# Orpingtons or Wyandottes?



## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

I'm wanting to order some hatching eggs but can't decide which to get. I want a friendly and tame breed. Should I go with Blue/Black/Splash Orpingtons or Blue Laced Red Wyandotte?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I loved my BLRW. I had a Buff Orpington and she just wasn't as friendly.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I have Buffs and they are very friendly. They follow us everywhere and when they see my husband , they come running its so funny to see chickens streaking across the field with our rooster Jerry in tow , lolol
We also have comets , great egg layers and very friendly too 

I know they would have been friendlier if I had taken the time to hold them alot , but i just didnt have the time then , so when you reach down to them , they back away , but they dont run..
So thats why i think they would be more hand tame .
A friend of ours has them and her kids tamed them and hold them all the time...


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## KarmakeeFarm (Jun 3, 2012)

Love orps! Super freindly- huge eggs-very prolific-and a nice looking bird-I had Buffs
my Wyns were not as friendly or prolific BUT they were show birds -not production type -BEAUTIFUL though- i had the BLR Wyns


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## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

Hatchery stock or from a breeder? 

We have had lots and lots of orpingtons and I have only had one male that came after me, he came from a hatchery (Ideal, McMurray, Welps, etc). Frequently, hatcheries mix other breeds with their orpingtons to get egg production up, ours definitely had some Buff Rock mixed in and he was miserable, but we still have 2 hens from that lot, as they have been great brooders for us, will sit a nest 2 - 3 times a year for us, and occasionally still lay an egg or 2. 
Our other orps are all breeders and are the most laidback individuals, regardless of the breeder that they came from. I can put anyone in with my orps and I know that they won't go after them and with regular handling, they would follow you around like a dog.

We had BLRW for a couple of seasons, they were also breeder stock. While they weren't the most miserable, they were not as pleasant as our orps and they were very rough on each other and I didn't quite trust them. They were very pretty, but we opted for the orps instead.


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

I LOVED my buff opringtons. They were so friendly, awesome layers, broody like no other and of course beautiful birds. I've never had wyandottes so i don't know anything about them, sorry.


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## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

I've had orps before and they were usually friendly. My sister had wyandottes and hers were crazy. I want blr wyandottes because I like the color but if they are wild I would rather get orps again.


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## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

chelsboers said:


> I've had orps before and they were usually friendly. My sister had wyandottes and hers were crazy. I want blr wyandottes because I like the color but if they are wild I would rather get orps again.


There are a lot of nice orpingtons out there right now. There are gold laced and jubilee orpingtons available, not the cheapest, but very pretty birds. A lot of the UK blue orpingtons have very nice lacing too.


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## serenityfarmnm (Jan 6, 2013)

I LOVE my Orps (buff) so friendly they try to sit on laps! I would love a cpl blue or Splash too!!


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

My buffs were awesome too. Big beautiful girls that were so calm and sweet. Loved their huge eggs too


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## sbaker (Nov 11, 2012)

Me and my sister got a bunch of buff orpingtons when we were little. Our favorites would follow us everywhere! We even played house with them in our playhouse. Super friendly birds- even the roosters! They are supposed to be good layers, although I wouldn't know about that because right when they got to laying age the neighbors dogs got in and ate all but one hen and the two roosters!  I think we cried for days......


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## nursehelg (Jul 5, 2012)

Orpingtons for me. They are nicer in my flock than all the other breeds that I own. I have one that I call "Dog" because she follows me everywhere. I mean everywhere. She walks around with me when I go outside to feed up. I have buffs, black, and lavender. I would love to get some splash ones. Does anyone here have fertile eggs?


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## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

Ok correct me if I'm wrong but there isn't any way of knowing for sure if you're going to get blue orpington eggs is there. I was thinking that when you get eggs the chicks will either be blue, black, and/or splash.


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## onehorse_2000 (Sep 17, 2012)

chelsboers said:


> Ok correct me if I'm wrong but there isn't any way of knowing for sure if you're going to get blue orpington eggs is there. I was thinking that when you get eggs the chicks will either be blue, black, and/or splash.


These are the possiblity with blue genetics in birds:

Blue x Blue = 25% black, 50% blue, 25% splash
Blue x Black = 50% black, 50% blue
Blue x Splash = 50% blue, 50% splash
Splash x Black = 100% blue
Splash x Splash = 100% splash
Black x Black = 100% black

I run black to blue or blue to blue, I don't usually get a lot of splashs (I think I got 1 splash out of 100 eggs) and I don't usually keep them either. I, personally, don't like the color and the splashes that I get usually don't have good enough type to warrant keeping them, but there are breeders that breed for color, splash, blue exclusively.


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## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

onehorse_2000 said:


> These are the possiblity with blue genetics in birds:
> 
> Blue x Blue = 25% black, 50% blue, 25% splash
> Blue x Black = 50% black, 50% blue
> ...


Thanks! I wouldn't mind the blue or splash but I don't really care to have the black ones. I am only wanting 5 and I want the colorful ones. My son will want to help take care of them and get the eggs so I want friendly ones that won't run away anytime he is near. I guess it is like anything else though. Each one has a different personality and no two are alike.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

chelsboers said:


> Thanks! I wouldn't mind the blue or splash but I don't really care to have the black ones. I am only wanting 5 and I want the colorful ones. My son will want to help take care of them and get the eggs so I want friendly ones that won't run away anytime he is near. I guess it is like anything else though. Each one has a different personality and no two are alike.


Splash is the way to go for small flocks. I have black, blue, and splash. Love them!! Bit pricey for quality but my birds are HUGE and literally bowling balls on legs.


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## neubunny (Nov 7, 2012)

Haven't had both, so I can't compare, but love my standard Wyandottes. I have silver lace, gold lace and columbian. I've also got one gold columbian which is very pretty (though not showable) which must have come from a columbian hen and a gold rooster (hatched from the duck's nest lol).

My only complaint is that they fly too well -- I hadn't planned to free range but rather to keep them in a large 'poultry yard' - but I can't keep them in (tried adding netting to the top of the fence bringing it to almost a 7 foot height - most still flew over). -- Last summer my son had to do an 'egg hunt' daily -- which he thought was a lot of fun, so it worked out ok. MOST laid in the nest boxes, but a few were quite creative at hiding their eggs.


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## chapinranch (Apr 30, 2012)

clip one wing and they won't be able to fly and should keep them in


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## neubunny (Nov 7, 2012)

tried that (clipping). apparently I did it wrong. they still flew out, just kind of 'crooked'. I was afraid to try clipping any closer. But after a couple of scoldings, my dogs have decided they 'belong' and pretty much leave them alone. And the dogs keep other predators away pretty successfully. I've kind of gotten to like them wandering around.


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