The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[fowlman01]

It is either too big or too little Jim....it does look like a bantam cage with the slider door. Not a bad looking bird though.

Walt

 

[pips&peeps]

It's a chocolate bantam from imported lines...........................

 

[fowlman01]

It's a chocolate bantam from imported lines...........................

I like the shape of the bird, but it looks like a bad blue on this monitor...and it is filling up that cage.

Walt

 

[pips&peeps]

Yes, it looks off, but if you see the auction it is for chocolates and if your blow up your screen and squint really hard

you can make out what looks like the word chocolate on the coop card.

 

[Reyvaughn]

It took mine forever to get 'fully' feathered... I sold the 5th bird because he had red hackles.

My cockerels at 5 months old. No, the water does not normally look like that. Pics taken at chore time.




They are all sweet. I have to push them away from the door to get in and out to feed and water them. Otherwise they jump all over me for attention. The run the door when I come out of the house and talk to me. Best money I ever spent... Even if I can't find girls for them. I will be their girl!

 

[Goose and Fig]

How did you end up with all boys? Is it the light, or do they have white under thier eyes?
Still- you can't beat Orp roos. They're right up there with LF Cochins as far as temperment goes- never had a meanie.

 

[jeremy]

It took mine forever to get 'fully' feathered... I sold the 5th bird because he had red hackles.

My cockerels at 5 months old. No, the water does not normally look like that. Pics taken at chore time.




They are all sweet. I have to push them away from the door to get in and out to feed and water them. Otherwise they jump all over me for attention. The run the door when I come out of the house and talk to me. Best money I ever spent... Even if I can't find girls for them. I will be their girl!

All you need now are some pretty Blue and/or Black hens and you'd be set! Those boys look big, I'm sure they would do just fine with some LF girls.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Well... I bought them 'straight-run' at 2wks old. I know, you have issues with that, HappyMtn. I agree, they were sexable. Three were very obvious cockerels and 2 were borderline. I honestly thought at least one was a pullet.

Yes, their cheeks pale out to white and then come back red. I have wondered about that for the last 2 months. Any insight on this?

I got them for a Chocolate Bantam Cochin project. I can't get my hands on hens/pullets for them. I have a close breeder of 75% English Orps in BBS. She wants $15 per straight run chick. I'd be happy to pay a bit more knowing for sure I got 2 black girls.

On that note, I haven't ventured into the genetics of all of this, but crossing them with blue is okay? I'll still get chocolate pullets and black cockerels the first generation?

Edited spelling.

 

[jeremy]

On that note, I haven't ventured into the genetics of all of this, but crossing them with blue is okay? I'll still get chocolate pullets and black cockerels the first generation?

Yup, you can use Blue girls just like you would Blacks. By doing so you can actually end up with a third color.

A Choc male X Blue hen = 25% Black males split to Choc, 25% Blue males split to Choc, 25% Choc females and 25% Mauve females.

The last color, Mauve (some refer to them as Mauve Laced) is the result of the combination of the Blue and the Chocolate gene.

It looks something like this, but because of the Blue influence can vary in shade/hue.

I think it's pretty and is a color worth breeding. GoPokes posted a picture of his Mauve pullets a few pages back.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I love the mauve too.
I will have black pullets ready soon. How far are you from Cleveland?

Strange about the white skin. I have had that happen in cochin females with thier ears. Sometimes it goes away when they hit POL, sometimes not. They all have it in the same place though, so it must be inherited.