Orpington chicken

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Orpington
A buff hen
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Standard
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    3.60–4.55 kg[1]
  • Female:
    2.70–3.60 kg
Skin colourwhite
Egg colourbrown[2]: 228 
Comb typemedium single
Classification
APAEnglish
PCGBsoft feather: heavy[3]

The Orpington is a British breed of chicken. It was bred in the late nineteenth century by William Cook of Orpington, at that time in Kent in south-east England.[4]: 115  It was intended to be a dual-purpose breed, to be reared both for eggs and for meat, but soon became exclusively a show bird.[5][6]

History[edit]

The original Black Orpington was bred by William Cook in 1886 in Orpington, which at that time was in Kent in south-east England.[4]: 115  He crossed Minorcas, Langshans and Plymouth Rocks to create a new hybrid bird. He selected a black bird that would exhibit well by hiding the dirt and soot of London.[7]: 158  When the breed was shown in Madison Square Gardens in 1895, its popularity soared.[4]: 115  Cook also bred the Orpington Duck.[8]: 74 

The original colours are black, white, buff, blue and splash.[citation needed] Although there are many additional varieties recognised throughout the world, only the original colours are recognised by the American Standard, the Buff being the most common colour.[9]: 98  In the beginning of the twentieth century, Herman Kuhn of Germany developed a Bantam variety.[7]: 254  The Bantam retains the appearance of the full-size bird, 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.[7]: 254  The Bantam retains the friendly personality of the Standard breed, and seldom or never flies.[7]: 254 

In the UK, the club dedicated to the breed is the Orpington Club, which merged with the Orpington Bantam Club in 1975.[citation needed] The United Orpington Club is the American breeder's club, and the Orpington Club of Australia is the Australian club for the breed.

Characteristics[edit]

There are two similar but different standards for Orpingtons. The first is published by the Poultry Club of Great Britain and asks for a weight from 3.60 to 4.55 kg for cocks and 2.70 to 3.60 kg for hens.[1] They also ask for a heavy, broad body with a low stance, with fluffed-out feathers which make it look large; the down from the body covers most of the legs. Other characteristics of their Orpingtons are a curvy shape with a short back and U-shaped underline, and a small head with a medium single comb.

Use[edit]

Orpingtons lay about 175 to 200[7]: 158  medium to large[4]: 115  light-brown eggs a year.

It was said that at one time Orpingtons were capable of laying as many as 340[4]: 115  eggs per year. The decline in production was due to breeders selecting for looks over utility.[9]: 98 

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Orpington Breed Standards. The Orpington Club. Accessed August 2014.
  2. ^ Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424.
  3. ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Pam Percy (2006). The Field Guide to Chickens. St. Paul, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760324738.
  5. ^ Chickens: Soft Feather: Heavy. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 18 November 2018.
  6. ^ Orpington. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Accessed October 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e Esther Verhoff (2003). The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. Lisse, Netherlands: Rebo International. ISBN 9789036615921.
  8. ^ Dave Holderread (2011). Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, 2nd edition. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781603427456.
  9. ^ a b Carol Ekarius (2007). Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781580176675.