Orpington

Broodiness may be a problem if you're looking for eggs, but if you want to naturally hatch chicks this could be an advantage.

The first chickens we bought were American Buff Orpingtons(naturally before they came we got more breeds).

We now have both American and imported English lines of Orpingtons. I love them both. We have lavenders, blacks, chocolate, chocolate cuckoo, buffs, and we just hatched out several that I believe include mottled blacks, mauves and blues.

They also come in a couple of laced colors partridge and many others. we love our Orps. They're awesome!

The American lines do tend to not be as fluffy and lay better than the English but our English lines lay very well probably 5/week for most of our girls if not more.

I highly recommend you try this breed. We had a three year old visitor pick up a buff hen and cart her around. Also our three year old nephew loved our biggest roo and I didn't have to worry if he was safe. While I'd never leave a child unattended with the flock it was awesome to see them interact.

I have nothing to add that is of scientific value. I can only give you the comical side of this breed's qualities. While I would love to share them with y'all, there are simply too many to list. Altho there is one that is my all-time favorite... I have a nosy neighbor who loves to talk trash about everyone (especially me for whatever reason). I recently found out she HATES chickens. She reported me to the police only to find the policeman she spoke to owns 20 chickens. Does life get better than this?

I am giving this review because everyone should smile at least once a day.

This is one of our favorite breeds. They are the sweetest birds. Whenever we purchase new stock Orpingtons are one of the breeds we like to get.

I love buff orpingtons! Despite they can be a little bossy at times. They're good layers and are very sweet. One of my buff orpingtons I had was very bossy and picked on the others a lot. But was a very sweet bird! Buff orpingtons make a great addition to any flock. But if you have other chickens and decide to add on a buff orpington. They can get really bossy and pick on the others in your flock. But overall they are sweet and great birds to have!

I have the American Buff Orpingtons. My old generation from 20 years ago was Extremely smart, friendly and loved to be held. My new set are All Blondes lol. They do great free range or penned. Talkative, Very good natured, lovely birds non the less. Started laying at 6 months. Mine lay daily even with hot or cold weather. Always hardy birds in all of the different weather patterns. I have one that is constantly broody, so no eggs from her lol. All of them are different shades of buff. Not just the standard dilute pale buff I see on most English Buffs at the shows. Hope the English bring back their vibrant color soon

I LOVE my buffs. We got chickens because my son and I are allergic to cats and dogs and the kids wanted pets. We got all buffs because I read that they were the best "beginner" chickens. They are like dogs- they come when they are called, loved to be picked up, eat out of your hand. My kids pull them around on sleds in winter and take them in the pool in summer. They are the best pets I could have ever hoped to have. They lay an egg every day or two, and started laying around 5-6 months old. They forage so well that they hardly eat their pellets in summer. We are getting a few more chicks this spring and I really hope that I love those breeds as much as my buffs. Otherwise, I will rehome them and get more buffs!

Our gals are absolute characters! We have found them to be super friendly and cuddly and a source of entertainment as well! They are great foragers and love to eat the bugs that fly into their pen. Ours go broody often and even though we haven't ever let them hatch eggs, I've read that they are great mothers. One of our Buff's has been shown through 4-H and did an excellent job behavior wise. She was great through all the shows and never had a problem being touched, examined, or held for long periods of time. We have found our girls to be good egglayers and at 2 years old, they are still going strong, typically laying an egg a day.

The only con that I could think of is that the Buff's tend to be very loud going about their daily activities. Out in the country, it isn't a problem for us, but for anyone living in the city, I could see how the noise level could create a problem with the neighbors.

Overall, Orpington's are great birds and are must haves for beginner chicken owners or families with young children!

I know that I should expect loud hens, but these are out of this world loud. From dawn till dusk they complain. They do lay an egg a day though. I socialized them well as chicks and adolescents and I visit them multiple times a day, yet they still will squawk and scream when I head near them. I would love to let them out to outside of their run, but they are oblivious to everything around them while thy are out, and we have so many predators in our area that I don't want to risk one. I do have one setting right now who is friendly for once and seems to be doing a great job. They are mean to other, smaller hens.

Probably the most docile and friendly breed I have ever owned. Laid great tan- brown eggs almost daily. We got our two Buff Orpington hens from My Pet Chicken and they turned out to be one of the best purchases of chicks we ever made! Hope and Peace- the Orpi's- used to come upon call, play the piano with their beak, and identify colors in a game. They loved to be petted and even came in the house to receive treats. Sadly, we recently lost them at 3 and 4 years of age; one due to a completely random heart attack and the other to a long battle with old age and an unidentified debilitating illness. RIP Hopie and Peacie- I will remember you forever as the funniest, most personable, and loyalest chickens I have ever owned!

I have 4 Buff Orpington hens who are such great birds. Most of my Buff orpingtons like to be held and will fly on my shoulder even when I'm standing. They are almost 6 years old and still lay eggs like 1 time a week. (Chickens don't stop laying at any age)
They are loveable pet hens and do good in lots of free range room and are great foragers. Here it gets in the teens in the winter and upper 90s and lower 100s in the summer so there's a big range but my Orpingtons do well in both even if they do prefer the summer climate like myself.

I have had some for two years now and i love them so much. They have never stopped laying and they are awesome mothers. and if they get loose, its easy to chorale them back. I have had much success in hatching them.

We have had Buff Orpingtons for years and have decided that our main flock will eventually be all Buff Orpingtons. They are honestly the best breed we have ever had. Currently we have Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Black Australorps, and a few mixes. Out of all of them (and the other breeds we've had, including Leghorns, Welsummers and EEs), the Buff Orpingtons are the best overall. Here's why.

• Good layers. They lay a good number of large brown eggs and their laying production keeps up long past the age most others slow down. Our Buff ladies are the oldest hens in the flock right now by several years and yet are still among the most productive layers. Some breeds, like Leghorns, may lay more but in my experience it's balanced out by other things. Also, the Buff Orpingtons do go broody occasionally, but it's not a constant thing like it is with my Australorps. And they're not mean about letting you get the eggs.
• Good health. Buff Orpingtons have always been the healthiest birds in our flock. They finish their molt cycle the fastest (and always look lovely), they are the least likely to get sick, they're the only breed I've never had serious health problems in individuals of that breed. They are tolerant of all kinds of weather (here in AZ, they tolerate heat well, maybe the best of all our birds). They age well. (This is one of the things I meant earlier by "balance" -all the Leghorns I've ever had have died relatively young from health problems, probably increased by the stress of all that laying.) Out of all our birds, the Orpingtons are the only ones that NEVER look scraggly, pale, have weird bald patches when they molt, etc.
• Very friendly. The Buffies are our friendliest chickens, both individually and when looking at different breeds. They are the ones I grab when someone visits and their kid wants to hold a chicken. They are super sweet, fluffy and cuddly and have loads of personality, which not all breeds do (personally, Rhode Island Reds seem to have the least personality of all the breeds I've had.)
• Not flighty. Buff Orpingtons are, now that I think about it, the only breed that has never wandered out of our yard. Some of them, like RIRs and Barred Rocks, are less pushy about it and will only leave when the gate's left open, but the Buffies, not even that. Certainly not the flying I have to deal with with the Leghorns and mixed breeds. The only breed I've never had to trim wings on is the Buff Orpington.

All this is just my experience, of course, but come on: excellent layers, great health, super friendly, and not flighty. Could you ask for a better bird? I've never raised them for meat, but I'd imagine you could also use them for that once they were done laying. Wonderful birds, an excellent addition to any flock. Highly recommended.

P.S. Another bonus of Buff Orpingtons we have noticed -they get fluffier as they get older!

Below: Summer, our oldest Buff Orpington (our oldest hen, in fact). She is still regularly found in the nesting box laying. Has never had so much as a mite, and is great for kids to hold. She is a wonderful "chicken ambassador."

I got three Golden Buff Orpingtons 1 year ago, and i love them! They are super sweet and friendly, mostly. All three have totally different personalities, but cute pretty much sums it up. One, Little Jerry, is very friendly, she will sit in my lap, and follow me around. She wants all of the attention to go to her! If i pick up another hen and hold her for a long time in front of Little Jerry, she will come over to me and gently peck at my leg until i set her down. Then i will have to pick her up and set her on my leg so that she can cluck at me for not giving her enough attention. She loves green beans and is a light orange with a few dark orange feathers, especially on the head.





Then there is Little Buff, she is sort of a skittish hen, she doesn't like to get picked up as much, but if i sit down she will come and sit next to me, but Little Jerry usually beats her to it. She loves to eat meat, and has a different feather pattern, she is a darker orange, sorta like a burnt orange, with light tan/orange feathers at the end of her wings.She is a strange chicken, and makes weird noises when i touch her. She is not a friend with the camera.







Last but not least, Sunshine. Sunshine is at the bottom of the pecking order, and she pecks at me to try to take my place. She is a weird bird, but i still like her. If i get her mad she will challenge me, and jump at my leg like a rooster. I am thankful she doesn't have spurs! She has a wonderful feather pattern, a very light orange and a darker orange head and hackle feathers. light pink feet. Her favorite treat is termites and peas. The other hens pick on her, The other buff orps don't peck her unless it is Little Jerry when she is in my lap. Then L. Jerry will peck her because she is too close.She is a curious and adventurous hen.

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Over all a great breed that i recommend getting! If you want a rooster, i would probably get this breed

I think our Avery is the best bird we've ever had. She's almost 9, and still lays very often. She comes running up to me and purrs when i pet her. We have several other younger ones like her. Then there's Molly. She runs away shrieking. Her sisters (raised the same way) don't do this. Keep in mind there are exceptions to even the best breed. Our hatchery chicks are not as fun and loving as our broody hatched birds. And another girl, Tickle, is is a orpington cross, who feels she needs to brood her eggs in the depths of winter.

Love my buff orpington! She lays lots of eggs and is great! Only complaint is the frequent broodiness, but that can be a pro or con depending on the person.

I have raised buffs, jubilees, lavenders and blue orpingtons. I LOVE all of them, EXCEPT BUFF ROOSTERS! All three of our buff roosters were very aggressive, not only towards the hens, but also to us and our other pets. They would go out of their way to come across the yard and attack you from behind. They would knock down our children, both spurring and pecking. This did come in handy for predators. But they also divided up our flock, only letting the ladies they liked in the coops at night, and chasing everything else out. I now have one buff, who is kept in a coop and pen at all times, for breeding only, as well as a lavender and a jubilee roosters who are able to be with the flock. Neither of these guys are aggressive at all. They allow us to pet them, carrying them around, and have never looked sideways at the kids.

As for the hens, I have never met a sweeter hen. They do get protective of their nests when broody, but it can be broken with work. When allowed to hatch, they are fantastic mothers, my favorites to watch interact with their chicks, especially within the flock. They lay well, all year long, and the winner of my oldest laying hen goes to a buff orpington. When crossed with other breeds, I find these, especially the roosters to be gorgeous! Definitely a must have in my flock!

I have been raising buff Orpingtons for years now, and they never cease to entertain me. My favorite hen, Brooklyn is one of the best layer hens I've ever had. She is a awesome mother (has hatched out large amounts of chicks and does a very good job keeping them alive and healthy), and has even survived a coyote attack. She was raising 13 chicks at the time when a coyote came into the yard and grabbed her by the tail feathers and carried her off over the hill. Hours went by, and we were sure she was gone for sure. But later on that day, we found her in the yard, leading her babies around as if nothing happened that morning. Of course, she had a few tail feathers missing after the incident but other then that, not a scratch on her!

We got 5 BO chicks when we first started out, two of which turned out to be roos, one of which is still alive and he is amazing. Super gentle, especially with younger hens, and is only a little - ehem - "rude" in the morning. The best thing about the hens is that they aren't bullies. They establish that they are the boss of younger ones, and leave it there. Peep was at one point the "Big Boss" of everyone, including the "mean, evil, black sex-links." Now only one EE is bossing her around, which is a little surprising. Goldilocks loves baby chicks. When we let a broody hatch her own, we would dig ups worms, and Goldi would let the babies steal them right out of her beak. Sunshine is a favorite among younger kids. She hates being held, but doesn't put up a fuss. When she's caught. Despite all the good things I've said, they are horrible layers. After their 1st year, they pretty much quit. I haven't seen an egg from any of those 3 for months. If they need to earn their keep, this is not the breed to get.