William Cook of Orpington, Kent — the man behind the Orpington chicken — introduced this duck in 1897, aiming at a buff-coloured dual-purpose bird whose pale pinfeathers would leave a clean carcass. The buff colour is genetically unstable, produced by a dilution gene acting on a blue base, so the same mating throws blue and chocolate-shaded siblings, and no flock stays uniformly buff without steady culling. It lays well for a heavy duck, matures quickly, is calm enough for children, and is one of the better broody heavies. The breed is listed Threatened in the United States, and confusingly is often sold simply as 'Buff' — the dataset name this listing folds in.
Beginner friendly
Good with kids
Cold hardy
Broody
Egg colorWhite To Tinted
Egg production130–220 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessOccasional
ClimateCold hardy
PurposeEggs, Meat
FlightFlightless
Weight
Duck6–7 lb
Drake7–8 lb
How to spot it
Bill
Orange-yellow in the duck, yellow with a brown bean in the drake
Carriage
About 20° above horizontal on a moderately long, deep body
Plumage
Even fawn-buff throughout; the drake carries a seal-brown head and neck
Legs & feet
Orange-buff
Look for
Uniform pale buff on a heavy frame; blue or chocolate hatchmates are normal, not crossbreeding
