White Orpingtons

[Fran James]

His birds are a melting Pot of many genes, I dare not to even speculate how they got there.

I suspect the Cecil Moore Blacks. Years ago a gal on the West coast was in good with Cecil and she too had DUN. One Black hen I hatched out was DUN. I had taken, as an experiment, Buff to a Black I hatched out from her Blacks, then took one of those chicks to a Shaffer Cuckoo. Harry's Cuckoo was made after taking a Superior Hatchery Black (Steve Jones said that was prolly a Cecil Moore line Black) to Alan's White cock to make that Cuckoo. That is when I started getting DUN Platinums.

 

[Fran James]

Honestly I'm surprised white isn't a more popular variety. It's really impressive on such a big, round bird!

Those who had the best Whites a dozen years ago guarded their lines. Never sold. I was lucky to get one male from a friend. The recessive White in Buff is not as hard to find. There is a lady who only shown at our State Fair years ago who also had Buffs with recessive White. They displayed the same way with a feather or two in the tip of the tail. She gave me a few of those too. I never had as nice a ones as I got from using this Alan hen to one of my boys from a Buff who also had the recessive White. That is when I started to make the better birds. It was the recessive White Buff to recessive White Buff that had Doug's Granny hen along with this Alan Buff hen and back to my version of recessive White Buff hen. Both Alan's and mine I called Marge. Here are both the Marge's Mine is pure APA, Alan's is 7/8's APA & 1/8 Belgium Buff. The one with the green band is Doug's Granny, who the best of the best Orp breeder of today says is the best Orpington within the past 50 years, and I believe Alan! I posted 2 pics of each of the Marge's to give you a better look.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I know white is becoming more popular at least in the American Orpingtons, which is what most people can get here. I agree it's real pretty too with how large they can get

 

[Fran James]

I know white is becoming more popular at least in the American Orpingtons, which is what most people can get here. I agree it's real pretty too with how large they can get

As Harry would say, I was lucky. Now Cecil is dead, and that friend he had out West no longer raises Orps. Alan still more than likely has the best. He does not post, so one can only take his word which is golden in my judgement.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I know white is becoming more popular at least in the American Orpingtons, which is what most people can get here. I agree it's real pretty too with how large they can get

Are there a lot of people importing Orps still? I figured all we really had here was American birds

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Are there a lot of people importing Orps still? I figured all we really had here was American birds

I don't know literally importing, but there are quite a few people breeding the English orpingtons here

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I don't know literally importing, but there are quite a few people breeding the English orpingtons here

If they're breeding them here, they're American, though? There's very little difference between a standardbred American orp and a standardbred English orp anymore. For better or worse.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If they're breeding them here, they're American, though? There's very little difference between a standardbred American orp and a standardbred English orp anymore. For better or worse.

As far as I understand, English have a different body shape

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

As far as I understand, English have a different body shape

Nope. According to my Orpington mentors the biggest difference is how much skirt they have, but the orps on champion row are virtually indistinguishable from those in the UK these days.

I think a lot of people used it to distinguish the floofy ones from utility-type hatchery Orpingtons, which is what you may be talking about, but it's a pretty meaningless designation when talking about standardbred birds.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

My English Orps are completely different from American Orps. They are larger, rounder, completely different body structure