Where to get Orpington chickens and how much to pay for them.
Quality Orpingtons are difficult to find and expensive but hatchery and utility strains can be found for reasonable money.
Are Orpington chickens expensive?
Orpington chickens are expensive to buy. I bought my first white Orpingtons in 2001 and they cost me £210 ($290) for a quad of a cockerel and three hens.
Prices for Orpingtons increase at roughly $2 (£2) a week of age and then double after the birds have been sexed.
Below: Orpington hatching eggs.
Unsexed or straight run are a bit cheaper.
There is an extraordinary range in prices for Orpington chickens. I found Jubilee Orpington day old sexed chicks for sale between $3.60 and $40.15 and a similar variation in lavender chicks, $3.90 to $26.15.
For Orpington chickens you can expect to pay:
| Orpington colour. | Hatching eggs. | Day old chicks | Adult birds |
| Buff Orpington. | From $2.50 (£2) each. | Sexed from $3.61 (£3) each | From $100 (£75) each. |
| Lavender Orpington. | From $4 (£3) each. | Sexed from $6.70 (£5) each. | From $120 (£90) each. |
| Chocolate Orpingtons. | From $4 (£3) each. | Sexed from $6.00 (£5) each. | From $120 (£90) each. |
| White Orpingtons. | From $2.50 (£2) each. | Sexed from $3.61 (£3) each | From $110 (£82) each. |
| Black Orpington. | From $2.50 (£2) each. | Sexed from $3.61 (£3) each | From $110 (£82) each. |
| Laced Orpingtons. | From $4 (£3) each. | Sexed from $6.70 (£5) each. | From $120 (£90) each. |
| Blue Orpingtons. | From $5 ( £4) each. | Sexed from $7.00 (£5) each. | From $140 (£105) each. |
| Partridge Orpingtons. | From $4 (£3) each. | Sexed from $3.61 (£3) each | From $150 (£110) each. |
| Jubilee Orpingtons. | From $4 (£3) each. | Sexed from $3.61 (£3) each | From $140 (£105) each. |
Eggs, chicks and bird prices for bantam Orpingtons are roughly the same as for large fowl.
Prices do not include shipping and handling and most hatcheries have minimum orders sizes.
Are Orpington chickens rare?
Orpingtons are a rare breed of chicken. The buff Orpington is the most common and the Jubilee and the blue Orpingtons are the rarest.
Below: The Jubilee Orpington is difficult to breed properly and quality specimens are rare.
I have Partridge Orpington and they seem quite rare as well.
Things to watch out for when buying Orpington chickens:
If you are buying eggs then make sure they are breed standard and from well cared for and fed parents. Check the eggs for cracks, avoid dirty shells and candle them to make sure all the membranes are intact.
Below: I like to see the parents before I part with money for eggs, birds and chicks.
If you are buying chicks then make sure they don't have any obvious defects like splayed legs and deformed keel bones.
Where to buy Orpington chickens:
If you want the rarer colours or really high quality breeding stock you will likely have to wait quite a while to get you hands on any.
You can buy Orpingtons from:
- Hatcheries.
- Gumtree.
- Buying direct from breeders.
- Craigslist.
- In some countries you can sell hatching eggs on eBay.
- Facebook. Seek out chicken specialist Orpington groups and breeders.
- Poultry or livestock auctions often have good selections of chickens and eggs for sale.
- Become member of the poultry club and find a list or registered breeders.
- Find breeders online or look in forums.
I occasionally have Orpington hatching eggs for sale but only locally in the North of England.