Orpington chickens: Giant backyard layers the whole family will love
Orpington chickens are delightful! These are some of the sweetest and most docile birds you’ll ever come across. These chickens are the perfect breed for a beginner chicken keeper, children, or anyone who loves to snuggle with their chickens.
Orpington chickens are much easier to handle than most chicken breeds and, overall, are very easy chickens to take care of. They also produce a good amount of large, brown eggs, and they are large, fluffy, and beautiful.
However, Orpington chickens do need some extra care in hot temperatures and they do need more protection from predators than other dual-purpose (egg and meat) breeds.
Think this breed may be great for your flock?
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make sure Orpingtons are the right fit for you, including:
What Orpington chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns
Everything you ever wanted to know about Orpington egg laying
Orpington meat (how much do they provide and what does it taste like?)
Climate considerations for Orpington chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Foraging, space, and predator considerations for Orpington chickens (is your yard the right setup?)
Orpington temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Orpington chicken facts
Category: Eggs & meat
Origin: England
Egg-laying ability: Good
Broodiness: Variable
Meat production: Exceptional
Cold tolerance: Poor-exceptional (depends on coop/run conditions and comb size)
Heat tolerance: Poor-moderate
Predator evasion: Poor-moderate
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Good
Temperament: Docile
Aggression toward flock members: Low-moderate
Noise level: Moderate
Origin of Orpington chickens
The Orpington breed was first developed in the 1880s by William Cook, who lived in the town of Orpington.
According to the The Backyard Field Guide for Chickens, Cook “wanted to create a breed that would lay well, be large enough and tasty for the table, and beautiful enough to show.”
To make this fabulous bird, Cook crossed Minorca roosters with Black Plymouth Rock hens, and then he crossed the female offspring with Black Langshan roosters. After many years, the Orpington breed was born, with the first variety being the Black Orpington.
This breed was an immediate hit, becoming instantly popular.
Just a few years after Cook introduced the Black Orpington to the world, another breeder named Joseph Partington worked to change the shape and feathering of the Orpington. Today’s Orpingtons, with their dense, luxurious feathering comes from those changes. And today’s Orpingtons look notably different from the original breed created by Cook.
However, the original breed is very similar to today’s Australorp breed. Australorps were developed in Australia by breeders who refined some of the original Black Orpingtons, which had been imported there in the 1890s.
Other varieties of Orpington soon followed the Black Orpington. Today, there are over a dozen varieties of Orpington. The Buff Orpington is by far the most popular in the United States.
Orpington chickens were imported to America in the early 1890s, where they became very popular in barnyards in the mid-western states.
Orpington chickens eventually lost their popularity, and dwindled so much in numbers that they became endangered. However, as of 2016, Orpingtons were finally taken off of The Livestock Conservancy’s endangered list. These birds have experienced new popularity in recent years with backyard chicken keepers. And rightly so.
What do Orpington Chickens look like?
Orpington feather colors and patterns
Orpington chickens come in 4 official varieties: Black, Blue, Buff, and White. By “official,” I mean varieties that are accepted by the American Poultry Association (APA) and/or the American Bantam Association (ABA).
Below is a table that summarizes the appearance and origin of these 4 varieties:
Below, you can see videos of Black Orpingtons and White Orpingtons, respectively.
One interesting thing about Blue Orpingtons is that they come from crossing Black Orpingtons with White Orpingtons. However, only half of the offspring end up Blue with this cross. The other half will be black in color or splash in color. Whereas Blue and Black Orpingtons are recognized as an official variety by the APA, Splash Orpingtons are not.
Below, you can see videos of Blue and Splash Orpingtons, respectively.
This first video shows a Blue Orpington hen with Guinea keets.
And this video shows a Splash Orpington hen with mixed-breed chicks.
Buff Orpingtons actually have looser feathers (i.e., they are fluffier) than the other recognized varieties of Orpingtons. These looser feathers reflect their Buff Cochin heritage. You can see what Buff Orpingtons look like in the video below.
Aside from the 4 recognized varieties, you can find numerous varieties of Orpington that have not been recognized by the APA or ABA. These include:
Birchen
Black White Mottled
Buff-Black-Laced
Chocolate
Columbian
Crele
Cuckoo
Cuckoo Chocolate
Gold-Laced
Jubilee
Lavender
Lavender Mottled (or Spangled)
Lemon cuckoo
Partridge
Porcelain
Red
Silver-Laced
Splash
In the videos below, you can see some of these other varieties.
Birchen Orpington rooster
Chocolate Orpingtons
Chocolate and Cuckoo Chocolate Orpingtons
Crele Orpington rooster
Gold-Laced Orpingtons
Jubilee Orpingtons
Lavender Orpingtons (with Buff Orpingtons)
Lavender Mottled Orpingtons
Partridge Orpingtons
Red Orpingtons
Silver-Laced Orpingtons
What is notable about the Orpington chicken’s appearance?
Orpingtons are very large, heavy, and fluffy chickens. They have a very stocky build with broad bodies, short backs, and short legs. You can usually only see a tiny bit of leg showing from underneath their loose, prolific feathering.
In profile, the Orpington has a U-shaped silhouette, which is particularly obvious in the roosters.
Orpingtons have upright, medium-sized single combs, ideally with five distinct points. Outside of the U.S., some Black Orpingtons may have rose combs.
Orpingtons have medium-sized wattles, and their earlobes are red.
How big do Orpington chickens get?
Roosters: 10 lbs
Hens: 8 lbs
Bantam roosters: 38 oz
Bantam hens: 34 oz
Orpington chickens are considered a heavy breed, along with other unusually large fowl, such as Cochins, Brahmas, Langshans, and Jersey Giants.
However, Orpingtons also come in a miniature (bantam) size, for those who don’t want to raise large chickens, but absolutely love the Orpington breed. Below is a video that shows a beautiful Chocolate Orpington Bantam hen.
What do Orpington chicks look like?
The appearance of Orpington chicks varies based on the variety. Below, you can see videos of a few different varieties of Orpington chicks.
Buff Orpington chicks
Blue Orpington chicks
Lavender Orpington chicks
White Orpington chicks
Orpington chicken growth
Orpington chickens mature more quickly than some heritage breeds, but they grow considerably less quickly than broiler breeds.
The video below shows a video montage of Buff Orpington chicks from 4 days old to 9 weeks old.
And this video shows a photo montage of Lavender Orpingtons from young chicks to 7 months old.
Are you getting Orpington chicks?
Share your photos, week by week!
Orpington chickens and egg laying
Egg color: Brown
Egg size: Large-extra large
Age of lay: 6 months
Eggs/week: 4
Eggs/year: 200
Orpington eggs range in color from dark brown to light brown, depending on the strain of the chicken and the age of the hen (older hens tend to lay lighter colored eggs). Many Orpingtons will lay all winter long.
In the video below, you can see what Buff Orpington eggs look like—about 30 seconds in.
In the video below, you can see a Buff Orpington hen, Goldie, lay an egg.
And in this last video, you can see a Buff Orpington singing her first egg song. This is a song hen’s sing before, during, or after egg laying (and sometimes, just because).
Broodiness: Do Orpington hens want to hatch their eggs?
Orpingtons also have a tendency to go broody (i.e., sit on and hatch their eggs). While broodiness may be highly desirable for barnyard chicken keepers, it can be the ultimate annoyance for backyard urban chicken keepers. Broodiness can be broken if needed, but it is an added hassle.
However, many Orpington chicken keepers have commented that when they bought their Orpingtons form hatcheries (rather than from breeders), their birds haven’t gone broody. So, if broodiness is an issue for you, you may be able to find a hatchery that carries Orpingtons that don’t tend to have this quality. Make sure to check with your hatchery before purchase.
And if you do want broody hens, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding strains of Orpingtons that love to go broody and are excellent mothers. These Orpingtons love motherhood and are happy to hatch their own chicks, other breeds, and even other species of birds.
Below, you can see a Buff Orpington hen with quail chicks hatching beneath her—jump to just before 3 minutes in to get a good view of the eggs and babies.
Orpington hens are very gentle and attentive mothers. Below, you can see a Buff Orpington mama with her chicks.
Meat production of Orpington chickens
Orpington chickens were originally developed with meat in mind.
Although all Orpingtons can be used as meat birds, some strains are better for this purpose than others. Some strains grow very quickly, whereas others grow slowly. You’ll have to check with your hatchery or breeder to know what to expect.
Most Orpingtons take about 5 months to get very large. A mature Orpington has a market weight of 7-8.5 lbs, and tends to have tender and flavorful meat.
Orpington chickens: Not hardy in all conditions
How do Orpington chickens do in the heat?
Like most heavy, full-feathered breeds, Orpingtons struggle in the heat and can die during heatwaves. If you live in a particularly hot climate and cannot provide your birds a refuge from the heat, this is probably not the breed for you.
Below, you can see a video that shows a Buff Orpington struggling in the heat. She’s in the shade with her wings held away from her body, and she’s panting. This is one uncomfortable chicken. Notice that the other breeds of chickens in the flock are faring much better than she is.
As with all chickens, Orpingtons need a limitless supply of cold, fresh water and shade, but when temperatures soar, this may not be enough for them. Below is a video made from a Buff Orpington breeder—she gives some ideas on how to keep your Orpingtons cooler in the summer heat.
You may also want to consider coop fans, such as this wall mount outdoor fan on Amazon.
You’ll also want to make sure you have good dust bathing spots set up for your Orpingtons to help them cool down. Below, you can see a video of a Lavender Orpington happily dust bathing.
How do Orpington chickens do in the cold?
If kept dry, Orpington hens are incredibly cold hardy. Some Orpington roosters, however, have combs that are large enough they are prone to frostbite. Frostbite is an incredibly painful condition for chickens and needs to be avoided at all costs.
So, if you have Orpington roosters, you’ll definitely want to consider hanging a Sweeter Heater over their roosting bar to greatly reduce their chances of frostbite. I hang these in all my coops and none of my chickens have had frostbite since they’ve been up.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here.
You also need to make sure that your Orpingtons stay absolutely dry. These birds, with their big fluffy feathers and short legs, can get their belly feathers wet. Wet feathers means both that they cannot insulate and could possibly freeze to death, and it also means they are at a high risk of frostbite.
Orpington chickens vs. predators
Orpington chickens aren’t the greatest at evading predators. Because they are so curious, docile, and friendly, many of these chickens don’t feel the fear they should when a predator is nearby.
One Orpington chicken keeper said her birds’ sweet temperaments has made them “very susceptible to predators, especially dogs, as they are too friendly!”
Another said that her Orpingtons are always “the first breed to be targeted by hawks, coyotes, raccoons and other predators if we let them free range. Also very slow in reacting to a predator, will just stand there or slowly walk straight into the predator.”
Another keeper told this story about her Orpington flock, “We loved our 4 buff hens and rooster, but the hens were just an easy target while free-ranging. Thankfully, the rooster warned us when a coyote was about to take a hen, but the hen ignored the rooster and coyote and continued foraging. I was able to chase the coyote off, but can’t always supervise them, so we sold them to a farm with a large coop and run for their own safety.”
On the flip side, Orpingtons are very large chickens and their large size does deter some smaller predators. And some Orpingtons camouflage very well with their environment. Check out the video below of Jubilee Orpingtons. Look at how well they blend in when there is just a bit of snow on the ground.
Orpington chickens: Darn good foragers
Orpington chickens do forage very well if they’re allowed to free range. Below, you can see a video of two 6-year old Buff Orpington hens foraging in a forest.
And, just for fun, check out Annie, the Orpington hen, below as she “forages” a cockroach in the living room. She is fast!
Orpington chickens: Can they handle confinement?
Orpington chickens tolerate confinement to a run well. However, remember that because these are larger-than-average birds they do need a larger-than-average space in their run.
And the more space you are able to give your Orpington chickens in their run, the happier they will be. Remember, these birds love to forage, so if you can provide them with enough room to forage, they will be in heaven.
Because Orpington chickens are heavy with dense feathering and short legs, they don’t fly well at all (unless they are immature), so you don’t need to have tall fences to contain these birds. A fence that is a few feet tall will usually do it. However, if you have aerial predators, you will need to cover their run with a roof or netting.
And, in fact, you will likely need to cover their run anyway if you have soil that gets muddy or you live in a climate that gets snow. Orpingtons carry their bodies very close to the ground. And some Orpingtons have underbelly feathers that actually touch the ground, so it is imperative you protect these undersides from getting wet or muddy.
A covered run goes a long way in keeping your Orpingtons clean, dry, and healthy.
Also, keep in mind that because Orpingtons are so large, they will also require more space in the coop than your average breed. This means more space on the roosting bars, more space in the nesting boxes, and a larger pop hole door.
Alternatively, you can have a regular-sized pop door with a very shallow ramp or large steps that give them easy access to the small pop door. You can see an example of this in the video below:
And one last thing about coop requirements for Orpingtons. Because these birds are so large with such short legs, they may need lower roosting bars than other breeds (or easy access to higher roosting bars, such as stairs).
You’ll also need to make sure to keep the roosts free of poop each day (a good habit anyway), because you don’t want their low underbelly feathers getting wet with feces.
Orpington chicken temperament: Just what kind of birds are they?
Calm, docile, sweet, affectionate. Orpingtons are one of the best breeds if you want a friendly and even cuddly chicken.
Even Buff Orpington chicks tend to be friendly to humans (and believe me, this is not typical for most other breeds). Below you can see a video that shows two Lavender Orpington chicks just a few days old who are voluntarily getting on their keeper’s hand—fast forward to about 3 minutes and 5 seconds to see this happen.
Adult Orpingtons are, more often than not, lap chickens. In the video below, you can see a Buff Orpington snuggling on her keeper’s lap.
Many Orpington keepers speak of their chickens as being like puppy dogs. One keeper said of her hen, “She was my shadow when I was in the yard, and sometimes would get in front of me, wanting to be picked up and held.”
Another tells a similar story about her Orpingtons. “One of my girls is so spoiled, she borders on being a pest. When working in the garden, she gets right into my business, and when standing, she will get between my feet. I often have to pick her up and walk through the yard and garden with her to keep her from underfoot. When I sit down, she gets right up into my lap. However, I would never replace her. Not for the world!”
Some people even keep Buff Orpingtons as house chickens. Below, you can see a video of a Black Orpington rooster in his home. The caption to the video reads, “Bruce, the mighty Black Orpington, inspects his manor.”
Are Orpington roosters aggressive to people?
All chicken breeds have individual roosters that may be aggressive, but Orpington roosters are well-known for being docile and calm. If you’re looking for a friendly rooster, this is one of the best breeds to consider.
Below is a video of a very sweet Buff Orpington rooster named George. His keeper says that George follows him everywhere and is “kind of like a dog with feathers.”
How are Orpington chickens around children?
Orpingtons are one of the best breeds you can choose if you have young children. These birds don’t only just tolerate children, they usually enjoy the attention. Below you can see a young girl handling a Buff Orpington hen—and not that gently, though the hen doesn’t seem to mind a bit. Jump about 35 seconds into the video to see this.
And here, you can see a Lavender Orpington happily climbing all over a man and his young son.
And Orpingtons are famous for forming bonds with toddlers.
One chicken keeper tells this touching story about her Orpington rooster: “My youngest son, the chicken whisperer of the family, bonded with that guy like no other. Those two would be walking around the yard all over. It was kind of funny to watch this little 4-year old boy and his roo walking around the yard having all kind of adventures. And when he was indoors… [the rooster] would come look through the slider door and peck on it to get the kids’ attention. He would let the kids pick him up and carry him around.”
Below you can see a toddler interacting with a very young Buff Orpington. It’s truly amazing how docile this bird is! The video caption reads, “7 week-old Buff Orpington pullet meets 14-month old Rowan.”
And if you want chickens that interact well with your young kids, don’t forget that Orpingtons also come as bantams (i.e., miniatures). These birds are easier for young children to hold and carry.
How well do Orpington chickens get along with other chickens?
Although individual personalities of chickens do vary quite a bit, Orpingtons tend to be very gentle with other chickens.
Below, you can see a video of young Buff Orpington chicks and a Silkie getting along very well.
Although you don’t typically need to worry about Orpingtons being aggressive, they can sometimes be the victims of aggression themselves, even by much smaller chickens. They often don’t stick up for themselves.
The video below is titled, “Orpington chicken scared of a Polish Bantam.” Although the Polish Bantam is not being aggressive, the Black Orpington is still stressed. The video description reads, “I got a Polish Bantam today… to keep my big Orpington lady company, but she is really scared…”
And below, you can see a video of a Lavender Orpington rooster fighting with a small Serama rooster. Spoiler: the Lavender Orpington runs away from the tiny roo in the end.
Orpington chickens: Are they noisy?
Overall, Orpington chickens are fairly quiet. However, many of the hens do sing very loud eggs songs. (If you’re unfamiliar with the egg song, this is a very distinctive, repetitive vocalization that hens love to belt out).
Orpington roosters do like to crow, although their crow is lower pitched and less shrill than some other breeds. Below, you can hear a crow by Arnie, the Black Orpington rooster (also see the video of George in the ‘rooster aggression’ section above for another example).
If you like roosters, but you aren’t a fan of all-day crowing, you may want to consider an Orpington Bantam.
And then there’s the added bonus that Orpington Bantam rooster crows are absolutely adorable. In the video below, you can hear a Silver-Laced Orpington Bantam rooster’s little crow.
Orpington chicken health problems and life expectancy
Because Orpingtons have such dense and fluffy down feathers around their vents, they can sometimes get poop stuck to these feathers. Depending on how bad it is, you may need to wash their rears from time to time.
In the video below, you can see that some of these Black Orpington chickens have poop stuck to their vent feathers—fast forward about 55 seconds in to get a good look.
As long as you keep your Orpingtons in ideal conditions, you can expect them to live as long as other breeds of chickens. The average chicken lifespan is 5-8 years.
Breeds you may want instead of Orpingtons
If you like docile, giant breeds, you’ll also want to take a look at the Asiatic giants, Cochins, Brahmas, and Langshans, as well as the American Jersey Giant. For more information on these breeds, check out my articles:
Australorps are also a great breed to consider. Australorps are the descendants of the original Black Orpingtons (with some modifications), which were both hardier and less fluffy than the modern Orpington breed.
And if docile and hardy chickens are right up your alley, you may also want to look into Plymouth Rocks and Welsummers. Check out my articles:
Australorp chickens: The beginner’s egg-laying breed (that’s so underrated)
Barred Rock chickens: America’s favorite backyard egg layer
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Orpington sources
Bassom, Frances. Mini Encyclopedia: Chicken Breeds and Care. Dorking: Interpet Publishing, 2011.
Damerow, Gail. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2017.
Damerow, Gail. The Chicken Health Handbook. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2015.
Ekarius, Carol. Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2007.
Verhoef, Esther and Rijs, Aad. The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. Lisse: Rebo Publishers, 2005.