I just hard boil the eggs. Peel them whilst there warm and put them in a jar with white vinegar. If you use brown vinegar the eggs start to go brown and look a bit off. There not though! You can add peppercorns, sliced gherkin, chilies whatever you like really to the mix for a bit of extra flavour. I just like mine plain with salad.
To me there is no other breed like the Orphington they are excellent mothers and can get very broody.My mom had all Buff Orphingtons and had raised them for yrs before passing away in 2010 so I took up her traits but instead of the Buffs I went for the Lavender blues and Splash and just like the Buffs they are an excellent breed. They are great egg layers also although it's said they lay around 180 eggs a yr my mom's hens laid halfway through winter time and would stop for a few weeks then back laying again, As for my hens the blue and lavenders lay just as good it is now January and they are still laying daily.I highly recommend this breed their temperament is excellent very calm, Although SOMETIMES not all the time lol the Roos may get alil aggressive the hens are so very calm and very sweet.The popular Orpington breed originated from the town of Orpington, Kent, in south-east England, where the original black Orpington was bred by William Cook in 1886. (Mr Cook also created the Orpington duck breed). Mr Cook crossed Minorcas, Langshans and Plymouth Rocks to create a new hybrid breed, from which he selected to breed a black bird, that would also exhibit well, by hiding the dirt and soot of London.
The breed was shown in Madison Square Gardens in 1895 and its popularity soared. Its large size and soft appearance together with its beautiful colours make it very attractive breed and as such its popularity has grown as a show bird rather than a utility breed. Hens are fairly often broody and are good mothers. Although rather heavy, they are able to fly small distances but rarely do so.
The original breed colours/varieties are black, white, buff, blue and splash. Although there are many additional varieties recognised throughout the world, for example the Jubilee Orpington, only the original colours are recognised by the American Standard, the Buff being the most common colour. In the beginning of the twentieth century, Herman Kuhn of Germany developed a Bantam variety of Orpingtons and the Bantam retains the appearance of the LF Orpingtons, but in a smaller size. There is a large variety of colours in the Bantam version, including black, blue laced, white, buff, red, buff black laced, barred, buff Columbian, and birchen.
Details:
Purpose: Dual; Exhibition
Egg laying: 175-200 eggs annually
Weight: Cocks: 7.9-10 lbs; Hens: 5.9-7.9 lbs
Colours/Varieties: Black, Buff, Blue, White, Red, Splash, Jubilee (and more)
Pic by @lauralou
Pic by @allaboutdemchicks
Pic by @cherylcohen
Pic by @Fowl Visions
Pic by @wilds of pa
BYC Breed Reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/orpington
BYC Breed Discussions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/495402/buff-orpington-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/386051/the-imported-english-orpington-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/426353/the-bantam-orpington-thread/0_30
Do you own Orpingtons? Are you an Orpington breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
