USA APA: Buff, Black, White, BlueSplash in not recognized at this time.Also there are a few other colors of Orpington Projects under way in the USA as of today.
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
English
Color
The original breed colours/varieties are black, white, buff, blue and splash
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.
Orpington hen with chick
Orpington chick
Orpington hen
Orpington juvenile
Orpington rooster
For more about Orpingtons and their breeders's and owners' experiences with them, see our breed discussion here:
My orpington has the softest feathers ever and I love the color of the feathers too, she is big and cuddly. She is VERY hard to catch and hates me and the new chicks I introduced to the flock, though.
My Buffs started to lay at 24 weeks but not all of them are laying yet and they are now 28 weeks old. If nothing else is wrong you might have some late bloomers- Give them a few more weeks if not already on layer change their food to layer pallets. Temprature normally don't effect them but check it out in any event. They don't like too much heat.
I have one Orphington left. Predators got the other 2. She seems very slow in the brain department. I throw treats and she sort of hangs back and looks like " what is going on ". I have named her So Slo. Other chicks are 3 Australorps 2 R I reds. Is this a common trait of Buffs or is she really a little mentally challenged ? She sort of has a look like' the lights are on but not one is home.' I have a R. R. like your buff . She comes to me and stares up till I pick her up. Then of course we have to sneak off to a private dining of mealworms.
I have two Buffs and they are very sweet girls, not at all aggressive. When I bring treats they run to me but then hang back, they are definetly at the bottom of the pecking order. I don't think they're slow, they just have good manners and are happy to wait until you let them know it's their turn.
Awww... We have a Buff Orpington named Sunny. She's very sweet but quite loud when we pet her, and she just healed recently from a leg injury. We all love her. She's wonderful, and BOs are definently are great for beginners. I hope all goes well with your chickens!!
Yes, Orpingtons are an all around good natured breed. We started with Buffs and now have quite a few Lavenders we hatched this summer. One thing we've noticed between these two varieties is that the Lavenders have more of a shriek rather than a cluck. It sounds like they're almost screaming, that takes some getting used to. They do lay nice eggs and are consistent.
i have one buff orpington that is almost too nice. i have 3 flocks and she is the bottom chicken on the bottom flock. i feel sorry for her because her neck feathers are almost all gone. and with temperatures falling i wish i knew how to help her
I have two Buff Orpingtons, Eggnog and Q, They are the nicest of all my large chickens. (We have a bantam, Hershey, who is the nicest in our flock of five)
They do lay through winter though, so thats a plus. Yes and the 5 out of the mixed breeds we have are at the top of the pecking order. The highest on the pecking order is the "Boss Buff". She really lets the other below her know she's in charge! (We don't have a rooster.)
i would love to have them but i think we are too wet in durban in the summer and i have heard that rain gets their plumage very wet down to the skin and they dont cope so well with that
Interesting, I have only one Orpington, she is not an Alfa bird, always the last in, constantly losses track of her coop mates, not very pushy at all. When I give them treats she is lucky to get her share. Very interesting, but she is not full grown, she may change.
