Why Tamahagane Garden Doesn’t Breed Buff Orpingtons

When most people think of Orpington chickens, the image that comes to mind is usually the classic Buff Orpington — golden, fluffy, and famously calm. It’s easily the most recognizable and widespread variety of the breed worldwide. In Thailand, too, Buff Orpingtons are already present in many farms across the country.

At Tamahagane Garden, however, you won’t find this popular variety in our breeding program. Here’s why we made this deliberate and strategic decision — even though it seems to go against the market trend.

1. Buff Orpingtons are already everywhere in Thailand

We take a clear position against producing what’s already flooding the market, especially when quality is inconsistent and difficult to control.

While Buff Orpingtons are undeniably popular, popularity doesn't always equal quality. Our goal is to develop rare and advanced Orpington lines with strong genetic potential, such as:

• Black Orpington

• Blue Orpington

• Splash Orpington

• Isabel Orpington

• Lavender Orpington

• and experimental designer lines unique to our farm.

2. High-quality Buff bloodlines are nearly impossible to find in Thailand

Despite their abundance, most Buff Orpingtons available in the Thai market are:

• Poorly proportioned (e.g., small frames, weak breast structure)

• Inconsistent in feather color, especially overly dark orange tones not true to standard

• Lacking documented lineage or careful selective breeding

To raise Buff Orpingtons at the Tamahagane Garden standard, we would need to import carefully selected breeding stock — which comes at a high cost and would require several generations of acclimation and genetic refinement to suit our regenerative farming system.

3. Buff is genetically difficult to cross

Buff is a recessive color type with complex modifiers. When crossed with other varieties like Black or Blue, the offspring often result in:

• Dull or muddy oranges

• Unintended feather markings

• Unstable or “off” colors with unpredictable genetic outcomes

For a farm focused on structured color genetics and rare hybridization, Buff is essentially a dead end — especially for our ongoing Super Orpington Project, where cross-color compatibility is essential.

4. Buff lines in Thailand are severely inbred

Buff Orpingtons were introduced to Thailand many years ago and have been bred locally for generations without sufficient outcrossing. As a result, we see:

• Low hatch rates

• Slow growth

• Reduced disease resistance

• Physical faults such as disproportionate body shape or traits disqualifying them from breed standards

🌱 In Summary

Our decision not to breed Buff Orpingtons isn’t because we dislike the variety.It’s because we are committed to building long-term genetic value — not just visual appeal.

At Tamahagane Garden, we believe Orpingtons should be:

• Structurally sound

• Genetically strong

• Visually stunning

• and capable of contributing to advanced breeding systems

If in the future, a Buff line meets our strict standards and can be integrated meaningfully into our Super Orpington program, we may reconsider.

But for now, we choose to invest our time and care into building the next generation of Orpingtons — ones the world hasn’t seen yet.