William Cook was the creator of the Orpington in 1886. The Black Orpington was the first color there were both single comb and rosecomb. It is thought the White Orpington came next in either 1887 or 1889. In 1894, the Buff made its appearance and lastly, the Spangled in 1990. The breed was named after Cook's home town of Orpington.
Other breeders joined in with the perfecting of the Black Orpington, which at the time people saw as turning a good utility bird into an over-large feathery exhibition bird. William Cook did not like what had been done to the Black Orpington so he went on to create a Buff Orpington. It was not accepted as this to start with. It closely resembled another breed called the Lincolnshire Buff. Top poultry men studied both breeds closely and found that really there were quite a few differences; the main one being the Lincolnshire Buff had white feathered legs. The Buff Orpington was accepted as a new breed.
The Black is the biggest of the breed with profuse but close feathering which almost hides the legs of the bird. Egg production is minimal and they are the quietest of the breeds. It is said that William Cook crossed Minorca’s, Plymouth Rock and the clean legged Langshan to create this bird.
The White is pure white and a lot smaller than the Black. It also has a different shape to the body and they never became as popular as the Black.
The Buffs are far more energetic and lay quite well, although the eggs tend to be rather small for such a large bird. Egg production, although good, seems hampered by the fact they spend so much time being broody. This can be a good thing due to the shape and size of the bird which allows a good clutch of eggs to be set. The breed was created by using the Cochin, Dark Dorking and Gold Hamburg.
The Blue is a slate blue color with darker feathers on the hackles and back of the Cockerels. By selective breeding of White, Black and Cuckoo, the
color was created. This color was not popular at the time, the Black and Buff being preferred.
The Jubilee which is a similar color to the Speckled Sussex and very rarely seen; has not appeared at any exhibitions for many years.
A Good Standard of the Breed should have the following:
* A curvy shape with a short back and u shaped underline.
* Leg color should be white on the lighter colored breeds and dark black on the Blue and Black birds.
* The head is small and neat with a small single comb.
* Profuse but close feathering.
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