Orpington Bantam

Orpington Bantam is the small version of the Orpington chicken, developed to keep the rounded body, soft feathering and gentle outline of the large fowl in a bird suited to bantam pens and exhibition. It is clean-legged and broad for its size, with a low, full look rather than the narrow build seen in many active bantams. Buff, black, blue and white are common show colors, with other varieties appearing in some countries or specialist flocks.

Kept in gardens, breeding pens and show yards, Orpington bantams provide small tinted eggs and a manageable ornamental flock without the space needs of large Orpingtons. Their soft feathers are best kept away from persistent mud, and very fluffy or overweight birds may have reduced fertility, so diet and breeding condition matter. They are generally less flighty than many bantams, but predators can still take them easily. Buyers should confirm they are getting true bantams and not undersized large-fowl chicks from mixed breeding.