The Buff Orpington is not, as one might think, a way to paint a rural English town. Rather, it is a chicken, one of the so-called 'heavy breeds', which are raised for their meat.

One of the poultry catalogues calls the Buff Orpington 'a large, stately bird of quiet disposition', which is a reasonable summary. The roosters crow a bit at sunrise but they shut up before they make a real nuisance of themselves. They grow quickly, have beautiful golden plumage, and can be dressed out as good-sized fryers after about ten weeks. The Buff tolerates cold weather well and the hens are good layers of brown eggs, unusual for a heavy breed.

There are also Buff Orpington ducks, which also originated from Orpington Farms.