Chocolate Orpingtons are slow to feather up. This is thought to be a direct result of the choc gene. Black Orpingtons are slow at feathering up but Chocolate Orps are even slower. They lay a slightly tinted egg.

Chocolate Orpingtons breed true – but there are some breeding combinations that are worth noting:

• Chocolate Male X Chocolate Female = 100% Chocolate

• Black Male X Chocolate Female = 50% Black Males carrying Chocolate, 50% Black Females

• Chocolate Male X Black Female = 50% Black Males carrying Chocolate, 50% Black Females

• Black Male carrying Chocolate X Chocolate Female = 25% Chocolate Males, 25% Black Males carrying Chocolate, 25% Chocolate Females, 25% Black Females

• Black Male carrying Chocolate X Black Female = 25% Black Males carrying Chocolate, 25% Black Males, 25% Chocolate Females, 25% Black Females.

Photo: Chocolate Orpington Cock (Bantam) courtesy of Matt Hanson.

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Poultrykeeper.com is made up of a small group of enthusiasts that enjoy keeping and writing about poultry. There are over 350 articles on the site, including product and book reviews, show reports, breed photos and technical articles from poultry vets.
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Co. Carlow:
Old McDonald’s Farm
Lorglenn Business Park
Hacketstown Rd
Carlow
Tel:086 0373737

Co. Cork:
Riall & Mahoney
Midleton

Duhallow Feeds (delivery service available))
Sallypark, Liscarroll
Mallow. Tel 086 2696967

O`Brien Saddelry
10 South Main Street
Bandon Co. Cork
Tel: 02343237

Co. Donegal:
Raphoe Hardware Store
Lifford Road, Raphoe

Angela Chuigtai
Inver Glebe
Tel: 087 281 2077

Co. Galway:
Brodricks,
Tynagh, Loughrea.

Margaret Gorton,
Corrib Saddlery,
Moycullen. Tel: 091 550444

Co. Kildare:
Irish Horse Supplies
Tel: 087 744 2831

Deerings Haulage
Nurney
Tel: 045 526743

Co. Kerry:
Kellihers Feed & Agri Supplies,
Ballycullin, Tralee
Tel: 066 7123463

Co. Kilkenny:
Old Court Saddlery
Unit 2 Enterprice Centre
Siddown Piltown
Co. Kilkenny
Tel: 051 644388

Bowdens,
Main Street
Urlingford

Co. Laois:
Browns Animal Feeds,
Clonminam Ind Est. Portlaois

Co. Limerick:
Country Dresser
Station Road Adare
Co. Limerick
Tel:061 396915

Co. Louth:
Town and Country
New Industrial Estate
Duleek
Tel: 041 981 4460

Deeside Agri
Ardee
Tel: 041 686 3525

Co. Longford:
Longford Saddlery
Longford Town

Co. Mayo:
Thomas Archer
Burree
Ballina

Reapes Londis Store
Main Street
Iniscrone
Tel: 087 233 8572

Charles Hanley
Claremorris Equestrian Centre
Galway Rd, Claremorris
Tel 094 9362330

Co. Meath:
Joe Brady, Bellview,
Ballinlough, Kells.
Tel 087 2372224

Lakeland Dairies,
Dublin Road, Trim
Tel: 046 9431661

North Co. Dublin:
Fingal Farm Feeds, Oldtown,
Ashbourne, Co. Dublin
Tel: 01 8433805

Co. Offaly:
Irish Horse Supplies,
Cloneygowan Portarlington
Tel: 087 744 2831

Midland Veterinary,
Cloncollig Ind Est, Tullamore

Lorraine Morken
Shinrone.

Co. Sligo:
Leslie Ward
Rathcormac Tel: 0719145328

Co. Tipperary:
Star Fuels & Farm Supplies Ltd.
Powerstone Pk.
Clonmel
Tel: 052 25777

Co. Waterford:
Angela Larkin
Broole Lodge, Killalawn
Dunmore East
Tel. 086 8397787

Star Fuels & Farm Supplies Ltd.
Powerstone Pk.
Clonmel
Tel: 052 25777

Co. Westmeath:
Arden Equestrian,
Garden Vale, Athlone

Co. Wexford:
Killeen Service Station,
Newline Road, Wexford.
Tel: 053 45082

Geo. Kehoe, Gen Merchant,
Enniscorthy & Blackwater

Pet Master.
No. 8 Woodbine Business Park
New Ross
Co. Wexford
Tel: 051 445372

Co. Wicklow:
The Scalp Gap Service Station,
Enniskerry. Tel: 01 205 2778

L.E Feeds,
Kilpedar, Co.Wicklow
Tel: 087 2883854

Northern Ireland:
Stockists all over the province
Contact Judy Maxwell for details
Tel: 07885 065531

Step 1 – The Wooden Packing Crate.

To get one of these, you will need to drive around a few industrial estates where there are companies likely to be receiving international shipments and when you spot some crates, be prepared to knock on the door and politely ask whether you can have an old one! Transportation is your next problem but if you take a claw hammer with you and (ideally) a crow bar, you will find you can break the crate down into 4 sides, a lid and a floor. These will fit in the back of an estate car with the seats down or similar sized vehicle.

Once you have your crate(s), the rest is really quite easy.

Step 2 – Other Materials

• Tounge and Groove – you will need some pressure treated tongue and groove. This can be thin – 8mm, cheap stuff because you have support behind it. It is just to cover the crate and make it look good. It also provides some insulation around the outside which keeps the house warmer in winter and cooler in the summer.
• Nails – You will need some flat head nails, long enough to go through your T&G and into the crate, but not so long that they stick out into the house. I used 20mm nails.
• Roofing Material – I used Onduline as you can see on mine. It isn’t expensive and is light weight. Leave an overlap on the ends.
• Roof fixing nails – I bought a packet of special Onduline fixing nails with plastic washers and caps. Normal nail heads would just rip through.
• Various bits of wood – The pop hole on my chicken house was ply, on the duck house I used the cut out from the crate and added T&G to the outside of it. A perch was added across the inside of the chicken house.
  
• For the duck house – Various hinges and a bolt. Buy galvanised as these will last for a very long time.

Step 3 – The Build

Cut the hole out for the door / pop hole (make a wide door for a duck house, as shown in the photo left) but ensure you leave an edge / lip at the bottom. This is to keep your bedding material inside the house, stopping it being trampled outside. The easiest way I found to cut out the hole was to drill 4 large holes for the corners and use a jigsaw to cut around. A small pointed hand saw that is used to cut holes in ceilings would also work but take a little longer.Rough plain or sand the edges so there are no sharp corners or splinters. You can line this doorway if it looks too rough when the tounge and groove has been fixed.

The next step is to put the tounge and groove wood onto the sides. Move the house close to its final position first though because it will be really heavy once completed. Start at the bottom and work upwards, interlocking the boards and nailing as you go. When you get to the top, if there is a little overlap, don’t worry, this can be used to ‘drop’ the lid / roof in to hold it in place. I made one side flush so I could slide the lid into position (it’s quite heavy). Once the tongue and groove is finished, you can nail the Onduline or similar onto the roof. The roof should be able to lift off or be hinged to allow cleaning. The door / pop hole should be made and fitted, don’t forget to make sure this is securely held shut at night to stop foxes.

Step 4 – A Coat of Paint.

The final step to your chicken / duck house is to give it a good coat of paint. This can be as colourful as you like, providing you use outdoor paint suitable for sheds and fences. Make sure the house has a good week or more to dry and air so there is no smell of paint when your birds go in.

Final Comments

The biggest disadvantage I have found with these houses is that the should red mite get in between the crate and tongue and groove, they are impossible to get out. It is for this reason that I have found them to be very suitable as duck houses. When I added up my bill, I found this house cost me around £25 to build. This was partly because the wood came as ‘weathered’ offcuts from a wood yard that made garden sheds and were cheaper than normal. I guess it would cost you a few pound more if the wood was top grade. If you can’t get pressure treated for a sensible price then just make sure you paint the house well and keep it painted every year to stop the wet weather from rotting the wood. I found this house to be very easy to build because you have the frame work in place and cutting the wood to length can be done once it is nailed in place.

About The Author:

Poultrykeeper.com is made up of a small group of enthusiasts that enjoy keeping and writing about poultry. There are over 350 articles on the site, including product and book reviews, show reports, breed photos and technical articles from poultry vets.
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A new all plastic poultry nesting box called the Chick Box is set to dramatically improve the way thousands of keepers can care for their birds. The Chick Box, from BEC, takes just seconds to clean, ending hours of work for poultry keepers struggling to keep boxes free from harmful red mite and other pests and bacteria.

Manufactured in the UK, the Chick Box is available now and is the only plastic injection moulded nest box system on the market.
The Chick Box eclipses wooden boxes which crack, are tough to clean and harbour red mite and other bacteria and galvanised metal which rots easily.
Managing Director Jeff Smith said: “The Chick Box is extremely easy and quick to clean out, has no corners to harbour mites and can be jet washed in seconds, ending the hours of drudgery cleaning and disinfecting wooden or metal boxes to ensure they have no red mite or bacteria in them. Unlike wood and metal the Chick Box does not corrode or rot, it is cheaper and at the end of its life it can be recycled. We think the Chick Box is the answer to many poultry keepers’ prayers and are delighted to have it in stock and ready to send out to customers straight away.”

The Chick Box can be retro fit, double stacked or placed in line and also has an optional egg tray for ease of collection. The Chick Box is a new addition to the world-class range of plastic poultry products, including feeders and drinkers, from BEC UK, a company with 50 years’ experience in the industry. The Chick Box is manufactured in our Scarborough and Church Stretton factories with internationally recognised ISO 2002 systems. It has been designed to be smooth with no corners to harbour red mite or bacteria. The perch assembly slides out easily for cleaning. It will retro fit into any shed by attaching to a length of wood 3″ x 2″ – 75-50mm, approximately 600-800mm from the shed floor. Chick Box can be double stacked or added to each other inline as your flock grows. Four laying hens to each Chick Box is a good ratio.

The Chick Box is draught free, but is ventilated and keeps hens warm in winter and cool in summer. The perch bracket is at the perfect height with additional grip to easily allow the hen to lift herself out of the Chick Box. Rollout nesting bottoms can be supplied with the Chick Box or added later, allowing eggs to automatically roll out into a collection tray on the outside.

The Chickbox Poultry Nestbox website has more information.

RRP £20

About The Author:

Poultrykeeper.com is made up of a small group of enthusiasts that enjoy keeping and writing about poultry. There are over 350 articles on the site, including product and book reviews, show reports, breed photos and technical articles from poultry vets.
View Original Article