The Orpington Breed of Chickens
The Jubilee was created to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is a bit of a mystery as to exactly what breeds were used to creat it, but it is believed to be a decendant of the speckled sussex, and some say the buff orpington. There is also a theory that it was wiped out in Germany during the war as Hitler wanted all British breeds culled, and with the Jubilee having such a patriotic tie with Britain, these were not spared, although having chatted to a German breeder, he told me that two
The feather pattern which makes the Jubilee, is a very complex colour, and maturing birds can take up to 18 months to be ‘finished’. Not a bird to keep if you’re impatient! The shaft should be a dark mahogany with a clear black band, finished with a white tip, or ‘pearl’ at the end. It should have no smuttiness, or leaking of the black into either the brown, or the white as this is classed as a fault. The old standard page goes into this with more detail. The colouration has a few names, according to the br