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The Spangled Orpington
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The Spangled Orpington is extremely rare in this country, and good examples
are even rarer!
Our best female hen we bought at the National 2008, she had just won the AOC female class,
and i had to batter my eyelids at the breeder to part with her, she had just beat my female Jubilee hen into second place,
and i wasn't about to leave that show without her!! The breeder also let me have her sister, who was much whiter as she was
a year older, not good for showing anymore, but perfect for breeding as he didn't have a spangled cockerel, so we'd have to
'make our own' using a black cockerel over the two girls, which we have done this year! First generation chicks look very
promising, all showing signs of the white spots, but we know having tried to breed spangled bantams last year, when the chicks
moult out to their adult feathers, they loose all spangles, and go straight black! But if they have them as chicks, at least
we know they carry the spangled gene. Therefore passing them on the second generation if mated all back together or placing
the best cockerel over the parent hens. Fingers crossed!!
Above is an over the top picture of how even the spangleds should
be, this can be improved upon, as we breed more birds.
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Our best lady, who won her class at the National 2008.
Above, left, the cockerel we are currently using to produce our Spangled cockerel! From top
breeder, exhibitor and judge of many years, Mr. Brian Anderton. Orpington Club chairman.
This is a close up of how the feather colour should look, notice the green
sheen on the black, this is good, and should be apparent.
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We have bred our spangled hens to our black cockerel, and have a
fine generation of first gen spangled growers running about the place, not a spot in sight now they have moulted out into
their adult feathers, but bred back together next year they should produce a good percentage of spangled off-spring!
Our Spangled hen won the non-standard class
at the National and the Fed 2009.
Our Jubilee trio won the trio class, and our white orp cockerel won the white class,
not to mention our black pullet getting a third and a fourth too, she was up against the 'big guns' of black orp breeders
so i thought she did well!
We also have Buff orpingtons now, a lovely cockerel who was spared the chop, bred by Victoria
Roberts, and a really nice pullet bred by Peter Terry. And my Christmas present from my wonderful husband was a very special
black cockerel who snatched the second in his class at the Fed, shown and bred by David Pownall, so hopefully put over our
black hens we bred last year will make a promising start to our black lines!
All birds are now in their breeding pens,
and orders are being taken, so please get in touch if you are wanting any stock. X
Old standards
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