Some Facts on Orpingtons: The Black Orpington produced in 1886 at Orpington, County Kent, England, from a Black Langshan-Black Minorca-Black Plymouth Rock cross, is the original Orpington. The original Black Orpington came to America in 1890. The Black and White Orpingtons were admitted to the Standard in 1905; the Buffs in 1902, and the Blue Orpingtons in 1923. This is a general purpose fowl for meat production and for eggs. The skin color is white and the egg shells are light to dark brown. Average Cock should weigh 10lbs. Average hen should weigh 8lbs. Orpingtons come in four varietys that are reconized by the APA; Black, White, Buff, Blue ~From the American Poultry Associations Book of Standards~ Many more articles and useful information can be found at the United Orpington Club. By clicking on banner below. Orpington By J. H. Drevenstedt Origin Twenty years ago, Orpingtons were exhibited in America for the first time, the Single Comb Black Orpington being the original variety shown. It was the first of a distinctly new breed of fowl, originated in 1886 by William Cook of Orpington, County of Kent , England , whence Orpingtons take their name. Being "English, you know," it took the American poultry breeders some years to become interested and enthusiastic over Orpingtons. Objections to fowls with black legs and white skin were lodged against Black Orpingtons and later the white or pink legs and white skin of Buff and White Orpingtons was considered a serious market handicap, as Americans demanded yellow-skinned and yellow-legged poultry. So the doom of the Orpintons was predicted before breeders on this side of the Atlantic became acquainted with the good qualities of this new English race of fowl, or realized that a master hand at promoting and advertising new breeds was at work in England, Australia, and America, boosting the breed he originated, by lavish use of printers' ink, which included much free advertising for himself-for the originator was a clever writer on poultry topics, as well as a very shrewd breeder and dealer. The superior qualities of his Orpingtons were "laid on with a thick brush," the defects kept in the background. The result of all these persistent and insistent claims of superiority over all other breeds is that Orpingtons are today the most popular fowl in England and have made such rapid strides toward popularity in this country, notably in White Orpingtons, that they have become dangerous rivals of the American Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes , Rhode Island Reds, and Leghorns. The originator, William Cook, died in 1904, at a time when Orpingtons were beginning to boom rapidly, thanks to the late and lamented Mr. Cook and the hustling and able efforts of Wallace P. Willett of East Orange , N.J. , editor and publisher of "The Orpington." This was before the day of Owen Farms, Ernest Kellerstrass and other "big guns" of the Orpington fancy of today, Charles Vass, Dr. Paul Kyle, Wallace P. Willett, Frank W. Gaylor and William Davis being the pioneers in the early Buff Orpington days; but when Mr. Cook appeared at the Madison Square Garden, New York, in 1903 with a great string of English Orpingtons and received fulsome press notices in the daily papers of his exhibits; arranged in a clever manner at one end of the big show arena, the real Orpington boom in the United States and Canada was launched. As an advance agent, William Cook was in a class by himself; as a salesman he was a star, the prices realized by him for Orpingtons at that memorable show being exceedingly high. The purchasers were men of wealth, as a rule, who realized that aside from the fancy end, it would be a good business investment as well. A study of the comparative growth in popularity of Orpingtons in D. E. Hale's article on another page of this book, will justify the judgment of these shrewd fanciers who bought at that time. Orpingtons First Exhibited in America in 1890 Single Comb Black Orpingtons were first exhibited at the show of the Massachusetts Poultry Association, held in Boston , in 1890. Single Comb Buff Orpingtons were first exhibited at the Madison Square Garden Show, New York , in 1899, twelve single entries and one pen being the total. In 1901, the entries increased to nineteen single and one pen of Buff Orpingtons, Charles Vass, Wallace P. Willett, and Doctor Paul Kyle being the exhibitors. At New York in 1909-10, 157 Single Comb Buff, 122 Single Comb Black, 134 Single Comb White, 17 Diamond Jubilee, 5 Spangled, 25 Rose Comb Buff, 13 Rose Comb Black, and 5 Rose Comb White Orpingtons were exhibited, making a total of 478 Orpingtons-a remarkable showing for a breed of English origin in a country where there was supposed to be little demand for poultry with white skin and white or black shanks. 
