Description
- Originated from Orpington, England
- Mature weigh between 3.5 – 5.5(rooster)kg
- Large to XL size egg around 60 – 75 g
- Slow maturing – first egg around 8 to 9 months
- Light/cream coloured eggs, expected to lay between 180-200 per year,
- Broodiness – Mid to high
- Maintenance – Low
The Orpington chicken is a heritage breed renowned for its gentle disposition, attractive appearance, and excellent egg-laying capabilities. Developed in the late 19th century in Orpington, Kent, England, by William Cook, this breed quickly gained popularity among poultry enthusiasts. Orpington chickens come in several color varieties, including black, white, buff, blue, and splash. They are known for their fluffy feathers, broad bodies, and low-slung appearance, which gives them a stately and dignified presence.
These chickens are prized for their dual-purpose qualities, meaning they are suitable for both egg production and meat. They lay brown eggs of good size and are consistent layers during season, making them a favorite among backyard flock owners and small-scale farmers.
In addition to their practical attributes, Orpingtons are also valued for their calm and docile temperament, making them excellent pets and suitable for families with children. They are known to be friendly, sociable birds that enjoy human interaction and are relatively easy to handle. They do tolerate cold climate reasonably well due to their thick plumage that provides warmth but this can also overheat during extreme heat. They can get bullied by other breeds known to be more aggressive.
Overall, the Orpington chicken is a beloved breed cherished for its beauty, productivity, and amiable nature, making it a popular choice for poultry keepers.
We have been breeding buff orpington over the years while maintaining good genetic diversity. Bloodline includes Sonya Ford, Hayden Vincent and Venessa @Chirpy Chicken Poultry. We have customers successfully exhibited our line of Orpingtons in the past years.
Please see Orpington – Open Poultry Standard Australia for more info and breed standards.
Buff Orpington offspring colour note 2-24/25 season
This season, we’ve noticed a few Buff Orpington chicks hatching with wheaten or light partridge-like coloration. Having bred Buff Orpingtons for the past three seasons, we’ve maintained the original bloodline from Chirpy Chicken Poultry while adding new genetics from Ford and Vincent lines. This color variation hasn’t occurred in previous seasons and appears to be linked to a rooster introduced this season, Big Ted. He was added to improve the size and width of our birds and seems to carry a partridge/wheaten throwback trait.
While these chicks will still grow into good-sized layer birds and some may moult out as they mature, we’ve only seen three chicks with this variation so far. Most chicks have hatched in standard buff or buff with freckles as we also have our original boy Bruno in the pen. Please rest assured this is not due to crossbreeding but is instead a genetic throwback.
Big Ted has now been removed from the breeding pen. However, as hens can store sperm for 3–6 weeks, there is still a chance of this variation occurring in the short term. If this is something that concerns you, we recommend holding off on ordering eggs during this period.
Thank you for your understanding. ( note added on DEC 2024)
More details available on facebook page “Buff orpington throwback” (Click to view)
