THE ORPINGTON BREED STANDARDS
Carriage: Bold, upright and graceful ; that of an active fowl.
Type: Body deep, broad and cobby. Back nicely curved with a somewhat short, concaved outline. Saddle wide and slightly rising, with full hackle. Breast broad, deep and well rounded, not flat. Wings small, nicely formed and carried in a horizontal postion, the ends almost hidden by the saddle hackle. Tail rather short, compact, flowing and high, but by no means a squirrel tail.
Head: Small and neat, fairly full over the eyes. Beak strong and nicely curved. Eyes large and bold. Comb single, small, firmly set on head, evenly serrated and free from side sprigs. Face smooth. Wattles of medium length, rather oblong and nicely rounded at the bottom. Ear-lobes small and elongated.
Neck: Of medium length, curved, compact and full with full hackle.
Legs and feet: Legs short and strong, the thighs hidden by the body feathers, well set apart. Toes, four, straight and well spread.
Plumage: Profuse, soft, loose and not fluffy.
Handling: Firm of body.
Female
The general characteristics are similar to those of the male. Her cushion should be wide but almost flat, and slightly rising to the tail,and with no tendancy to a ball cushion sufficient to give back a graceful appearance with an outline approaching concave.
COLOUR
The Blue
Male plumage: Hackles, saddle, wing bow, back and tail dark slate blue. Remainder medium slate blue, each feather to show lacing of darker shade as on back.
Female plumage: Medium slate blue, laced with darker shade all through, except head and neck, dark slate blue.
In both sexes: Beak black. Eyes black or very dark brown, black preferred. Comb, face, wattles and ear-lobes bright red. Legs and feet black or blue. Toe-nails white.
The Black
Male and female plumage: Black with a green sheen.
In both sexes: Beak, etc as in the blue. Soles of feet white.
The White
Male and female plumage: Pure snow white.
In both sexes: Beak, legs, feet and skin white. Eyes, face, ear-lobes and wattles red.
The Jubilee
Beak, legs and feet, white. Earlobes red, face, comb and wattles red. Eyes red. Toe nails and skin white.
Plumage of the cock: Ground colour mahogany of a bright shade, and not dark nor maroon. Hackles and back, mahogany, with black centre stripe, mahogany shaft and white tip. Breast, thighs and fluff, mahogany, with black spangle and white tip, the three colours clean and distinct and showing in equal proportions, avoiding a ticked effect on the one hand, and a blotchy effect on the other.
Wings: Bow similar to hackles; bar, black; secondaries mahogany, black and white; primaries similar but, more white allowed. Tail sickles white, or black and white, or black, white and mahogany; coverts, black edged with mahogany and tipped with white.
Plumage of the hen: Hackle to match that of the cock. Body, thighs and fluff mahogany with spangles and white tips, similar to the breast of the cock. Wings as the body, but with primaries to match those of the cock. Tail as in the cock.
The Spangled
Beak, black, white or slightly mottled. Eyes, red or brown, red preferred. Comb, face and wattles and earlobes, red. Legs and feet, black and white, mottled as evenly as possible. Toenails, skin, white.
Plumage of the cock: Hackles, black with white tips. Back, black, slightly ticked with white. Breast, thighs and fluff, black with white spangles, the two colours showing in equal proportions, avoiding a ticked effect on the one hand, and a blotchy effect on the other.
Wings; bow similar to back; bar, black; secondaries and primaries black and white, but more white allowed in the primaries or flights. Tail black and white; the sickles and the coverts black with white tips.
Plumage of the hen: Neck, wings (flights only) and tail, similar to those parts of the cock. Remainder the same as the breast of the cock, the effect to be uniform throughout the bird.
(Note, in BOTH sexes the black should have a bright gloss Beetle green sheen, and the white should be pure and bright, the two colours distinct and not running in to each other.)
The Cuckoo
Beak white. Eyes red. Comb, face, wattles and earlobes, red. Legs and feet white. Toenails and skin white.
Plumage of both sexes: Blue-grey (light shade) ground, each feather barred across with blue-black (dark shade) the markings in keeping with the size of the feather.
SERIOUS DEFECTS:
Side spikes on comb. White in ear-lobes. Feathers or fluff on the shanks or feet. Long legs. Any deformity. Yellow skin or yellow on the shanks or feet of any variety. Any yellow or sappiness in the white.
Disqualifications:
Trimming or faking.
BANTAMS
Orpington bantams are miniatures of their large fowl counterparts and the standard for those should be followed.
The Jubilee, Spangled and Cuckoo do not have bantam counterparts standardised.
SCALE OF POINTS
SIZE
Large Fowl
Male minimum 4.5kg (9.9lb)
Female minimum 3.6kg (7.94lb)
Bantam
Visually 25% size of large counterpart
Suggested Weights
Male - 2.kg (4.4lb)
Female 1.6kg (3.53 lb)