Buff Orps are a nice egg laying breed for sure. I like them, I have English Blue Orpingtons in my own laying flock, but I fell in love with the Basque because of their overt friendliness. I have 1 yr old twin boys and those chickens are SO patient and kind. They are one of the only ones, besides my Tolbunt Polish, that don't run away but actually come to you for pets and treats. As far as egg production, the Basque actually lay as well as traditional Orps and the eggs are actually considered jumbo in size compared to the Medium to Large eggs from Orps. So even if you don't get an egg a day you will have a bog enough egg to count for 2 regular sized eggs.
The best thing about them too is that they are smaller and are fantastic foragers. So if you plan to free range, Basque hens will eat up all the critter bugs in the yard and keep the weeds down, this in turn means less feed. I have also had eggs from them straight through winter as apposed to my other laying breeds that go on strike. The Basque are rare, that is a fact, but they were bred to be the ultimate farmyard chicken with stellar egg production and egg size as well as foraging abilities. We have not have the privilege to know them as well as other breeds here in America. But with time I am sure they will become a favorite in egg laying flocks across the US.
I know many breeders who have beautiful Orpingtons. You might end up with a different color besides buff unless you order form a hatchery. But
Just Struttin Farm in Novato (where I got my English Blue Orps from) has lovely Blue and Lavender Orps and The
Omelet Ranch in Lafayette has lots of very nice egg laying breeds. If you are not looking to spend too much you can wait until spring when feed stores will have bulk hatchery chicks available or if you don't mind hatchery chicks you can order as few at 6 from places like
My Pet Chicken So there are lots of options!
