Lavender

Lavender Orpingtons are an extremely rare subspecies of Orpington. They could be categorized as designer chickens, and are fabulous for poultry connoisseurs and collectors as well as for flock owners who want a truly special breed.The lavender Orpington's color is similar to the blue color, but is lighter in general and with purple overtones

The Orpington Chicken breed is one of the premier breeds of Great Britain. The breed was developed by William Cook by crossing Minorca males with Black Plymouth Rock hens He named them after his hometown, Orpington, England. The breed was a wild success, and within 10 years, Orpington Chickens were a mainstay of British poultry enthusiasts. They were brought to America around the turn of the century.

Orpington Chickens are a wonderful duel purpose breed. They make good meat birds, growing to a heavy table weight with nice looking white skin. They are terrific layers producing approximately 175-200 large pinkish, tan eggs per year. The eggs are especially fluffy for use in baking.

Lavender Orpingtons, like their cousins the Buff Orpinton, are large, calm, and friendly birds. They make good pet chickens as they are not good at flying, which makes them quite easy to contain even with short fencing.

Conservation Status: Recovering