*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[crazyhen]

Buff orp roos are unusually sweet. I wish you were closer. Or the ones I have had were. I am in Franklin in the mtns of NC.

 

[birdlady79]

Buff orp roos are unusually sweet.   I wish you were closer.   Or the ones I have had were.  I am in Franklin in the mtns of NC.

I wish I was too ... Thank you again.

 

[Rebekah J]

We have 5 Buff's! They are about 26 weeks old. They are so sweet and friendly! They are not afraid to get close to you! Our Wellsummers are sweet too, not quite as friendly. But, we love them all!

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Can one ever have enough BO's?

I bought four babies 4 months ago. Sadly, we lost one last week. Not sure what happened. The 4-pack was tight and I think she may have had her neck snapped. She had just passed at 6am when I went outside. No blood, no lost feathers. I never heard a squawk. She was the sweetest of the four. Not that there's a mean on in that bunch.

I know they are still babies, but I go out there every day telling them to hurry up and grow up and become broody so I can raise more.

 

[jubilation]

Am I weird? I don't put any of my chicks outside until they are at least 12 weeks old and clucking, not peeping. I keep them in our spare bedroom in an enclosure my husband made that is 4 feet wide and 6 feet long with a solid floor and chicken wire that goes up about 5 feet. The sides are solid up to 18 inches and then it's wire with two big doors that open for cleaning, feeding, etc. There are two lower roosts and one about 4 feet up. It's open so the chicks can interact with the household, dog, cats, rabbit and us. The enclosure can be broken down and stored until needed again. Albeit the spare room needs a really deep cleaning, and I mean deep. But with this method I have had no sick chicks of any kind and no losses when turned outside.

 

[speckledhen]

Am I weird? I don't put any of my chicks outside until they are at least 12 weeks old and clucking, not peeping. I keep them in our spare bedroom in an enclosure my husband made that is 4 feet wide and 6 feet long with a solid floor and chicken wire that goes up about 5 feet. The sides are solid up to 18 inches and then it's wire with two big doors that open for cleaning, feeding, etc. There are two lower roosts and one about 4 feet up. It's open so the chicks can interact with the household, dog, cats, rabbit and us. The enclosure can be broken down and stored until needed again. Albeit the spare room needs a really deep cleaning, and I mean deep. But with this method I have had no sick chicks of any kind and no losses when turned outside.

There is a huge problem with that. They cannot develop immunity from cocci if you keep them off the ground. Also, they grow better if they can be in sunlight and breathe fresh air. Even large fowl chicks raised in the covered pen/coop by my bantam broody hens do not grow as well as others who are allowed to range with their large fowl mothers. They always have to catch up in growth much later and some never do.

 

[jubilation]

There is a huge problem with that. They cannot develop immunity from cocci if you keep them off the ground. Also, they grow better if they can be in sunlight and breathe fresh air. Even large fowl chicks raised in the covered pen/coop by my bantam broody hens do not grow as well as others who are allowed to range with their large fowl mothers. They always have to catch up in growth much later and some never do.

Never had any problems with growth and the outside area and coop are disinfected regularly. As far as sunshine, we have out here what is called a swamp cooler or evaporative cooler which is nothing more than a vented box on the roof that blows air into the house through wetted pads. The bedroom has a large window which stays open for the air to blow out. The room has a lot of sunshine and we bring dirt and sand from the outside and then put it on our gardens when we change it. Chickens are thriving and growing.

 

[speckledhen]

Never had any problems with growth and the outside area and coop are disinfected regularly. As far as sunshine, we have out here what is called a swamp cooler or evaporative cooler which is nothing more than a vented box on the roof that blows air into the house through wetted pads. The bedroom has a large window which stays open for the air to blow out. The room has a lot of sunshine and we bring dirt and sand from the outside and then put it on our gardens when we change it. Chickens are thriving and growing.

I know what a swamp cooler is, used to live in Utah. But, you asked if you were weird and I am answering the question, LOL.

Twelve weeks is way past chick stage and in my humble opinion, that is not a natural life for a chicken of that age. Cocci cannot be killed by disinfecting your outside or your coop except with ammonia.To develop immunity requires exposure. You probably don't have that much issue with cocci, but in the soupy South, we sure do, so we have to manage it logically. Keeping them off the ground means that the moment they are exposed, their systems can be overwhelmed by it. By 12 weeks, they are usually immune, IF they have been exposed.

They may be growing, but are they reaching their full potential? I would say no from my experience, but only because you asked.

 

[dee06]

Hi everyone these are my Buff Orpington x Cochin chicks, I hope you don't mind me putting these on here as they are crosses, they are 5 weeks old, any guesses on gender would be appreciated, I have put what I think with each photo, thanks

1 - Roo







2 - pullet







3 - Pullet







4 - roo






I really hope I am wrong on the roos as I have seen and heard their dad and know that there is no way I would be able to keep them

 

[KendyF]

Am I weird? I don't put any of my chicks outside until they are at least 12 weeks old and clucking, not peeping. I keep them in our spare bedroom in an enclosure my husband made that is 4 feet wide and 6 feet long with a solid floor and chicken wire that goes up about 5 feet. The sides are solid up to 18 inches and then it's wire with two big doors that open for cleaning, feeding, etc. There are two lower roosts and one about 4 feet up. It's open so the chicks can interact with the household, dog, cats, rabbit and us. The enclosure can be broken down and stored until needed again. Albeit the spare room needs a really deep cleaning, and I mean deep. But with this method I have had no sick chicks of any kind and no losses when turned outside.

I don't think you are weird, but I take the opposite approach. I get my chicks outside and exposed as quickly as possible. I currently have 4 week-old BOs who have been outside since they were 1 week old. On cool nights, I would wait until they went to bed and scoop them up, put in a box bring them in the house and put them back out in the AM. I once bought 5 week old chicks who had remained in the brooder full-time and they died. So, it made me feel like in nature they would be out and about. I notice my chicks raised by broody moms, only get warmed up once in a while after the 1st week. I noticed they seemed hardier then chicks kept in a brooder. They don't get much starter feed, because they are feed what mom gives them. Trays of food just sit, while the moms dig huge holes and feed their chicks bugs, grass, etc. Yet, those raised naturally chicks are bigger and hardier.

I don't think I am right and you are wrong. I think there are different approaches. Raise your chicks how it works for you and to meet the goals of your flock.