Buff Orpington
Dual purpose · England · 🌱 Beginner friendly
If backyard chickens had a mascot, it would probably be the Buff Orpington — a big golden pillow of a hen that genuinely seems to enjoy being held. Developed by William Cook in Orpington, Kent in the 1880s, it lays steadily, mothers devotedly, and wins over children instantly.
Eggs per year
180–280
Egg color
Brown
Egg size
Large
Hen weight
7–8 lbs
Temperament
Affectionate and docile
Broodiness
Often broody
Did you know?
Orpingtons were once so fashionable in Britain that the Queen Mother kept an award-winning flock of them.
Is the Buff Orpington right for your flock?
Expect roughly 180–280 brown eggs a year from a healthy hen in her prime — production dips during molt and the short days of winter, and eases off as she ages. Planning space? A Buff Orpington hen runs 7–8 lbs, so size the coop with our coop size calculator and estimate the feed bill with the feed cost calculator.
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