate, the F1 Blue Silver-laced, I would imagine. I'll get a picture when I get home. I wasn't expecting the color at all.

Can’t wait to see the photo! I’m hoping for a pinkish egg but I only have my Wyandotte left so we will see when she starts laying!

 

[Faraday40]

Well, speak of the devil she just laid her first egg today! Spent most of the morning trying to scope out where would be the best place. You could tell by the look on her face she did not think going into the nest buckets was going to work for her. She scoped out the Silkie house. Finally ended up laying in the little space next to the nest buckets with her bestie, Rosie, standing guard! Chickens are so funny, I just love their social interactions.
Layed this little tan 46 gram egg which actually looked exactly like the fake eggs I have there. Had to give it a second look to make sure it was real.View attachment 2481295View attachment 2481296View attachment 2481297View attachment 2481298View attachment 2481299

Congratulations on your new layer!

 

[Faraday40]

Sounds like we need an egg swap once my girls are laying again. I can send eggs up to one or both of you to get some new SLO bloodlines in and I can get some BBS SLO and some Black/Lavenders.

Definitely. It’s the little bantam Orpingtons that I’ve been dreaming about. I adore my little Cookie and would like her to have a broody buddy. She is also getting older and producing thin shelled eggs. That worries me.

At the moment my chickens are one big flock, so I won’t know color until hatch. It didn’t stop me from putting a few in the incubator. Lol. I need to predator-proof their little love shack before they use it. (The hinged roof came off in October, so I just wrapped it in a tarp to figure out later)

BTW- what would a splash SLO look like? Mostly white? If 2 blue SLOs were bred, what would offspring look like?

 

[Tehwrd]

Made the mistake of looking for Orpington hatching eggs/birds.

Found some right where I used to live.
Won't be getting any - for a while at least. I can't fit any more cockerels in.

Pics from their website.
Lemon Cuckoo...View attachment 2459457
Silver Laced...View attachment 2459458
View attachment 2459459
They have Lavender Cuckoo and a fair few other variants.
Full house at the moment. Maybe I'll get some eggs shipped in a few years.

Now I really need some of these.

I NEED some of the beautiful English Orpingtons in my life!!! With the go ahead to find something for an upcoming birthday - I will be looking high and low for some of the round and beautiful birds! Thank you for sharing these pictures!

 

[Tehwrd]

.... and here's my "Darling". I just adore her. Total package of sweet personality and looks.
I could take pics of her all day!
View attachment 2464496View attachment 2464497View attachment 2464499View attachment 2464500

What a fluffy butt!!View attachment 2464501

She is just stunning!!!

 

[The Happster]

I NEED some of the beautiful English Orpingtons in my life!!! With the go ahead to find something for an upcoming birthday - I will be looking high and low for some of the round and beautiful birds! Thank you for sharing these pictures!

Sad to say those weren't my birds. Owner is in the UK. Link to their website; http://www.orpingtonchickens.co.uk/essex-orpingtons/

They're beautiful. Lemon Cuckoo isn't usually what I'd go for, but I was staring at the photos for a full five minutes.

 

[Tehwrd]

You can also check out Papa's Poultry. They ship both hatching eggs and day old chicks. They have several different color varieties of the English orps. WARNING: it is a very dangerous website and you will not leave without ordering something!

If they shipped to Hawaii (they do not), I would probably have one of each!

Closer to you is Carolina Rare Chicks, in South Carolina. I do not know much about them, but they also have English Orpingtons.

I just went to the Papa's Poultry site ... I'm in trouble!!!

 

[Tehwrd]

... sooooo, I am now looking for chicks and/or hatching eggs. The biggest question I have is if I get straight run chicks and obviously if I get hatching eggs, I will likely get a fair number of males - what do people do with extra males? I'd love to have a couple, as long as they are not mean and nasty roosters - unfortunately the only kind of rooster (not Orp) that I've met - but if I bought say 12 eggs/chicks and ended up with say 4-8 males what to do with them?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

... sooooo, I am now looking for chicks and/or hatching eggs. The biggest question I have is if I get straight run chicks and obviously if I get hatching eggs, I will likely get a fair number of males - what do people do with extra males? I'd love to have a couple, as long as they are not mean and nasty roosters - unfortunately the only kind of rooster (not Orp) that I've met - but if I bought say 12 eggs/chicks and ended up with say 4-8 males what to do with them?

This is everyone’s dilemma unfortunately! You can have homes lined up for them if you have friends or family members who would like a rooster. Many people sell them on craigslist. Many people eat them. Just have to have a plan in case you do. Alternately you’d have to get sexed pullets which can be difficult with the English Orps because they’re very slow maturing.

 

[Tehwrd]

This is everyone’s dilemma unfortunately! You can have homes lined up for them if you have friends or family members who would like a rooster. Many people sell them on craigslist. Many people eat them. Just have to have a plan in case you do. Alternately you’d have to get sexed pullets which can be difficult with the English Orps because they’re very slow maturing.

Good to know eating them is an option. I guess if I had thought for even a quick second, I would have realized that any roosters for which I couldn't find homes would make good eats.