Orpington Chicken Profile

Orpington Chicken is a fat look chicken with thick plumage from Orpington, London. This chicken is more fat than New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red. This breed is viable as meat producer. Some source also said this breed is good for layer too. The chicken weighs around 7-10 pounds. The plumage is thick and cover the chicken shank and feet. The body is round. I think this chicken is similar to football.  The feather tail is short flowing. It has single red comb and double red witted.

Orpigton is a hybrid of various chicken breed such as Langshans, Minorca, and Plymouth rocks. Not surprising, this chicken almost similar to fat Langshans from China. I think the fat body is generated from Langshans. The body is similar to Langshans. William Cook, the breeder, cross bred Orpington in 1880. They have so may color variation like blue, black, buff white, porcelain, mottled, birchen, and red.

Due to its thick plumage, this chicken can stand with cold weather. The hen still lays the eggs in winter. The hen is also good for hatch the eggs.

This breed is good for layer too. The hen can lay 200 brown light eggs. The hen started laying at 6 month age like New Hampshire red. The hen will hatch the eggs with its tick plumage. An Orpington hen can broody four times in a year. This bird is friendly with other people so you can raise this chicken at backyard as meat producer and layer.

The Orpington has bantam breed too. Herman Kuhn, a Germany breeder, has succeeded to breed Orpington bantam whose have various coloru like birchen, buff, columbian, blue laced, buff black laced, white, black, barred, buff, and red. Photo by:Carly and Art