Buff Orpington:
The Buff Orpington chicken is a golden-coloured heavy weight bird developed in Orpington in England in the latter part of the 18th century. They were originally bred to be an excellent layer and good table fowl, so are intended as a dual-purpose breed. The first orpingtons were bred by William Cook in 1886 and they were of the black variety. Today recognized by the APA in varieties of buff, black, white, blue and splash. At Riverbend Farm we raise the Buff variety.
The birds are heavily and loosely feathered, giving them a massive appearance. My daughter calls them her "fluffy-butts" because of their fluffy golden "bloomers"! They have smaller combs than some single-comb varieties and this combined with their substantial feathering makes them wonderfully winter-hardy birds. Ours are the one breed we have that will be outside in the snow voluntarily scratching and poking about. Even the Barred Rock's won't venture outside on the coldest days, while the Orpingtons will. If you are interested in learning more about these great heritage chickens, click on some of these links:
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The rooster above, Sir Cluckington, is our foundation breeding bird. He is very calm and docile, and will stand for being picked up by my 10 year old daughter. The hens are even more friendly, and will often "fly up" onto your shoulder for a snuggle. They are big fat birds that make a great table fowl, usually out-weighing most of our other breeds.
We would certainly recommend this breed for homesteaders or backyard chicken flocks who are seeking calm, child-friendly birds that produce decent amounts of eggs and meat. The girls take a little longer to mature, and the rate of lay is not as good as some heritage breeds like the Barred Rock, or our Euskal Oiloak, but they are just so sweet and gentle that most people who own them think they are wonderful. Our Orpingtons were hatched from eggs that came from Circle Pond Farm in Chester, NS. They were born here at Riverbend and began to lay close to their 6th month. |