Breeds

Orpington Chickens: Buff Orpington Breed Facts, Brown Eggs, Temperament and History

Field guide · Updated October 20, 2026 · about 7 min read

The Orpington is a big, soft-feathered English breed made in the 1880s by William Cook, a coachman from Orpington in Kent, as a bird for both eggs and meat. Buff was the first variety the American Poultry Association recognized, in 1902. Extension services describe it as calm, docile and a good mother, and The Livestock Conservancy took it off its Priority List in 2016. This page collects the standard facts, the egg figures each source reports and where sources disagree.

Quick facts

Appearance and feathering

The APA Standard describes a broad, deep, fairly long body with smooth feathers that are not overly long, a moderately short, stout shank and legs set well apart. The male carries his tail at about 25 degrees above horizontal, the female at about 15 degrees. A Buff should be "an even shade of rich golden buff," with a bright red comb, face, wattles and earlobes, reddish-bay eyes and a pinkish-white beak, shanks and toes.

The feathering is the breed's signature. Oklahoma State says it "masks the true size of the bird," and University of Tennessee Extension says loosely feathered Buff Orpingtons appear much heavier than they really are. The APA Standard and Illinois Extension trace the looser feathering in some early strains to Cochin blood. The University of Arkansas warns that the extra feathering can cause breeding and cleanliness problems.

Combs differ by country. The APA Standard calls for a single comb; Oklahoma State and Purdue Extension note a single or rose comb, depending on the country's standard. Outside the APA's four colors, Wikipedia lists cuckoo, jubilee and spangled among the Poultry Club of Great Britain's large-fowl colors.

Weight and size

The APA weights above (cock 10 lb, hen 8 lb) appear in the Standard, at Oklahoma State and in Wisconsin Extension, and The Livestock Conservancy reports males of about 10 lb and females of about 8 lb in the breed's early years. Other sources give ranges: Mississippi State and the University of Arkansas put adults at 7–10 lb, The Livestock Conservancy lists a market weight of 7–8.5 lb, and Wikipedia gives males 3.60–4.55 kg and females 2.70–3.60 kg (about 7.9–10 lb and 6–7.9 lb). That puts the Orpington among the heavier breeds in the breed directory; plan roost and floor space for large birds with the coop space calculator.

Eggs: how many, and what shade

Oklahoma State, The Livestock Conservancy and Mississippi State describe the breed's eggs without giving a yearly count. The figures that do exist sit in a fairly narrow band, with one much higher historical claim:

Shell color is consistent across sources: brown, from light to dark (APA Standard; Kentucky; Mississippi State; University of Arkansas). Georgia Extension calls the eggs large to medium; The Livestock Conservancy says large to extra large. For how laying changes as hens age, see how long hens keep laying, the egg production calculator and the egg color chart.

Temperament and flock mix

• Gentle with people. Georgia Extension calls Orpingtons docile, affectionate and easily handled; The Livestock Conservancy says calm and friendly.
• Easily bullied. Oklahoma State and Georgia both warn that the breed's docility makes it a target for more aggressive birds. Mix it with other calm breeds.
• Activity: sources differ. Oklahoma State calls it an active fowl that does well free-range or confined. PoultryHub Australia says it is "well known for its lazy traits."
• Weak foragers. Mississippi State and the University of Arkansas both say Orpingtons do not forage well, so plan to feed them fully (see feeding laying hens).

Broodiness and mothering

On mothering, the sources agree. Oklahoma State says hens tend to go broody and are thought to be good mothers; Georgia Extension calls them excellent mothers; the University of Arkansas says they have good mothering instincts and "can be used as natural incubators"; Kentucky Extension lists Orpingtons among breeds likely to go broody; and Tennessee Extension calls Buff Orpingtons broody. The trade-off: a sitting hen stops laying. See broody hens for the 21-day timeline and how to break a brood.

Heat and cold

Oklahoma State credits the soft feathering with helping the breed tolerate cold better than many others, and Georgia Extension says it tolerates cold temperatures. None of the sources used here rates its heat tolerance (for summer care see heat stress and winter care).

History

1. "Hen Fever" fades. Oklahoma State and The Livestock Conservancy place the breed at the end of the late-1800s craze for exotic chickens, when British keepers wanted practical birds.
2. William Cook's cross. The Livestock Conservancy says Cook crossed Minorca roosters with Black Plymouth Rock hens, then bred the offspring to Langshans; Oklahoma State specifies clean-legged Langshans. The APA Standard and Illinois describe a "Black Langshan–Black Minorca–Black Plymouth Rock cross." Wikipedia says Cook chose black so London's soot would not show.
3. 1886. Black Orpingtons were introduced. Oklahoma State says the Black won the Grand Prize at the Crystal Palace show in London; Wikipedia lists the Dairy Show at Islington plus Crystal Palace and Birmingham shows, and a separate show class from 1888.
4. 1887. The breed did well at the first egg-laying contest, at Simon Hunter's farm in Northallerton, England (The Livestock Conservancy); the Orpington Club was founded the same year (Wikipedia).
5. More colors. Cook also developed White, Buff, Jubilee and Spangled; his son-in-law A. C. Gilbert created the Blue and Cuckoo (The Livestock Conservancy). The APA Standard says Buff and White came from different crosses than the Black, and Blue from Black × White.
6. Imitators. From the early 1890s Joseph Partington and others sold unrelated Langshan–Cochin crosses as Orpingtons (Wikipedia).
7. America, 1890 or 1891. The APA Standard and Illinois say the Black came to America in 1890 and was shown at Boston that year; The Livestock Conservancy says "by 1891." The APA text adds a large exhibit at Madison Square Garden in 1895, and the Conservancy a big import by Cook in 1903 and Midwestern farmers' preference for Buffs.
8. APA recognition. Buff 1902, Black and White 1905, Blue 1923 (APA Standard; The Livestock Conservancy). Illinois dates the Blue's creation to 1923. Wikipedia instead says the APA added all four colors in 1960, which conflicts with both.
9. Utility to show bird. The Conservancy says the boom lasted until a poultry depression around 1912. Wikipedia says the breed "soon became exclusively a show bird," and PoultryHub calls it more show bird than utility bird today.
10. Offspring. Australia's Australorp derives from Cook's black stock (Wikipedia); Illinois Extension calls it "a production bred Australian Black Orpington" (see the Australorp).

Is it a fit for your flock? A checklist

1. You want a calm, heavy, people-friendly bird. Sources consistently describe the breed as calm and docile.
2. You want a hen that will hatch chicks. Sources consistently call Orpingtons broody and good mothers; if you don't want chicks, plan to break broods.
3. Your egg expectations are moderate. Reported figures run about 180–220 brown eggs a year.
4. Your flock is gentle. Avoid pairing Orpingtons with pushy breeds that will bully them.
5. You have room and feed. Large birds that forage poorly need full rations and generous space.
6. Compare breeds. See the breed directory, the Plymouth Rock (another calm, heavy brown-egg breed and one of Cook's parent stocks), the Rhode Island Red and the glossary for terms such as broody and APA Standard.