Will getting rid of my two orpingtons affect my other chicken?

[sixlittlechicks09]

Hello everyone!
So just a little question, sortof....

Back this summer I was DYING to get a frizzle, so I finally found one, a great little black cochin! So the lovely lady I bought her from would obviously not send just one chick, so she sent me three - my cochin and two little black orpingtons. Well the three of them were the only chicks we got at that time so they sort of grew up together. The orpingtons turned out to be a male and a female, a lovely little pair, and the woman said they could produce lavender orpington chicks? Which really doesn't mean a thing to me, but I guess it's a big deal in the poultry world these days.

Well lately our coop is a bit crowded, and my DF has been on my case about getting rid of some of the menagerie (he takes care of my hens whilst I'm at college

) So my big question is, if I get rid of the two orpingtons, will that affect (or effect? I can never remember which to use) my cochin. They're between five and six months old. They still haven't totally melded with the rest of the flock, but we do have 6 other bantams that my little cochin seems to be fine around. They accept her although she's on the bottom of the pecking order... The two orpingtons though, they stay totally by themselves most of the time. We've got 4 RIR, 3 BR's and 3 EE's that are only a few weeks or months older, and even though they're HUGE chickens, they still run in fear from all of them.

I'd really like to see them go to a good home, but I don't want my cochin to be super effected (affected? idk.) by it. Any advice? Haha, and sorry this post is so long!

 

[Mrs. K]

no, I doubt that they will notice. ..... wonder where you are, I would love to add a the buffs to my flock. hmmmm

 

[heather112588]

i believe it would affect them...everytime something has changed or one left the flock, my guys noticed it instantley. I had 5 chicks- at about 2 months, a chick died and for days the others went looking for her. There were 3 others i got to add into my flock and they still hang together, not with the others, 4 months later.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I just recently seperated 3 very large black Orps from the SL Bantam Cochins they were raised with.

I really thought the cochins would look for and miss the Orps - but the only time the cochins seem to notice is at night when they want to cuddle (Apirl hatch for the whole bunch).

The Orps have not left our place either - they just moved from the back yard to the front - maybe 500 feet away - cochins can hear the Orps but have no desire to find them.

But one difference between us - my cochins had a large group of cochins they grew up with - not a single.


Sorry you are thinking about getting rid of your Orps. They are my favorites - gentle giants.

 

[sixlittlechicks09]

Hm. So maybe I should at least wait until warmer weather... I know the three of them do roost together, and with the weather up here being like it is I wouldn't want my little cochin to get really cold at night. I know when we butchered our meaties (

I love those guys too) the RIR's they grew up with acted weird for a few days. And definately, the orpingtons are absolute sweethearts! Big, slow, goofballs.

And Mrs.K, I'm in northeastern PA, almost on the new york border.

 

[Judy]

Removing them shouldn't affect the others much, since they stay by themselves anyway. You may notice a response for a week or so. It should affect the pecking order, but again, you probably won't really notice it. And it will all be over in a week or so anyway.

 

[sixlittlechicks09]

Thanks for all the advice. After much urging of my dad, I decided to list them here on BYC today.

Here's hoping they get a good home. Thanks again for everyone's help!!