The Orpington egg. Size, colour and quantity.
Are Orpington chickens good layers?
Orpington chickens lay between 180 and 200 large, light brown eggs in their first year. Orpington eggs should weigh between 55 and 65 grams.
The reality can be a little different a the Orpington hen is somewhat of a broody creature and raising a clutch of her own means six to eight weeks less eggs.
Orpington chickens are not a known winter laying breed and take a break from laying eggs in the winter.
Below: A selection of eggs from my Buff Orpingtons.
My eggs are a shade or two lighter than the ideal.
At what age do Orpington chickens start laying eggs?
Orpington hens begin to lay eggs from 26 weeks of age under ideal conditions and will produce about 4 eggs a week in their first year.
It can take longer for Orpingtons to start laying if they are raised late in the season and mature while the days are short.
You should switch your Orpington hens from grower to layer feed ration from 22 weeks old.
Being a traditional heritage breed of chicken, the Orpington will lay eggs for many years.
| Age of Orpingtons in years. | Number of eggs Orpingtons produce. |
| 1 | 200 |
| 2 | 170 |
| 3 | 145 |
| 4 | 120 |
| 5 | 100 |
| 6 | 85 |
| 7 | 60 |
| 8 | 0 |
Egg numbers in all types of Orpington decrease by 15% every year after the moult and will have stopped laying eggs by the time they are eight years old.
What colour eggs do Orpington chickens lay?
The Orpington lays a light brown egg.
Of all my different types of Orpingtons, the blues lay the darkest egg and the buffs the lightest.
Below: The darkest Orpington eggs I have are from my blues.
The egg colour fades over the laying season and eggs can be several shades lighter in colour by late summer.
Orpington bantam eggs:
Orpington bantam lay as many eggs as their large fowl counterparts.
Bantam Orpington eggs are medium size, weighting around 35 to 40 grams and are cream in colour.
Below: Eggs from my bantam Orpington hens.
Where to buy Orpinton eggs and how much to pay for them:
You can buy Orpington eggs from:
- Specialist breeders
- Some hatcheries.
- Poultry auctions.
- Specialist Facebook groups.
Specialist breeders will give you the best stock whereas hatchery birds tend to be more utility.
When buying Orpington eggs you can expect to pay between $4 (£2.50) and $10 (£8) each not including postage costs. Bantam eggs cost the same.
My blue Orpington eggs were from show winning stock and cost me £10 ($14)each.