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.
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Hi there, I think I'm in the minority here, but my 2YR old Buff Orpington is and has been such a big bully in my flock! She's very protective of me and gets very jealous if I pick up another chicken or another chicken sits on my lap instead of her. She'll attack and peck at other chickens if they get in her way or she sees them sitting on my lap. Other than the jealousy/protective issues, she is a sweet chicken to me and loves to sit on my lap, cuddle, and "talk" to me about her day. She also likes to "help" me in the garden (scratching at the dirt, eating worms/slugs, pruning plants, etc.) and she also likes to "help" my husband in the garage (she will sit on his work bench and watch him haha). Again, definitely in the minority here with her being a bit of a bully to other chickens, but she's a sweetie to me
We have 4 BOs and I am in love with them. Sweet, curious, quiet, and they love to be petted. My husband's a professional photographer and took some glamour shots or our newest two girls... They are adorable and hilarious.
Individual personalities which remind me of returning souls my Buff Orps are hardy, smart and gentle full of charm. They are great with children and our dogs. We're full of admiration and love for them.
My Molly just sadly died of sudden death. I will be missing her and looking forward to welcoming 2 sexlink pullets coming soon to our home. I love Buff Orpingtons and always will but in my area are hard to come by.
They are sweet friendly birds but sometimes you might get a noisy one or more in the batch. Most of mine like to complain and yell. Not as loud as a leghorn but noisier than my other breeds (australorps, ameraucana, welsummer and Plymouth rock).
