The Orpington

 "When someone originates or produces something new it is usually with an idea of making money out of it, but the originator of the Orpingtons had no idea of making money out of them says Percy A. Cook in Poultry Success. However, he did make money, but his prime object was to produce a bird that would help improve the poultry industry, and in this he was successful.

"William A. Cook is said to have originated the Orpingtons in England, and they have proven a popular bird. Mr. Cook found the demand so great in this country that he established a business here, besides one in England, two in Africa and one in Australia.

"When Mr. Cook started out in 1876 to produce a new fowl he had high ideas. He desired a fowl that would lay more eggs in a year than any other breed, especially in the winter when eggs are scarce; one that would not suffer from climatic changes; one that would mature early, laying at five months old; moreover, she was to be a hardy bird, a line table bird, and as if this were not enough, she must be of handsome appearance. But Mr. Cook succeeded in uniting all of these desirable qualities in the Orpingtons. 

"The Black Orpingtons were put on exhibition in 1886; the White appeared three years later; the Buff Orpington appeared in 1894, followed in three years by the Diamond Jubilee and by the Spangled in 1879.

"The name Orpington was the name of a village about three miles from Mr. Cook's home and also the name he had given his home. 

"One advantage of the Orpington is the variety of color. One color is just as good as another for general purposes, so one may have his favorite color. Then there is the single comb and the rose comb. The Orpington is a higher-priced bird than many of the other breeds, and hence makes more money for his owner. A thousand dollars has been refused for a single specimen, while two hundred dollars is often realized for one bird. This title naturally suggests a black fowl, but the Black Orpington is a beautiful beetle green, so bright that one must see a good specimen to appreciate the color. In 1876, Mr. Cook saw that there was room for a better breed of fowls—one that would unite weight, eggs, general usefulness and handsome appearance. So, after thinking out his ideal, he started to make the first Orpington. At that time Mr. Cook was keeping a large number of pure-bred fowls of different breeds. He noticed that the barred Plymouth Rocks often bred black birds. These he found, laid about forty more eggs in a year than the Barred Rocks, besides starting in to lay much earlier. So, he chose to use these as one of his breeds to cross. 

"The Black Minorca were fine layers of eggs, and their flesh was white and tender. He selected cocks of this breed and mated them to the black Plymouth Rock pullets. The Langshan, which laid a brown egg, was at that time the best winter layer in England. They were then short-legged with a fine grain flesh. Pullets produced from the first two breeds were mated to Langshan cocks. In making a new breed the last one used dominates the character of the new fowl. 

"It took nine years of careful breeding to get rid of the feathered legs of the Langshan, the white ear lobe of the Minorca and the yellowish legs of the Rock and to bring the birds to his Ideal, doing away with the light body of the Minorca. 

"Black Orpingtons breed very true, as a rule. Although people do not favor a black fowl, they are won when they see a black Orpington. They went to the front at once after their first public appearance in 1886, and still hold an excellent reputation. The black is larger than the other Orpingtons; their meat is a very fine grain, full of flavor. They lay a huge brown egg and plenty of them. They have won many first prizes in official laying contests, and altogether are very popular birds." 

(excerpt from The Poultry Yard, Los Angeles Herald Sunday Magazine, December 26, 1909)