What should I do

[Evan cooley]

I have 2 buff orphingtons my new pen holds 8 birds and I have 2 I was thinking of getting some buff hens and a rooster or some lavender should I mix them or just have purebred buff orphingtons

 

[Folly's place]

Whatever you want to do is fine, but what will you do with the chicks? Cockerels?
To breed different groups within your flock, you need to only save eggs from the buff hens to be hatched. It's more complicated with multiple cockbirds; then you need separate breeding groups for three weeks before saving any eggs to hatch.
Mary

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

When you say your pen hjolds 8, is it a prefab type setup that claims to be able to house 8 birds or a built coop/run designed to provide sufficient space for that many birds?

 

[Mrs. K]

^^^ that is what I was going to ask.

Mixed flocks are fun. They will lay eggs, and it is easy to identify individual birds, there is no right or wrong way of doing this hobby. Give it a try, might be you just like a single colored flock, if so, you can go back in a few years.

I keep a flock of birds, the birds themselves come and go. Some birds don't live long lives, sometimes predators get in, sometimes someone else wants them. What ever, you can try it lots of different ways.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

When you say your pen hjolds 8, is it a prefab type setup that claims to be able to house 8 birds or a built coop/run designed to provide sufficient space for that many birds?

X3
....and keep in mind integrating new birds works best with extra, separate but adjacent, space.

 

[Evan cooley]

The pen gives them plenty of space for chicks I saw that you can get a lot of money from a buff orphington started pullets and cockerels I am going to get buff orphingtons as chicks and I’m going to try hatching out lavenders

 

[Mrs. K]

Making money with a chicken hobby is nearly impossible.

 

[aart]

The pen gives them plenty of space for chicks

How big, in feet by feet, is "plenty of space"?
'Started' birds take up a lot of space before they reach the 'started' size/age(sexually mature and laying) that you want to sell them as.

I saw that you can get a lot of money from a buff orphington started pullets and cockerels

Where did you see this? What is the market for such birds in your area?

Making money with a chicken hobby is nearly impossible.

True Dat!^^^

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Making money with a chicken hobby is nearly impossible.

X2...there is a saying about horses that goes, "the best way to make a small fortune in horses is to start with a large fortune".....the same is true for poultry.
Buff Orpington are a fairly common breed, so unless one is turning out top of the line, exhibition quality hirds it's pretty well a glutted market. Some Orpington types are less common and more in demand, but even delving into the type du jour is unlikely to make you "a lot of money"

 

[Folly's place]

If you do the math, each surviving chick must bring in more than you will be able to average in purchase price! I agree with the above posters completely.
Mary