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Orpington (chicken)
Encyclopedia
The Orpington is a breed
of chicken
named after Orpington
, England, which was made famous in part by this breed. Belonging to the English
class of chicken
s, it was bred to be an excellent layer with good meat quality. Their large size and soft appearance together with their rich color and gentle contours make them very attractive, and as such its popularity has grown as a show bird rather than a utility breed. They go broody very often, and make great mothers. Being rather heavy, they are able to fly small distances and rarely do, so they work well as backyard birds. Due to their build they do well in very cold climates. The fluff of their feathers allows rain water to penetrate, so they must be kept out of the rain.
The original Black Orpington was bred by William Cook in 1886 by crossing Minorcas
, Langshan
s and Plymouth Rocks
to create a new hybrid bird. Cook selected a black bird that would exhibit well by hiding the dirt and soot of London. The first Orpingtons looked very much like the Langshan
. According to the British Poultry Standards, the White was bred in 1889, the Buff in 1894, and the Blue in 1905. When the breed was shown in Madison Square Gardens in 1895, its popularity soared.
The original colors are black, white, buff, blue and splash. Although there are many additional varieties recognized throughout the world, only the original colors are recognized by the American Standard, the Buff being the most common. In the beginning of the twentieth Century Herman Kuhn of Germany developed a Bantam variety. The Bantam retains the large appearance, but in a smaller size. Like the Standard varieties, there is a large variety of colors in the Bantam version (i.e. black, blue laced, white, buff, red, buff black laced, barred, buff Columbian, and birchen.) The Bantam retains the friendly personality of the Standard breed, and seldom or never flies, so it too makes for a good backyard breed.
Some characteristics of an Orpington are:
It was said to at one time lay as many as 340 eggs per year. This decline in production was due to breeders selecting for looks over utility.
The chickens also get large, so they are suited for eating also. They are also great mothers. All of these qualities make them perfect Homestead chickens.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
named after Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, England, which was made famous in part by this breed. Belonging to the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
class of chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s, it was bred to be an excellent layer with good meat quality. Their large size and soft appearance together with their rich color and gentle contours make them very attractive, and as such its popularity has grown as a show bird rather than a utility breed. They go broody very often, and make great mothers. Being rather heavy, they are able to fly small distances and rarely do, so they work well as backyard birds. Due to their build they do well in very cold climates. The fluff of their feathers allows rain water to penetrate, so they must be kept out of the rain.
History
Minorca (chicken)
The Minorca is a breed of chicken originating in Spain. They are classified in the Mediterranean class by the American Poultry Association. They lay white eggs. Color varieties include buff, black, white with the British recognizing a blue phase. Minorcas mature quickly and begin crowing sooner...
, Langshan
Croad Langshan
The Croad Langshan is an old, heavy, soft-feathered chicken breed which probably originated in China.-Origin:The first recorded imports came from the Langshan District in 1872 and were undertaken by Major F.T...
s and Plymouth Rocks
Plymouth Rock (chicken)
The Plymouth Rock, often called simply Rocks or Barred Rocks , is a chicken breed that originated in the United States...
to create a new hybrid bird. Cook selected a black bird that would exhibit well by hiding the dirt and soot of London. The first Orpingtons looked very much like the Langshan
Croad Langshan
The Croad Langshan is an old, heavy, soft-feathered chicken breed which probably originated in China.-Origin:The first recorded imports came from the Langshan District in 1872 and were undertaken by Major F.T...
. According to the British Poultry Standards, the White was bred in 1889, the Buff in 1894, and the Blue in 1905. When the breed was shown in Madison Square Gardens in 1895, its popularity soared.
The original colors are black, white, buff, blue and splash. Although there are many additional varieties recognized throughout the world, only the original colors are recognized by the American Standard, the Buff being the most common. In the beginning of the twentieth Century Herman Kuhn of Germany developed a Bantam variety. The Bantam retains the large appearance, but in a smaller size. Like the Standard varieties, there is a large variety of colors in the Bantam version (i.e. black, blue laced, white, buff, red, buff black laced, barred, buff Columbian, and birchen.) The Bantam retains the friendly personality of the Standard breed, and seldom or never flies, so it too makes for a good backyard breed.
Appearance
The Orpington has a heavy, broad body with a low stance, and the down from their body covers most of their legs.Some characteristics of an Orpington are:
- Heavy weight (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 medium single comb.
- Large and usually easily tamed
- Fluffy feathers making it look distinctively large.
Approximate weight (metric)
| Rooster |
4.5 kg |
| Hen |
3.6-4.8 kg |
| Cockerel |
3.8 kg |
| Pullet |
3.2 kg |
| Rooster | 2.0 kg |
| Hen | 1.6 kg |
Utility
Orpingtons lay about 175 to 200 medium to large light-brown eggs a year. They do not stop laying in the winter.It was said to at one time lay as many as 340 eggs per year. This decline in production was due to breeders selecting for looks over utility.
The chickens also get large, so they are suited for eating also. They are also great mothers. All of these qualities make them perfect Homestead chickens.