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Orpington LF Poultry & Peafowl
10 Minutes from Kings lynn Norfolk UK
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Orpington Large Fowl
This area of our website is currently under construction and will be updated shortly, with everything you need to know about Orpington chickens and their care.
Orpington chickens are a large, British breed known for their docile temperament, good egg production, and dual-purpose qualities (meat and eggs). They come in various standard colour varieties, including Black, Blue, Buff, and White.
They are now available in a kaleidoscope of colours
The breed’s originator is Huntingdon-born breeder William Cook, who unveiled his now-famous Black Orpingtons to the world at the 1886 London Dairy Show. His intention was for a good winter layer that made an excellent table bird, which would be handsome in appearance and very easy to breed.
These fowls were shiny green-black in appearance and were made by crossing Minorcas and Black Plymouth Rocks, then breeding Croad Langshan males to the female progeny. No doubt the Langshan would have contributed to the dark egg genes and impressive size. The Plymouth Rock unquestionably the meaty carcass and egg-laying virtues, with the Minorca’s egg-laying abilities beyond question.
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Origin: Orpington, England.
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Size: Large fowl, with hens weighing around 3-3.5 kg and roosters 4-4.5 kg.
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Temperament: Docile, friendly, and calm, making them suitable for families and beginners.
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Feathering: Soft and full, allowing them to tolerate cold weather well.
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Egg Production: Good layers of large, light to dark brown eggs.
William Cook created the Buff and the White Orpington, with the Buff being universally popular. The soft, almost pastel, shade of Orange-Buff draws you in, and on such abundance of feathers is an aesthetic treat. Coupled with their really calm temperaments, people cannot help being captivated by the ‘Buff Orps’ that are regarded as a true British gem. As well as being phenomenal utility birds in the past, the Buff Orpington has scooped many awards in the show pen over the last few decades.
Blue Orpington Chickens - Large fowl
Blue Orpingtons were originally rejected by the Victorians, who deemed blue plumage in chickens as crossbred fowl. So their grand arrival was postponed until 1907, when they were exhibited by their creator – an Arthur C. Gilbert. It is said that Blue Orpingtons emerged from crossings of Blacks and Whites, presumably to improve the size of the Whites, so the emergence of a completely new variety was very welcome indeed.
Like all blue varieties of chickens, Blue Orpingtons don’t breed true. So from a pen of Blues, only about half will be coloured like their parents. The remainder will be divided between Blacks and Splashes. However, the Splash males can be bred to the Black females to breed all Blues (and is a method commonly used by Orpington breeders in the UK).
The choc gene responsible for the chocolate colour was discovered by the late Dr. Clive Carefoot around 1993-1994. It is a rare Sex-Linked Recessive gene that is basically a dilution of black pigment. This means that out of a pair of genes, the female will be chocolate with just one copy of the gene but the male requires two copies of the choc gene to look chocolate.