Buff Orpingtons

I was gifted my Buff Orpingtons from Jeff Thornton. Here is his own words regarding these birds. 

In the fall of 1984 while on an Elk hunt in northern Idaho, I noticed the rancher kept a large house full of chickens to feed the family and the ranch hands. After a couple of days I went out there with the cook one night to gather eggs, I guess I was missing the 1000 head of gamefowl back in Texas at Diamond T or hungry or just nosey. Never the less when we got there I was amazed to see, I'm guessing in excess of 100 Orpington hens, most of them  buff  or as the cook called them “Yeller”, and about 4 or 5 white colored ones with yellow streaks. Now as I look back I assume those were sports. There were also 8 of the biggest buff roosters I had ever seen. I asked the cook about them and he shared all of his knowledge about them with me “they lay bout a foot tub fulla big o eggs a day”, Yea he was a real scholar. 

The next day I ask around and found out that the ranchers wife had gotten them from her father in Oregon who because of health issues had been forced to get rid of most of his Orpington show birds and had brought them to her. She said he would bring 10 or 15 marked pullets every year and some roosters and he would pick up a few hens and all the roosters. She said that was what he showed for the year. She said he showed his birds in Oregon and did very well. Now I wish I had written down names and such. Because I was back there in the spring for their round up. I worked for a big cattle company that contracted their calf crop every year, and while I was there the lady gave me 8 dozen eggs. Well about 2 weeks later after hauling them in a truck and turning them by hand, I got back to Diamond T and loaded the Incubator. Out of 96 eggs I hatched 39 chicks, That was the start of our exhibition Buff Orpingtons. Over the years  I have bred the very best to the very best and continuing to cull to the guidelines of the Standard of Perfection, as well as trying to keep egg production up, I have added some top bloodlines. The most recent additions in the last few years were Birds from Twisted Feather / Steve Jones and Terry Britt and Superior Farms. In 2012, I will be adding Brood birds from Charlie and Jody Hinkle of Pa., as well as a brood stock exchange with The Hall Family Farm of Ark. 2012 will also bring the addition of blues,blacks, a self/blue lavender project and a very special project of Buff Orpington Bantams ( Nicoles BOBs ) from my favorite Ark. Chicken farmer, Ms. Nicole Hall of Monticello. Our birds will continue to be bred to as closely meet the the specifications of the Standard of perfection as is possible.Our birds have very good type and color and push the upper limits of the weight ranges, in both the male and female lines.

Were moulting in this picture