Reviews by Abronsyth

From now on whenever I see someone asking for breed recommendations I jump up and shout "ORLOFFS!" I have a lot of friendly breeds (silkies, cochins, OEGB, d'Anvers, modern game, etc) but none are as all-around, overall friendly as my Russian Orloffs. The one I hatched from an egg is the most affectionate bird in the world, she's more cuddly than my cats, and follows at my heel more loyally than the dogs. If I crouch she launches into my lap and burrows her head against me. Those I didn't raise as early on follow me around and beg for attention like puppies. My roosters jump onto my shoulders and preen my hair. Even the hen I just recently added comes running to me and runs around under my feet. I cannot say enough good about them. They're so easy-going and gentle. My big 6 pound cockerel is as gentle as can be with newly hatched chicks, and all my boys love to find special treats and safe nest spots for the hens. Not to mention they are stunning with their intense eyes, bodacious beards, massive size, and eagle beak. They're a favorite of any visitors. Mine live very peacefully in a mixed flock including teeny tiny d'Anvers and massive Langshans. They're not pushovers at all, but they're far from bullies.
The hens are infrequent layers of medium, light-brown eggs but production increases gradually with age. Right now I'm getting three eggs a week from each pullet. They are slow-growers. My 6 months old range in weight from 4 to 6 pounds and my biggest boy, 24" tall, is far from done growing. Very muscular, impressive birds that carry themselves proudly. They're also very playful and goofy. Most roosters are probably going to challenge me if they coming running up behind me, but not the Orloffs. If I hear the distinct thud thud thud of my Orloffs coming up behind me I can expect to hear some very insistent "honking" shortly demanding that I scratch under their beards.
I really cannot say enough good about Russian Orloffs.

I will be honest with my cons:
-They are big birds so they eat a lot. Not as much as production hens, but obviously more than the bantams.
-This is a cull-heavy breed with an active breed group working hard on getting them APA accepted, don't expect a warm welcome if you're purposefully breeding birds without paying any attention to the proposed standard.
-Right now crooked toes and cross-beak is somewhat common, most good breeders have weeded these defects out of their lines, but it still crops up and these birds need to be culled (meaning kept from breeding) for the breed to progress.
-You will fall in love with them and become desperate for more.

The first flock I helped raise was comprised of five red star hens and one rooster. The rooster was my sweet boy, and by far the best rooster we have ever, ever had. I miss him constantly. The hens were incredibly personable and sweet (for the most part, Jackie was a feisty girl!) They were all very calm and easy to handle and pick up. In fact they were so relaxed and friendly that trying to move them anywhere without carrying them could be difficult since we would have to just physically push them. Our sweet flock of six got us hooked on chickens with how wonderful they were. Our birds were totally free range and did very well with it, we never once lost one of our stars to a predator. They were always in their coop on time at night, and boy, that rooster was a beast when it came to keeping his girls safe. The downside was their lifespans being shortened by high egg production. We had each hen until her final moments, and they all made it to at least five years old, with two making it to six. The girls slowed down a lot in their age, but none of the other birds we eventually added ever dared question the authority of the stars. Sweet, wonderful birds, I'd recommend them to anyone.

We decided after three years of having our standard hens to try bantams. Our birds are free range and we have a lot of hawks, falcons, coyotes, foxes, etc, so we wanted birds that would be very alert and good at avoiding danger. After some research, we settled on ordering in some Old English Game chicks. Honestly I expected the birds to be flighty and hard to tame, but they certainly proved me wrong! We ended up with 10 bantams, 9/10 being OEG bantams. Now, we love our older hens are golden comets and it took them about two years for each to learn her name. All of our OEGs already know their names, come when called, and they all love sitting around us. Just yesterday I ended up with one of our roosters and one of our hens falling asleep in my lap. They are very sweet, making very odd little noises, are very personable, goofy, alert, and intelligent.

However, our little game bantams do have some problems controlling their curiosity, and now we've had chickens roosting on the shelves on our back porch, up in trees, on the roof, and all the places the little monsters aren't supposed to be! While this can be kind of, ah, annoying when we end up with chicken poos in some odd places. Other than that they are intelligent, friendly little birds that are a joy to have around.