Orpington chicken

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. 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.

History
The original Black Orpington was bred by William Cook in 1886 in Orpington, which at that time was in Kent in south-east England. 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. When the breed was shown in Madison Square Gardens in 1895, its popularity soared. Cook also bred the Orpington Duck.

Seven colour varieties are recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain: black, blue, buff, cuckoo, jubilee, spangled and white. The Entente Européenne recognises thirteen colours, and lists two more. In the United States four colours – black, blue, buff and white – were added to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1960.

A bantam Orpington was bred by Herman Kuhn in Germany in the early twentieth century. Only the colours black, blue, buff and white are recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain, but several others have been bred; the Entente Européenne lists sixteen, of which eleven are recognised. The bantam rarely takes flight.

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

The sex-linked recessive chocolate plumage color of chickens was first seen in Orpington bantams, and has since been introduced to other breeds.

Characteristics
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 for cocks and  for hens. 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
Orpingtons lay about 175 to 200 medium to large light-brown eggs a year.

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