My red orpinton girls are looking like they arent orps at all! help!

[LizzieJ]

My Red Orpington girls are worrying me a bit they are definately hens but have the long tail feathers of a roo........confusing!!!!!
they are meant to be red orps but one of the has a black body and none of them seem to be following the colour standard for the breed.............could i have been sold first crosses or hybrids?
Kookie
Angel
Princess
Angel showing off her long tail feathers

None of the girls have spurs and have all developed decidedly fuzzy butts help needed please?

 

[speckledhen]

Can't see the 3rd one well, but the others are most definitely MALE. The first one sure doesn't look red to me, either. I see you are in the UK. We don't have red Orps here in the U.S.


No idea if they have any Orp blood or not, but they are cockerels. Better do name changes.

 

[LizzieJ]

They are definately not male they are laying eggs!

 

[speckledhen]

Honey, that last one is NOT laying eggs! He has saddle feathers hanging off there like every other rooster on this planet. He cannot lay an egg unless he's a complete freak. Sorry! No hen has saddle feathers. Angel is Angelo.


The only one that looks like a possible hen to me is #3. Do you have other hens in there with them? If so, that's where your eggs are coming from. The last one IS a rooster, for 100% sure. The others, I'd have to see the back area in front of the tail to tell you for sure, if you say they are laying. They look a bit like Marans to me, not Orps. Marans may have larger combs than other breeds, but if they, too, have a fringe of pointy saddle feathers, they are roosters.


By the way, they are too young for spurs. Roosters don't have real spurs until they are about 8 months old or older.

 

[LizzieJ]

yes i have other hens but they are too young to lay yet, im fairly convinced they are hens but they seem to just be a total anomaly. i dont know what you mean by saddle feathers and none of them crow.......................so confusing!

 

[LizzieJ]

~I looked up saddle feathers so i know what you mean now, i have no idea what to do with them now. none of them are crowing (they should be by now i assume if they are male)

 

[speckledhen]

Saddle feathers are what they sound like, a fringe of feathers on the back where the saddle would be on a horse, hanging over each side, just in front of the tail. They are pointed in roosters, just like your Angel/Angelo. Hens do not have that fringe. I promise you, I know my roosters. Been breeding for years, including blue/black/splash Orps.

Roosters crow at different ages. If they are in a group, they may or may not crow early. Can't go by that for sexing.

The last one, and possibly more than one of them, is a rooster, especially the one in the first picture. Do you see on this young male, those pointy feathers coming off his back, just before you get to his tail, how they hang off in a fringe? Those are saddle feathers. Hens feathers there lay flat and round, not pointy and hanging off. Look at all your birds. Any that have that fringe are roosters.




I have a big old hen who is 1/2 RIR and 1/2 Buff Orp who looks more like a Red Orpington than yours do, so I'd say yours are crosses of some kind. Here is Meg with my Blue Orp rooster:

 

[LizzieJ]

Im not doubting your expertise, im relatively new to chicken keeping and still not 100% sure of myself with them. (expertise wise) ive taken a good look at the one you said (angel) and she does indeed have those saddle feathers..............i think i may be going back to the breeder about her/him! it could be possible that the last one is a rooster as im only just getting an egg a day from them. i think its time to strangle a breeder! thanks for your help!

 

[ChickenExtreme]

Saddle feathers are the thin feathers right before the tail, I did some research on Red Orpington. Not one chicken had any black coloring, appears to be a different breed or mix . They fooled me as well, would've said roos, but

. They look fairly young unless they are a smaller breed of chicken. The orpington in the U.S. are a large breed.

 

[aoxa]

Saddle feathers are what they sound like, a fringe of feathers on the back where the saddle would be on a horse, hanging over each side, just in front of the tail. They are pointed in roosters, just like your Angel/Angelo. Hens do not have that fringe. I promise you, I know my roosters. Been breeding for years, including blue/black/splash Orps.

Roosters crow at different ages. If they are in a group, they may or may not crow early. Can't go by that for sexing.

The last one, and possibly more than one of them, is a rooster, especially the one in the first picture. Do you see on this young male, those pointy feathers coming off his back, just before you get to his tail, how they hang off in a fringe? Those are saddle feathers. Hens feathers there lay flat and round, not pointy and hanging off. Look at all your birds. Any that have that fringe are roosters.




I have a big old hen who is 1/2 RIR and 1/2 Buff Orp who looks more like a Red Orpington than yours do, so I'd say yours are crosses of some kind. Here is Meg with my Blue Orp rooster:

You feed your girls VERY well

Yes.. I agree - the last one is definitely a boy. The saddle feathers are very noticeable.