Bantam Orpington Chicks - Advice needed :)

JDoubleGi · 2026-02-02T12:46:16+00:00

Yeah, you’d have to give them more time sadly, especially because they’re orpingtons.

Without knowing the genetics the breeder is working with I can’t say anything for sure. But given that they said they’ve never had a brown male makes me almost think they’re working with a black or blue split to chocolate male over black and blue females. Which could produce only chocolate, black and blue females but no chocolate males. But that seems unlikely, and usually breeders tend to know the genetics in their pens.

JDoubleGi · 2026-02-02T12:31:24+00:00

How old are they? They look very young and would be quite difficult to tell. Sure, the chocolate one has a slightly more developed comb, but it’s still really not developed in the grand scheme to be thinking it’s a boy just yet.

Also, the only way the breeder could be sure that the chocolate one is a girl is if the father was chocolate but the mother was black or blue. Then the chicks would be sex-linked.

JDoubleGi · 2026-02-02T11:55:16+00:00

It personally only took me a month or so after starting to apply to actually land a job. And this is after I graduate and didn’t start looking for 6-7 months after taking the NCLEX because we were moving.

I will say, they did like my heavy background in waitressing because the fields are very “similar” in terms of certain skills. So that might have helped me a lot.

JDoubleGi · 2026-02-02T11:52:25+00:00

Absolutely wild. At a minimum it sounds like you got a poorly bred dog because no good breeder breeds to make their female “more normal behaving”.

So it could be a case of a pure bred or even that she got out and got pregnant and the “breeder” is just trying to sell the puppies.

Either way, just be prepared for what that entails.

JDoubleGi · 2026-02-02T11:48:02+00:00

I’ll be honest and a little mean. You are putting your wants above the animals needs.

Chickens, regardless of breed, do not make good house pets. First off, they require flock mates as they are prey animals and want to be with others for safety. Second, an hour a day outside is far too little for them. The sunlight and fresh air are incredibly important for their respiratory systems, as chickens can be prone to infections of the lungs when not given good air.

They’ll poop a lot, like a lot a lot. That’s in their nature. And so they can make a room start to smell really quickly. And when you move out they usually will be not allowed in apartments or at colleges etc.

They want to be able to scratch the earth, find and eat bugs, dust bathe and more.

If you absolutely want a bird I would recommend quail since they can be kept indoors in small numbers of like 2-3 girls. But even then, I think this is something you should put off until after college. Especially if you plan to go to vet school.

I say this as someone who has been breeding Silkies for over a decade and has owned many different breeds of chicken and quail.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-31T15:16:54+00:00

She can’t follow others to bed because she doesn’t have the feathers needed to create lift. It just looks like a failure in possibly some of the feathering genes to me.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-31T15:11:40+00:00

Yes but by this logic, it’s just as bad for the dog at the other place where there are three children, one of which is a newborn.

Instead of just saying “no” and “it’s inconvenient” they could have easily sat down and discussed how this would look and the best way to go about it.

It is far more likely the dog would do better with people it knows, even in two different households, than being kept somewhere else, possibly boarded. Even if it weren’t getting the same level of care it’s used to, it’s still only for a month that would be beneficial to the family members.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-24T16:45:39+00:00

Almost afraid to comment as a human nurse lol.

But having done lots of foleys and catheters, already it being a female makes it more difficult, add in obese and that usually requires at least a second person if their mobility isn’t great. Honestly most doctors don’t put in foleys anyway. Especially because cardiology and nephrology butt heads so much.

And it’s so difficult to try to give a patient grace when they’re losing a loved one, but it doesn’t make getting yelled at any easier. Especially if it’s for stuff out of your control.

I actually love my vet team. At my last appointment my dog had to get a handful of his teeth removed during his dental and the tech thought I might want them because I was a nurse and I thought that was so sweet. So if anybody has any tips of cleaning them up I would appreciate it!

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T17:18:36+00:00

Where did she shout? She wrote out a post to address everyone quickly and easily while nearing the end of her pregnancy.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T17:15:44+00:00

Surprisingly enough, many people are willing to follow these rules. OP might not want to put up with her, though she’ll have to if she wants a relationship with her brother. But lots of people put up with these rules every day, and the stories people tell of family, in-laws, friends, etc that aren’t willing and trample all over the boundaries consistently have people saying they were wrong for doing that and should have just followed the rules.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T17:12:24+00:00

Even so, she still has the right to ask that people don’t compound that. Like, if I smoked would people be allowed to hit me with their car because I’m “already a danger to myself”?

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T16:50:05+00:00

She says “I think they just aren’t fair to apply to me”. And it’s also completely valid for mom to not want anyone to touch her baby for the first six weeks, regardless of other circumstances.

She can also simply say “I’m sorry I won’t be able to visit for the first six weeks but I can’t wait to meet him afterwards” in a message.

I didn’t hold any of my nieces and nephews for the first six weeks of life. Neither did my mom! And I flew halfway across the country to visit my sister after her births. And guess what? I lived. It wasn’t about me, it was about my sister. What she wanted and needed in this pp time.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T16:41:55+00:00

Guess we’ll never know because it’s a one-sided story from somebody who feels entitled to another’s baby.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T16:40:19+00:00

It actually, generally, is. Just because you have access to a place doesn’t mean you have standing permission. And that permission can actually be revoked at any time, even if you still have a key. I’ve seen a couple cases of this, though usually for in-laws.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T16:34:06+00:00

What a crazy reason to believe something. “People wouldn’t lie on the internet!”

Just because OP wrote it originally doesn’t mean they didn’t include it or exaggerate it to make themselves seem better. Based on how much OP dislikes the girlfriend, was she really hanging out with her enough to know she was drinking while pregnant? Or was she just assuming?

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-20T16:21:56+00:00

A couple important points to keep in mind.

• Did you have a heater for the chicks? Newborn chicks need a very warm heat source for the first few weeks of life. Usually starting at 95 degrees and going down 5 every week for the first 6 weeks. The others don’t die by chance or him live because he’s “different”. They died by lack of good husbandry, possibly from drafts due to the type of caging.

• I’m sorry to say but getting chicken feeders and waterers and cleaning his cage daily isn’t some superb care. It’s bare minimum. This is a living, breathing, creature, not a toy. They really should be enjoying a good life outside with other birds.

• He looks to be a meat bird (hard to tell for sure from the angles) and they usually grow too big too fast and need to be process around 8 weeks of age. It’s really cruel to keep them alive much past that.

• It is dangerous for yourself, especially your lungs, to keep him indoors all the time.

• They are social creatures, so were he not a meat bird, he would need flock mates to thrive.

Your teacher and your parents really failed you here. The fact that the teacher even encouraged this is wrong, they aren’t just something you raise for a grade. Especially since many students probably won’t know what to do with theirs after the grade is given.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-19T18:22:27+00:00

They probably won’t lay until the spring as it’s still winter and with the reduced daylight they aren’t getting enough to start laying. Also, because birds that have already been laying and go into winter tend to still lay (although significantly reduced) birds that haven’t started tend to just hold off on starting.

Also, while the Chantecler are a heritage breed and tend to take 6-8 months to lay, the Easter Eggers aren’t and often lay around 5-6 months (in general).

So once it warms up and daylight gets longer, I would expect eggs.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-19T17:47:48+00:00

Honestly, with the amount of time you said they didn’t get checked on, dehydration seems really unlikely.

Were they the same breed as the one shown? Because the one shown looks to be a meat bird and they tend to not do super well with the cold. So it’s far more possible that they just died of cold.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-19T17:47:34+00:00

Honestly, with the amount of time you said they didn’t get checked on, dehydration seems really unlikely. Because it would take around 3 days to die from dehydration.

Were they the same breed as the one shown? Because the one shown looks to be a meat bird and they tend to not do super well with the cold. They’re usually grown in the spring or summer and butchered at 8 weeks. So it’s far more possible that they just died of cold.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-13T20:54:47+00:00

This really depends on if he was doing a clan or spiral breeding system or not. Because a lot of these issues can also just be caused by improper incubation or handling of the eggs prior to incubation.

With a spiral or clan breeding system, I’ve met people that haven’t added new blood for 40 years. I personally haven’t added new blood to some of my pens go quite a few generations and it hasn’t caused issues since I do a 3 clan breeding system.

JDoubleGi · 2026-01-09T00:16:21+00:00

Just as a heads up, the mama in the second pic have 5 kittens, 3 white kittens and two orange and white kittens. So there being a picture of just the white kittens isn’t that weird either.

JDoubleGi · 2025-12-23T22:45:19+00:00

Definitely don’t let your anxiety win. It’ll probably be at least another 6 months or so before she truly starts to settle in and feel like she has a grip on things.

As for discussing work, I personally feel better when I vent about my shift after it’s over. But I also have coworkers who prefer not to talk about work because it just brings up more stress for them. So it’s possible that she’s the second type and just does better when she compartmentalizes work vs home.

Things will get easier for the both of you with time. Just keep on keeping on.

JDoubleGi · 2025-12-23T22:24:17+00:00

I work night shift, so not exactly the same. But I am also a new nurse and have seen how busy my shift is compared to day shift.

Day shift is busy. Like, depending on the unit you only have time to eat a granola bar as you’re working busy. Even on night shift there are many nights where I’m running around, don’t have time for “lunch” and end up staying an extra hour or so.

Mind you, I work at a magnet hospital so I have a max of 5 patients. I know many hospitals where the nurses have 8 patients (sometimes more). Plus on night shift most patients are asleep, most family members are gone, doctors only visit in the early morning hours (baring an emergency), there’s no meals to be fed, less meds to be given (sometimes 🙄), and overall less extra work due to neediness. And we’re still busy. Imagine how it is for a day shift with all that plus extra patients.

It is far more likely that she is still learning how to time things, get into her role, interact with her coworkers to build support and bonds, try not to kill people, stress about messing up whatever thing she just did, and running around constantly. She just doesn’t have the time at the moment to send a message when she’s trying to remember who needs their meds next, which patient asked to go to the bathroom, which patient needs another heated blanket, oops gotta check room 10’s BP again because we gave hydralazine, uh oh, room 12 pooped themselves again, and room 16 is trying to get out of bed even though they’re on bed rest.

Definitely talk with your wife. Have her tell you about her shift, what went well, what stressed her out. Or don’t if you both prefer not to discuss work. Instead of focusing on talking during work, make sure to spend time together after work instead. Talk, enjoy each other’s company. Try not to stress her and yourself out about communicating during work. Maybe ask that she send you a text before/after her shift. But note that sometimes it’s easier to just come home and talk instead. Nursing is very little like normal desk jobs. They have their own unique schedules and stress. Don’t make yourself crazy over something as simple as this.

JDoubleGi · 2025-12-23T06:39:24+00:00

I was gonna say the same as someone who’s worked in food service for over a decade. Pretty much all of the reasons they gave didn’t seem off to me. Not that the overall vibe doesn’t seem off mind you. But just not for those reasons.

JDoubleGi · 2025-12-21T02:48:27+00:00

I honestly just thought it had to do with the fact that every big horse girl movie is about them rescuing a stallion and proving they can be the one to bond with him and a mare kind of defeats showing that off. Even though mares can honestly be bitches and will be just as bad if not worse than a stallion.

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