Orpington (chicken)

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Black Orpington hen

Black Orpington rooster

Head of a black Orpington hen

Orpington hens, Splash, Blue, Buff

Jubilee Orpingtons, 12 weeks, pullet and cockerel

The Orpington is a large bird from the English class of chickens. It is a bold, upright breed with a wide chest, broad back, and smallish head and tail. The Orpington was bred as a dual-purpose breed (meat production and eggs), but its popularity grew as a show bird rather than a utility breed. Their large size and soft appearance together with their rich color and gentle contours make them very attractive.

1 History
2 Appearance
3 Colors
4 Eggs
5 External Links

[edit] History

The original Orpington (the Black) was developed in 1886 by William Cook. He crossed Minorcas, Langshans and Plymouth Rocks to create the new hybrid bird. Cook named the breed after his home town in Kent. The first Orpingtons looked very much like the Langshan and were black. Between 1889 and 1905, Cook also created white, buff and blue colored Orpingtons. The breed was famous for its great egg-capacity.

[edit] Appearance

Some characteristics of an Orpington are:

Heavy (7 to 10 pounds),
Soft, profuse feathering, which almost hides the legs of the bird,
Curvy shape with a short back and U-shaped underline,
A small head with a small comb.
Large and usually tame

[edit] Colors

Besides the original colors (black, white, buff, blue), lots of other varieties exist today, e.g. porcelain ( = Jubilee, speckled), red, mottled and birchen. The original colors are still the most widely bred varieties.

[edit] Eggs

Orpingtons lay between 110 and 160 eggs a year. They do not stop laying in the winter. The eggs are tinted and range from small to large depending on the heredity of the breed. Hens tend to go broody more than other heavy egg breeds, which is to say occasionally.