British Orpington chickens

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Orpington chickens are an English breed that belongs to the meat-and-meat direction. It was bred in the century before last and quickly spread throughout European countries. Now this breed, like Brahma, has lost its position in industrial breeding. More productive varieties have emerged that have crowded out British birds. But in private farms, chickens are still bred, including because of their decorative qualities.

Chickens Orpington

Description of the breed

The breed has been bred in England for over 30 years. Its creator was William Cook, who never lived to see the final approval of the standard. One of the areas of selection was to obtain birds with white skin, which was more appreciated by aristocrats. In addition, the goal of breeding was to obtain versatile birds with good weight, tasty meat and a sufficient number of eggs.

The standard for Orpington chickens was finally approved in 1894. They began to spread throughout Europe. In Germany, they received birds with red feathers. In 1989, Orpington was crossed with Leghorn, we got white individuals. This is what modern Orpington chickens look like:

• The outlines of the body are square.
• The head is small, rounded.
• "Lichiko" is covered with a thin skin.
• The comb of cockerels and hens is leaf-shaped, stands upright, has 5-6 teeth.
• The earrings are average, rounded.
• The beak is large and strong.
• The eyes are average, from orange to black, depending on the color of the feathers.
• The body is massive, large, widened and low set.
• The neck is medium, densely covered with feathers, slightly tilted forward.
• The chest is voluminous, widened and lowered down.
• The back is widened and shortened.
• The tail is short and wide, with a lot of feathers.
• The line connecting the neck, back and tail forms a bend in the form of a flat arc.
• The wings are small, firmly nestled against the body.
• The thighs are profusely feathery, powerful.
• Legs are average, without plumage.
• The skin is white.
• The types and colors of plumage are different.

The main disadvantages of the Orpington chicken breed:

• Narrowed body.
• Long or short legs.
• Flat chest.
• Elongated and spreading tail.
• White bloom on earrings or scallop.
• Yellow skin.
• Discrepancy between the color of the beak and legs with a shade of plumage.

Chickens are stockier than males. Their back is longer, the tummy is better rounded, and the tail is shorter and wider. The scallop is small, but also stands upright, has up to 5 teeth. In more detail, the external signs of birds can be seen in the photo and video.

Product characteristics

When choosing domestic chickens, it is important to evaluate their food quality. Orpington is considered a versatile meat-and-meat breed, as Cochinhin, Wyandot or Brama... Here is its brief description:

• Roosters weigh 4.5-5 kg, chickens 3.5-4 kg.
• Egg production - 160-180 pieces per year.
• The weight of one egg is 55-65 g.
• The shell of the testicles is yellow-brown, firm.
• Chick survival rate is 93%.

Chicken meat is tasty, juicy, highly valued by culinary experts. Chickens grow slowly, so they cannot compete with broilers now. Birds begin to rush at 6-7 months.

Pros and cons of the breed

The Orpington chickens, like any other breed, have their advantages and disadvantages. The pluses include:

• heavy weight;
• delicious meat;
• the ability to lay eggs in sufficient quantity after two years of life;
• calm and peaceful character;
• developed maternal instinct in hens.

Unfortunately, the Orpingtons have a number of disadvantages that prevent birds from taking a leading position in agriculture. The disadvantages of the breed include:

• Gluttony and slow weight gain by chickens, which significantly reduces profitability when breeding birds.
• Low egg production rates.

The Orpington breed is grown in private farms. For breeding in industrial farms, her food indicators are too low. Chickens receive good reviews from the owners, as they are unpretentious, they allow you to simultaneously receive tasty meat and eggs. The breed can be safely recommended for novice poultry breeders.

Varieties of the breed

In the course of many years of selection, which continued not only in Britain, but also in other countries, several species of the Orpington breed were bred. They differ among themselves in the color of plumage, paws, peephole and beaks. Their body structure and product characteristics are similar. Below are the most common types and a description of their appearance.

Black Orpington

Black Orpingtons are the first original representatives of the breed. Their feathers have an intense black color with a green tint. They shine and shimmer in the sun. The down, beak and metatarsus on the legs are also black, the skin is exceptionally white, the eyes are brown or black. Colors with a purple and bronze tint, lack of plumage shine are considered a defect. Also, birds with specks on feathers, light beaks, belly and metatarsals, yellow skin, red eyes are rejected.

White Orpington

Orpington's white type is the exact opposite of black. Its plumage is snow-white, without the slightest inclusions. Metatarsus, beak and edge are white. The eyes are orange-red. The disadvantage is yellowness, which most often appears on the back and wings. Variety obtained by crossing Leghorns and blacks Hamburg roosters... White Dorking and Cochinhin took part in the selection.

Golden Orpington

This variety of chickens has a golden, black-bordered color. The rooster has a reddish-brown head with a golden collar covered with expressive dark strokes. Back, chest, shoulders, braids on the tail, steering feather of a golden brown hue. The edge of each feather is bordered by a black border. The tummy is black, with brown or golden inclusions. The beak and tarsi are white or light horny, the eyes are orange-red. Females do not have such a lush collar on their necks, like males.

Fawn Orpington

Pale Orpingtons are sometimes called yellow. Their plumage is reminiscent of old gold in color. The down of birds is also golden, like the shafts of the feathers. The color on the body is evenly distributed, a fawn rooster can stand out only with an enhanced shine of the collar and back. The beaks are light, the legs are white, the eyes are orange with red. The appearance of spots, other colors on the body, except for the yellow one, is not allowed. Also, the metatarsus and beak of a color different from the standard are considered disadvantages.

Orpington Blue

Blue Orpingtons have a beautiful color that resembles silver. It is desirable that the bluish-blue tone does not have any impurities. The edge of the feathers, bordered by dark edging, looks very impressive. The collar and loin of both the female and the male are black and blue, the down and tail are pure blue.The beak and the lower part of the legs are slate or black, the eyes are brown or black. A defect is a deviation of color from the main blue tint, the absence of a dark edging, specks on the feathers, a light beak or metatarsus, eyes of an orange or red tint.

Calico Orpington

Calico Orpington in another way is also called porcelain, tricolor or parcelain. The basic shade in birds is red-brown. On the tip of all the feathers, you can see a black speck with a white dot at the outer edge, which resembles a pearl. The braids on the tail and the tail feather on the wings are black, their tops are white. The color of the beak and legs is white or horny, the eyes are orange with red. The disadvantage is an intense white or black shade of feathers in the wrong places, a scattering of dots throughout the body, and not just on the tips of the feathers.

Red orpington

The variety was one of the first to be bred in Germany. The color of the feathers of chickens and roosters is red with chestnut, absolutely evenly distributed over the body. The shanks of the feathers are red, the beak and legs are white, the eyes are orange with a reddish tint. Blotches of any other color or tint, specks on the plumage are not recognized.

Striped Orpington

The striped color is often called hawkish, as it resembles the color of the feathers of this wild predator. The main tone of plumage is black. All feathers have broad white streaks, the tips of the feathers are black. The pattern is the same on all parts of the body. Paws and beaks are white or horny, eyes are red-orange. The disadvantage of this variety of Orpington is considered to be a fuzzy pattern, its absence on the edge, blotches or ebb of a color other than white and black. Let's say a green tint.

Orpington Marble

Marble Orpingtons are black and white in color. The main tone of the feather is black with a green tint. On the tip of the feathers there are white specks in the shape of the Latin letter V with well-defined boundaries. The pattern evenly covers the entire body of females and roosters. The eyes of the birds are red with orange, the metatarsus are light. The disadvantage is a brown tint, yellow or red spots on the feathers.

Partridge Orpington

This type of bird is very rare, males and females have a different tone of plumage. The partridge rooster of the Orpington breed has a red-brown head, from which a golden collar with black vertical strokes descends. The back and shoulders are chocolate-golden, the tummy, breast and legs are black with a barely noticeable brown edging. The braided tail is gold-bordered, as are the tail feathers.

The main color of plumage in females is golden brown. There is a three-row black edging along each feather. The stripes run strictly parallel to each other. Both sexes have orange-red eyes, light metatarsus with a beak. A disadvantage is a white tone in the plumage, an indistinct pattern, interspersed with other colors not presented in the description.

Lavender Orpington

The lavender, or cuckoo, Orpington is a very beautiful bird, bred relatively recently. The plumage color is silvery, with a slight pink or purple tint, like mountain lavender. In roosters and hens, the color is the same, equally distributed over the body. Besides lavender, cuckoo species can be lemon yellow. It is very important to find a clean line of these birds, as crosses often have admixtures of other colors. To better understand what the purebred lavender Orpingtons look like, you can look at the photos and videos.

Features of the content

At home, keeping Orpington chickens has its own characteristics. We should not forget that these are large birds, therefore they need a spacious chicken coop... For 1 sq. m should not keep more than 3-4 individuals. The room should be well ventilated, especially in winter, when chickens cannot walk freely in the fresh air. In summer, a pen with a walking area of ​​2-3 square meters is equipped for livestock. m per bird.

The chicken coop must have the correct litter... You can make it permanent by removing only the top layer as needed. A layer of slaked lime should be poured onto the floor: it effectively fights bacteria, absorbs excess moisture. Then you need to lay 15-20 cm of sawdust, peat, shavings, straw or other improvised material. The moisture content of the coating should not exceed 25%. Every six months, the house should be cleaned up and the entire litter should be completely changed. The same is done when an infection has broken out among the livestock.

In the chicken coop equip perches large, 30x40 cm. They can be made from planks or thick plywood. Feeders are made of 2 types: metal for wet feed and wooden for grain. Drinking bowls are also better to be made of metal, plastic is poorly washed, chickens can easily turn such bowls. Keeping chickens of this breed does not provide for heating in the barn. But in very cold winters in the region, it is better to make heating indoors.

Bird feeding

Feeding Orpington chickens has its own characteristics. These birds are voracious and prone to obesity. Excess weight has a bad effect on the egg production of females and the fertilization of eggs by roosters. Overweight is more often observed in winter, therefore, during this period, you need to especially monitor the diet.

Birds should be fed twice a day, the last meal is given at 15-16 hours. The diet includes:

• grain (wheat, corn, barley);
• herbal flour;
• wet mash with the inclusion of fresh kitchen waste;
• boiled potatoes;
• meat and bone meal;
• table salt;
• chalk, shells, other mineral and vitamin supplements.

To prevent chickens from gaining weight, they reduce the amount of potatoes, high-calorie grains (oats, corn). Also, do not abuse the raspberry plant meal. In the spring, before the chicks start hatching, you can give the layers a premix. Protein supplements are also useful: reverse, crushed peas, meat broths.

In the summer, chickens spend a lot of time on free grazing. In their diet there is green grass, plant tops. You can give the birds zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon and other vegetables at this time. Drinking water should be changed regularly. There should always be a bowl of pebbles or coarse sand near the feeder, which birds need to grind coarse grain in the crop.

Breeding chickens

It is better to raise Orpington chickens separately. Then it will be possible to preserve the purity of the breed. The family consists of 1 rooster and 10 females. Some owners leave another 2-3 spare males. The best and healthiest specimens are selected for breeding, which fully meet the standard. The parent stock is renewed every year by 15-20%. The productivity of chickens lasts 2-3 years.

Layers of this breed are excellent hens, therefore most owners breed them naturally. The hatching egg must be checked under an ovoscope. In the Orpingtons, egg fertilization reaches 80%. Breeding chickens in an incubator is also possible, the incubation rules are standard.

The hatchability and survival rate of chickens is high. Daily chicks are active, eat well. You can feed them with special compound feed or self-prepared mash... Give porridge or steamed chopped grain (oats, corn, barley). A boiled egg, cottage cheese and chopped greens are added to it. Two-week-old chicks begin to go outside, and monthly chicks already walk all day and get their own food.

How much do Orpington chickens cost and where can you buy them? You can go to the Krasnodar Territory for chicks, there are specialized farms there. The breed is bred in the Moscow region, Energodar and other regions of Russia. Chickens weekly Orpington cost 300 rubles, and two-weekly - 350 rubles, hatching eggs cost about 200 rubles. Adults are sold for 1000-2000 rubles. The price may depend on the color, the more unique it is, the more expensive the birds will be. Affects the price and purity of the breed, the stability of genetics, the presence of a pedigree.