What is the breed you wish you could find? What are your dream acquisitions for color/variety?

[danceswithronin]

I own and breed English Orpingtons and love them! They come in so many different colors and are huge gentle friendly birds from my experience.

I currently have one (a silver laced English Orpington named Guin) but I ended up loving her personality so much I have three more Orpington chicks on order for the end of May - a buff, a blue, and a lavender. That means half my flock will be made up of multicolored Orps, lol.

 

[Ra_]

Sounds like what heritage Delewares used to be.

Delawares were created when white "Sports" resulted from mixing a Barred Rock rooster and a New Hampshire hen. I'm doing a similar cross but with hens that look similar but are 8 to 10 pounds each and am also getting about 20% white. However when I mated the resulting rooster back to the original mothers, I just got 10 white out of 18.

Some of these will get the red color from their mothers.
The ones that retain all black genes will become the basis for my giant Delaware cousins

 

[chickendreams24]

CAREY

• BantyChooks
• Dec 14, 2018
• 2

Carey, Partridge Chantecler cock

P1360266

• BantyChooks
• Dec 14, 2018

Carey, Partridge Chantecler cock.

P1280530

• BantyChooks
• Dec 13, 2018

Java, Partridge Chantecler cockerel

P1240399

• BantyChooks
• Dec 13, 2018

Jenny, Partridge Chantecler pullet.

Thank you so much for sharing! I would love to see some more of the hens. They're so stunning. Someday I hope to try them.

I currently have one (a silver laced English Orpington named Guin) but I ended up loving her personality so much I have three more Orpington chicks on order for the end of May - a buff, a blue, and a lavender. That means half my flock will be made up of multicolored Orps, lol.

Where are you getting them from? Not at all surprising to me that half your flock will be English Orpingtons. Most everyone I know that gets one or two end up getting or at least wanting more. They are the majority of our flock and include multiple colors including a couple project colors.

I feel like they bring out the old Pokemon slogan(gotta catch em all) in everyone that gets to know them.

Delawares were created when white "Sports" resulted from mixing a Barred Rock rooster and a New Hampshire hen. I'm doing a similar cross but with hens that look similar but are 8 to 10 pounds each and am also getting about 20% white. However when I mated the resulting rooster back to the original mothers, I just got 10 white out of 18.

Some of these will get the red color from their mothers.
The ones that retain all black genes will become the basis for my giant Delaware cousins

Thank you yes I'm aware that's what they started from. What I was referring to was that the old heritage strains and how they were larger more heavily muscled than the hatchery Delewares most often seen today.

Sounds like you have a very cool breeding program going.

 

[danceswithronin]

Where are you getting them from? Not at all surprising to me that half your flock will be English Orpingtons. Most everyone I know that gets one or two end up getting or at least wanting more. They are the majority of our flock and include multiple colors including a couple project colors.

My silver laced Orp I got through a local chicken group from someone who hatched out a batch of eggs they bought from a breeder. The other Orps I'm buying are coming from Meyer Hatchery, as I've been very impressed with the chicks I've bought from them so far and with their customer service too.

I would love to get a cuckoo Orp and a chocolate Orp, but I haven't seen them available at a time when I already had chicks in the brooder or could start a new batch of at least three chicks, and I don't want to add a single chick to my flock by itself.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

Blue laced red wyandottes!

 

[danceswithronin]

Blue laced red wyandottes!

I almost ordered one of these on my last hatchery order, but I have so many laced chickens already I hated to waste a slot on the roster for another one. They are GORGEOUS though.

 

[chickendreams24]

They are so much more beautiful in person if you get a good quality one.

My silver laced Orp I got through a local chicken group from someone who hatched out a batch of eggs they bought from a breeder. The other Orps I'm buying are coming from Meyer Hatchery, as I've been very impressed with the chicks I've bought from them so far and with their customer service too.

I would love to get a cuckoo Orp and a chocolate Orp, but I haven't seen them available at a time when I already had chicks in the brooder or could start a new batch of at least three chicks, and I don't want to add a single chick to my flock by itself.

We keep chocolate and chocolate cuckoo as part of our breeding Orpingtons. Although we are breeding for new cuckoo roosters. Thanks to a fox and mink last year we lost all of our lavender, chocolate cuckoo roosters and several of our other colors and hens.

 

[chickendreams24]

Thankfully I got a couple nice lavender cockerals from a friend of mine that also breeds. Much of my English Orpington stock came from her.

We have a lavender cockeral over the lavender hens right now.

 

[Ra_]

I was referring to was that the old heritage strains and how they were larger more heavily muscled than the hatchery Delawares ... Sounds like you have a very cool breeding program going.

I figured you did but there are also others reading these threads who might not know.
Thank you.
Here is a 50/50 at 11 weeks.
I've got some younger ones that are 75/25 that are coming out huge.

 

[chickendreams24]

Good point thank you for pointing that out sometimes I forget everyone isn't as chicken crazy as me.

LOL and I'm still by no means an expert.

I would love to see more photos if you don't mind sharing as they grow.

We are hoping to start a meat bird of our own at some point. Currently we raise all heritage breeds including several heritage strains but some are hatchery as well. We also raised our first red rangers last fall. We kept back one pullet that was huge! Actually we kept back two but lost one of them in an accident.

I figured you did but there are also others reading these threads who might not know.
Thank you.
Here is a 50/50 at 11 weeks.
I've got some younger ones that are 75/25 that are coming out huge.

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