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Buff Orpingtons

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When attending a show recently, I saw some Buff Orpingtons and couldn't get over their size. They were really beautiful. Reading up on them, it seems they are very placid and often picked on by other chickens, so often kept in a group on their own.

 

If you have any in your flock, I would be very interested to know your views on how they interact with one another and whether you have any pecking order problems with them, or just how you find keeping them. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who has them.

 

Many thanks.

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I've got a bantam Orpington and she's my head hen :) She's a lovely girl, very friendly and will let my kids pick her up and she's especially tame if she thinks there's any food involved! Admittedly, she's bigger than my other girls which I guess helps - but I'd imagine that's the same with all Orps, as the LF ones are very big :D

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My flock consists of three LF orpingtons..no idea how they interact with other types because they're my first lot :D

But I can say that they are very tame, very placid and friendly chickens. I had two for a year and then introduced hermione, my third, to them. I did it quite carefully but there was pretty minimal aggression from Augusta and Constance..just a bit of chasing and the odd peck. From what other people say, that's a walk in the park re. Introductions :D The reason I picked orpingtons is because they were described as 'the hippies of the hen world' in something I read....and they were right :D

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Hi

 

I have LF Opringtons and LF Brahmas in with my hybrids.

They all get on really well.

The top hen is an Orpington. She keeps the whole flock calm and she likes to mother the Brahmas.

They dont miss her when she is broody because she pops out every so often and they seem ok with that.

I did have one Orpington that was a bit chatty but they have quite a low sounding voice or at least the ones I have had did :lol: There is probably exceptions!

 

If I ever put new chickens in she calls them and picks up little bits of food off the floor and drops it. Shes usually found in amongst the new comers.

 

I think they are definately the hippies of the hen world.

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I got a chocolate bantam Orpington called Truffle, for my birthday, she is an absolute hoot, very greedy and very sweet! She is certainly a large bantam and has a massive personality, no sign of aggression, I am rather taken with the breed. I would certainly like more! I have a mixed flock from LF Sussex down to tiny Pekins and Sablepoot, they have a very complex pecking order no one hen is top.

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My bantam Orp (Moneypenny) isn't aggressive towards the other hens but is definitely top girl - she's one of my original hens and I've introduced 2 new lots of hens to the flock since. There's been the usual pecking order establishment but nothing overly aggressive - in fact, one of my Pekins is the one to watch for that kind of behaviour! Moneypenny has been known to sit on Isabella (stroppy Pekin) when she goes over the top, which calms her down very effectively :lol: I've not seen that in other hens though... I'd have to describe Moneypenny as" firm but fair - with moments of extreme dippiness" She's a bit of a hippie Mum to my 5 other girls, basically :)

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Thank you so much everyone - that is just want I wanted - they sound wonderful - perhaps the gentle giants of the chicken world in the LF :lol:

 

I can't believe one of them they actually welcomes other girls :shock: Just brilliant. I have never had a hen go broody, but hopefully it is something that is dealt with easily enough as I would really love some of these in the future, now I know a little more :dance:

 

Thanks ever so much.

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I have a black Orpington, in with one ex-batt (completely top chicken) and a Welsummer and Crested Cream Legbar, these two she arrived with. She is gorgeous but still very nervous. I would love to bury my hands in her feathers but she won't let me. If you try and pick her up she squawks like someone is trying to kill her. She had a few run ins with the ex-batt, but that soon settled. She also protected her two little friends when the ex-batt attacked them. But now they all get on well together

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Oh superkitty, aren't your Orps just lovely! Mind you I couldn't believe how huge they were when I first saw them. :shock: The books just don't give one any comparison so I hadn't realised. I believe they'd get on well with Silkies and I'm rather thinking that next year I might get a couple of bantam Orps and a couple of large fowl Silkies. I think they'd be about the same size :)

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I've got 2 orps in my big girl mob and they're not bottom of the pecking order.

 

I kept one previously but she was unhappy on her own and spent a lot of time wandering by herself so when she died (laying issues) and I got some more I came home with 2 so that they had they're own kind and it's definitely much better. They do spend a lot of time with each other. So I'd definitely get 2 rather than 1.

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I hatched the first one (sold the other 5) and then bought the other 2 at Salisbury but waited till August time so they were pretty grown when they arrived inorder to mingle and mix with the others quite quickly.

 

They've grown a lot of feathers back since you saw them so are now recognisable as Orpies not baldy bum, naked necked wierd shaped things with stray bits of fluff. :lol:

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I have seen Orpingtons in books and on line, but to see them in the flesh - just couldn't get over the size of them and there were three giant ones in one cage! They just stood quietly watching everyone with their lovely faces - so sweet.

 

Would really love a few of them all together I think.

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Love superkittys picture too, they are lovely.

I have two bantam orps although one is much bigger than all my other girls and is a real gentle friendly soul. Esme is much more full on and has to investigate everything, she is near the top of the pecking order but never had a problem with intros. I would love so some LF orps one day too but just haven't got the room so sticking to the bantams.

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I have the following chickens:

 

LF:

2 Buff Orps

2 Copper Black Marans

2 Lav Araucanas

3 Cream Legbars

1 Naked Neck

2 Silver Laced wyandottes

 

Hybrids

2 Speckledy

1 White star

2 Bluebelles

 

They all run together and the orpingtons are always fine. I have never had issues with them. One of my araucanas get's bullied sometimes, but I think that's because for an araucana she has a big crest and it looks almost like she is a polish hen.

 

Show quality orpingtons are big birds and blue and black orpingtons are even biggers than buffs. Generally it is only the show quality birds which are so massive and will only lay a very few eggs. My orpingtons are about the same size as my wyandottes, they are definitely heavy birds, but they are not as big as, say, a brama. My Dad always says when he sees them (compared to the rest of them) "those are proper chickens"

 

That being said, my orps are lovely and probably the best natured of my birds. They go broody a fair bit (both sizes) but the are not agressive broodies, they just lose a lost of condition as my orps are very firm sitters. I used one to hatch some eggs and she would only come off the nest if I carried her. They are quite happy being held and don't cause any problems.

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