Lavender Orpington Egg Production: How Many Eggs Per Year?

Use the egg production calculator to model your specific flock.

Lavender Orpington laying at a glance

Nobody publishes a Lavender-specific egg count. The Livestock Conservancy calls Orpingtons “first-rate layers” but gives no number, and Orpington has no row on its heritage comparison chart since the breed left the Conservation Priority List in 2016. Skinner’s A2880, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and the United Orpington Club are silent on an annual figure too, and none of them gives Lavender a figure of its own. So every Lavender number on this page is either borrowed at breed level or ours, and each one says which.

Why 220, and why it is the same as Buff. Hoover’s Hatchery puts its Buff Orpington at 220 eggs a year. That is a breed-level figure. We reuse it for Lavender because no Lavender-specific annual exists, because this site’s breed data (breeds.json) gives both colours 220, and because Meyer Hatchery, which sells both colours and publishes a weekly rate for each, gives the same 4 to 6 eggs a week to Lavender as to Buff. Meyer gives no annual total, and we do not turn its weekly peak into one.

The one published Lavender-vs-Buff split is not adopted. Mile Four’s blog puts Buff at 200 to 280 and Lavender at 180 to 220. It is commercial blog material, and it fails the same test that kept Cackle’s Light-vs-Speckled Sussex split off this site. Where institutions talk about eggs at all, they talk about the breed, not the colour; the Conservancy’s one Buff-specific remark is about table quality in the Midwest.

Lavender is not an APA variety

This is the guide’s load-bearing identity claim — the Andalusian-genetics equivalent for Orpington buyers. It decides what arrives in the box and what “Lavender Orpington” can mean.

Lavender is not an APA-recognised Orpington variety. The American Poultry Association recognises Buff (1902), Black (1905), White (1905), and Blue (1923). That list is confirmed by the Livestock Conservancy’s Orpington breed page, Skinner’s A2880, Oklahoma State, the United Orpington Club’s own breed standard, and Meyer’s Lavender product page, which marks APA Class: English — not a recognized color.

In the UK it is likewise non-standardised. PoultryKeeper lists Lavender among non-standardised Orpington colours, and the United Orpington Club’s UK colour list does not include it.

Consequence for a buyer: show-quality type is not policed for this variety the way it is for Buff or Black. A bird sold as “Lavender Orpington” may be a true Orpington carrying the lavender gene, or a lavender-coloured bird sold under the name with variable type. Meyer labels its birds American strain and marks Hybrid: No — so this is not an ISA-style commercial hybrid, and the guide says that explicitly rather than leaving the reader to assume it. Ask the seller what they select for (type, colour, dual-purpose lay) before you treat any bird as a 220-egg planner.

None of this changes the egg count we plan on. No institutional source reports a Lavender-specific annual figure, and Meyer’s weekly rate matches Buff. Plan the basket on the Orpington band; plan the purchase on the genetics and the APA status.

Genetics — the opposite of Blue Andalusian

Lavender is self-blue: an autosomal recessive (the lav allele, an MLPH mutation per Vaez et al., 2008) that breeds true. Lavender × lavender gives all lavender chicks. That is the mirror image of Blue Andalusian, where blue is incomplete dominance and blue × blue gives roughly 50% blue / 25% black / 25% splash. Meyer’s own Lavender page draws the same contrast — “not like your typical blue chickens” — and the contrast makes both guides clearer. Plan the incubator differently: with Lavender you get a uniform colour hatch; with Blue Andalusian you do not.

Tail-shredder risk — labelled honestly. PoultryKeeper’s colour-genetics article (Grant Brereton) documents ragged tail feathering associated with some lavender lines, and notes the link can be broken by selection. That is a breeder-reported risk in some lines, not an institutional health finding for all Lavender Orpingtons. The MLPH paper describes pigment transport only and makes no such claim; Wikipedia’s lavender-plumage page likewise describes only the colour mechanism. Ask a seller about feather quality in their line if exhibition or photo-ready plumage matters to you; do not treat ragged tails as inevitable for every bird sold under the name.

Planning a Lavender flock: the numbers

Because Lavender and Buff share one planning band, the full working tables sit on the Buff guide, and this page does not repeat them:

• Eggs per year, month, week, and day at Low, Normal, and High
• The weekly flock formula with its age and season multipliers
• The year-over-year decline for one hen and for six
• A first-year hen month by month, with and without coop lighting

Read every figure in those tables as a Lavender figure too. A few worked out for a Lavender flock:

• Six first-year hens give about 1,320 eggs at Normal, roughly 110 dozen, and anywhere from about 1,080 to about 1,560 depending on broodiness, how the line was bred, and winter light.
• The second year drops a hen to about 185 (our ×0.84 multiplier). That 16 percent fall sits inside the 10 to 30 percent second-year drop Business Queensland reports. Beyond Year 2 the taper follows our site curve, not an Orpington study.
• Winter is where lighting matters most: on natural light a first-year hen lays about 12 eggs in December; with a 16-hour schedule, about 20.

Why a peak of 5 a week still lands on 220. Run a constant peak baseline through a Year-1 season mix — about six months at ×1.00, two fall months at ×0.90, and four winter months at ×0.75 with no supplemental light — and you get roughly 46.8 peak-equivalent weeks. 5 × 46.8 ≈ 234, a little above Normal. The gap is ordinary broody breaks on a breed that goes broody often: a couple of sitting spells across the year pull the season-weighted total from about 234 down to the Normal planning figure of 220. A no-broody bird on the same light schedule lands nearer High once you also add winter lighting. The age and season multipliers are our standard curve, applied across the site rather than measured on Lavender Orpingtons specifically.

The egg production calculator does this arithmetic for any flock size, age, and season.

What moves a Lavender’s egg count

Two things matter more for Lavender than for any recognised Orpington colour: how the bird was bred, and whether you let her sit.

Colour-first breeding

A Lavender is sold largely on its colour, so selection for looks is common, and because the APA does not recognise the colour, show type is not policed for it either. Expect birds from a colour pen to sit near our Low of 180. That figure is the top of the 100 to 180 eggs PoultryKeeper gives for exhibition Orpingtons, and it falls inside Penn State’s 100 to 180 range for purebred poultry in general. PoultryKeeper’s history says why show lines lay less: from the Partington era on, size and profuse feather paid better than eggs. Cackle Hatchery’s Orpington pages separate production-type birds, for eggs, meat and everyday flock use, from exhibition-type birds bred for the breed-standard look. That is two populations, not a disagreement about one number. Ask the seller what they select for, and buy from one who selects for lay if the basket matters to you.

Sitting hens

Orpingtons are among the broodiest hens a backyard keeper can own, and broodiness swings the annual total more than anything else. A hen allowed to sit stops laying for the roughly 21 days of a hatch, and she can lose three to five weeks of laying each time once she settles back into lay. Owners who collect daily and lift a broody hen off early finish near the top of the band; owners who let her hatch finish near the bottom. Lavender adds one upside if you do want chicks: a lavender hen sitting eggs from a lavender cockerel hatches an all-lavender clutch, so a broody hen keeps the colour going for you.

Daylight, molt, heat, and feed

These work on a Lavender exactly as on any Orpington, and the Buff guide covers each in depth. In brief:

• Daylight: hens need about 14 hours of light to keep laying at their peak (University of Florida IFAS). Dense feathering keeps Orpingtons laying through cold better than many breeds, but short days still cut the rate. If you add light, start in early September and add it in the morning.
• Molt: most hens stop for several weeks each fall to regrow feathers. A higher-protein feed during the molt helps; no source gives an Orpington-specific percentage, so we do not invent one.
• Heat: the same feathering works against her in summer. University of Minnesota Extension puts birds’ comfort zone at about 60 to 75°F and says feed intake and laying fall as it nears 85°F, so give shade, cool water, and airflow.
• Feed: a complete layer feed at 16 to 18 percent protein (Alabama Cooperative Extension), with oyster shell on the side, and treats kept small.

Age at first lay — no institutional figure

No extension service, Conservancy page, or club standard publishes an age at first egg for Orpington. Meyer lists laying maturity at 20 to 24 weeks on its Lavender product page — hatchery maturity, not an institutional first-egg date. Content-farm month-count figures are not used here. Our planning window of 18 to 24 weeks is ours, consistent with Meyer’s maturity band and with the Buff Orpington guide, labelled so you can discount it. Some pullets start later than that window, especially birds maturing through the colder months.

If a hen stops laying suddenly, or shows signs of illness, parasites, or injury, ask a licensed poultry veterinarian or your local agricultural extension service.

How Lavender Orpingtons compare

First-year production under normal backyard conditions. Figures are the ones used across this site’s breed profiles (breeds.json).

Choose a Lavender Orpington for the calm Orpington nature, good winter laying, and a soft self-blue colour that breeds true, at the same 220-egg planning figure as Buff. Skip it if eggs are all you want: a hybrid or a dedicated laying breed will fill the basket faster. And treat it as a riskier show bird than Buff, because the APA does not recognise the colour. A common answer is a mixed flock, with a few Orpingtons for temperament and a laying breed for volume.

Use the breed selector quiz to compare breeds against your climate and goals. The quiz maps only “orpington” to Buff Orpington and has no Lavender entry; use the breed profile and this guide directly for Lavender.

Frequently asked questions

How many eggs does a Lavender Orpington lay per year?

Plan on about 220 in her first year, within a band of about 180 to 260. Colour-first breeding, broody spells, and dark winters pull a hen toward 180; a hatchery line on good feed, with winter lighting and broodiness kept in check, can reach 260. The band is ours plus hatchery guidance, since no institution publishes an Orpington annual figure, and it is the band this site uses for Buff Orpington too.

How many eggs does a Lavender Orpington lay per week?

At her spring and early-summer best, 4 to 6 a week: that is Meyer Hatchery’s published rate for Lavender, which is hatchery guidance. Spread over a whole year at Normal, the average is closer to 4.2 a week, because molt, broodiness, and winter all take their share.

Do Lavender Orpingtons lay fewer eggs than Buff Orpingtons?

No institutional source says so. The Conservancy and the United Orpington Club describe egg qualities at breed level. Meyer lists an identical 4 to 6 eggs per week for Buff and Lavender. Mile Four’s blog split (Buff 200–280 vs Lavender 180–220) is commercial blog material and is not adopted here. Plan the same band unless your seller documents a line selected specifically for higher or lower output.

When do Lavender Orpingtons start laying?

Meyer Hatchery gives 20 to 24 weeks as laying maturity for its Lavender chicks. No extension service or club publishes a first-egg age for Orpington, so the 18 to 24 week window we plan with is our own, set around Meyer’s figure and matching what this site uses for Buff. Some pullets start later, especially those maturing through the colder months.

Do Lavender Orpingtons lay in winter?

Usually, yes, though more slowly. Their dense feathering handles cold well, so many keep laying after lighter breeds stop. The limit is light rather than cold: below about 14 hours of daylight (UF IFAS) the rate falls, and the short days from November to January bring the fewest eggs unless the coop is lit.

Why did my Lavender Orpington stop laying?

Most often she is broody, molting, or waiting out short winter days, and all three pass on their own. A hen that stops for none of those reasons, or looks unwell, should be seen by a licensed poultry veterinarian or your local extension service.

Are Lavender Orpingtons APA-recognised?

No. The APA recognises Buff, Black, White, and Blue Orpingtons only. Lavender is a non-recognised colour in the US and a non-standardised colour in UK club lists. Meyer marks “not a recognized color.” That does not make the birds hybrids — Meyer also marks Hybrid: No — but it does mean show type is not policed for this variety.

Do Lavender Orpingtons breed true?

Yes. Lavender is recessive self-blue (lav / MLPH). Lavender × lavender produces all lavender chicks — the opposite of Blue Andalusian incomplete dominance. That is colour genetics, not an egg-count claim.

How many eggs will 6 Lavender Orpington hens lay per year?

About 1,320 in their first year at Normal, or roughly 110 dozen. Expect anywhere from about 1,080 to about 1,560, depending on how the birds were bred, how often they go broody, and whether the coop is lit in winter. Each later year brings fewer. The egg production calculator will fit the estimate to your flock’s size and ages.

How many Lavender Orpingtons do I need for a family of four?

If the household eats a dozen eggs a week, three or four Lavender hens cover it over the year as a whole, allowing for molt and winter dips; in the darkest months expect fewer than a dozen a week unless the coop is lit. Keep a fourth or fifth if you bake a lot or give eggs away. The eggs per family calculator works it out from your own weekly use.

Sources

No institution publishes an Orpington egg count, and none discusses Lavender’s laying at all. Each source below is listed against the claim it supports on this page.

• Orpington breed facts and APA colours — Livestock Conservancy: The Livestock Conservancy — Orpington Chicken. Eggs and meat breed; large to extra-large brown eggs; hens about 8 lb and cocks about 10 lb; calm; “excellent egg production” and “first-rate layers”, with no annual count. APA colours Buff (1902), Black (1905), White (1905), and Blue (1923). Left the Conservation Priority List in 2016. Its note that Midwest farmers favoured Buff is about table quality. The 1887 Northallerton laying contest it mentions is history, not a modern annual figure.

• No Orpington row on the heritage chart: The Livestock Conservancy — heritage chicken comparison chart. The chart covers breeds still on the priority list, and a text search of the chart PDF found no Orpington entry.

• Extension and university sources, none with an Orpington count or a Lavender mention: UW–Madison Extension A2880, John L. Skinner (PDF) lists Black, Blue, Buff, and White, brown to dark-brown shells, dual-purpose use, cold-hardy loose feathering, and good broody mothers. Oklahoma State University — Orpington Chickens gives the same four varieties, brown eggs, APA weights, and broodiness. Penn State Extension — Management Requirements for Laying Flocks gives commercial egg-type birds 200–260 eggs a year and purebred poultry 100–180, naming no breed; this page uses that purebred range only as context for colour-pen birds.

• UK and club sources: PoultryKeeper — Orpington Chickens gives Orpington uses as exhibition and ornamental, eggs 100–180 a year, Partington-era selection for size and feather, and lists Lavender as non-standardised. PoultryKeeper — The Lavender Gene (Grant Brereton) covers recessive self-blue genetics and the ragged tails seen in some lavender lines, which selection can breed out; cited here as a breeder-reported risk, not a health finding. United Orpington Club — Breed Standard recognises Black, Buff, Blue, and White, with light- to dark-brown shells and 10 lb / 8 lb standard weights, and has no egg count, no colour-by-colour laying split, and no Lavender among its recognised colours.

• Hatcheries and commercial pages, which are guidance and not research:

  • Meyer Hatchery — Lavender Orpington: 4–6 eggs a week; large brown eggs; broody; Hybrid: No; American strain; “APA Class: English — not a recognized color”; laying maturity 20–24 weeks; hens 8 lb, roosters 10 lb; no annual total.
  • Meyer Hatchery — Buff Orpington: the same 4–6 a week, also Hybrid: No.
  • Hoover’s Hatchery — Buff Orpington: Production listed as 220 medium brown eggs a year (its prose says “about 200”). Our Normal of 220 comes from this field, used at breed level.
  • Cackle Hatchery — Buff Orpington: 150–280 eggs a year, marked as estimates, distinguishing production-type from exhibition-type lines. We use Cackle for that split, not for its 280.
  • Mile Four — Buff Orpington guide: 200–280 for Buff and a blog claim of 180–220 for Lavender, rejected above.
  • Murray McMurray Hatchery — Buff Orpingtons: egg production “good”, no number; extremely likely broody; excellent winter layers in its prose.

• Colour genetics: Vaez et al., 2008, BMC Genetics 9:7 ties the lavender phenotype to a point mutation (R35W) in the melanophilin gene, MLPH, affecting pigment transport, with no claim about eggs or feather quality. Wikipedia — Lavender (chicken plumage) is cited only for the colour mechanism.

• Management figures:

  • University of Florida IFAS, PS029: about 14 hours of light for peak laying.
  • Business Queensland — Moult: second-year hens lay 10 to 30 percent less, a range our ×0.84 sits inside.
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension: layer diets of 16 percent protein or more; this site plans 16 to 18 percent.
  • University of Minnesota Extension: a comfort zone of about 60 to 75°F, with feed and laying falling toward 85°F.

  No source we use gives a molt-specific protein figure for backyard hens, so none is quoted.

• Gaps we could not close: McMurray’s Lavender page was blocked, Cackle’s Lavender page returned 403, Mile Four’s product page returned 404, and Lafeber was challenge-blocked during research. They are named here rather than quietly dropped.

• Our own choices:

  • The band: Low, Normal, and High, plus the first-lay window of 18 to 24 weeks, which we label ours because no institution gives an age at first egg for Orpington.
  • The working tables: the month-by-month split and the age and season multipliers. The tables themselves sit on the Buff Orpington guide.
  • Low of 180: the top of PoultryKeeper’s exhibition range, above Cackle’s 150 floor and within Penn State’s purebred range. It describes broody, colour-first, or unlit-winter birds in their first year, not older hens.
  • Normal of 220: Hoover’s Buff figure and breeds.json, backed by Meyer’s matching weekly rates for the two colours.
  • High of 260: five eggs a week for 52 weeks. Cackle’s and Mile Four’s 280 are noted and not used.

Breed pages from aggregators and content farms that only repeat hatchery ranges were checked and left out. For a sick bird, see a licensed poultry veterinarian.

Rewritten October 2026; sources last reviewed August 2026.