Orpington chicken
The Orpington is a big, soft-feathered British breed created by William Cook as a dual-purpose bird. It soon became mainly a show breed.
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The Orpington is a pure-bred chicken breed in the PCGB Soft Feather Heavy class. Its origin is given as Orpington, Kent, England (William Cook, 1886). It appears on the RBST Watchlist as a priority breed, so keepers of pure stock help conserve it.
It is kept in large and bantam forms. Recognised colours: Black, Blue, Buff, White, Cuckoo, Jubilee, Spangled.
Expect roughly 100–180 eggs a year, with tinted/light brown shells.
Compiled from poultryclub.org, rbst.org.uk, poultrykeeper.com, en.wikipedia.org. See sources
Photos
Buff. Photo: Pete Cooper, CC BY 2.0
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Identity
- Species
- Chicken
- Type
- Pure breed
- PCGB class
- Soft Feather Heavy
- Origin
- Orpington, Kent, England (William Cook, 1886)
History
Cook bred the Black Orpington in the 1880s in Orpington, Kent, from Minorca, Langshan and Plymouth Rock, choosing black because it wouldn't show London soot. It was shown at the 1886 Dairy Show and given its own class in 1888. From the 1890s, Joseph Partington's fluffier Langshan × Cochin birds pushed the type towards the exhibition bird seen today. The Australorp derives from it.
Appearance
Big and profusely feathered.
Recognised colours
Black, Blue, Buff, White, Cuckoo, Jubilee, Spangled
Size and weight
- Forms
- Large, Bantam
Eggs
- Eggs a year
- 100–180
- Egg colour
- Tinted/light brown
- Notes
- Poultrykeeper notes a Black Orpington laid 361 eggs in 1930, a record for a pure breed. Modern show strains lay far fewer. Utility White strains can reach about 200.
Temperament
- Keeping notes
- Cook also bred the Orpington duck.
Hardiness
Not recorded yet.
Broodiness
Not recorded yet.
Flying
Not recorded yet.
Suitability
Not recorded yet.
Conservation status (RBST)
A priority breed on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist, listed as Buff Orpington; Orpington (non Buff).
Breed club
- The Orpington Club (also The Buff Orpington Club), breed-specific · Website
Sources
This page is compiled from:
Review
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