RIP Caesar. October 2011- 06 August 2015. Passed away peacefully on his roost. Retired from the Show Pen having done the 2012 Trifecta- Ch Orpington Royal Poultry Show Canberra; Ch Large Black ( + Res Bird in Show) 2012 Northern Feature, Ch Orpington 2012 Southern Feature Show and Champion Large Black at the 2013 National Show
Photo Courtesy of Andy Vardy
How it all started at Waninga !!!
Martin and the Ch Large Blue 2009 Orpington Club Southern Feature Show. The good looking one is on the.....
We have been breeding Orpingtons here on our small farm in the Yarra Valley, Victoria in Australia since 2005. Waninga is the indigenous aboriginal name given for our property and literally means (very very) Windy Place. It certainly lives up to its name quite regularly too!
We got started in what is commonly called the 'Stately Breed' after seeing some at the Royal Melbourne Show in 2004. My wife thought they looked like 'Bowling Balls' and after seeing some advertised locally in the Weekly Times we bought a young quad of Large Blacks. Unfortunately this first purchase turned out to be less than hardy but after buying some nice quality birds at local poultry club auctions we kept going and in 2006 we bought a Trio of Large Blues that were absolutely magnificent.
Then in early 2007 it was by chance that I met Leanne Maxwell who kindly gave me most of her collection of magnificent Large Black, Blue, White, Buff and Cuckoo. Hilary and I will be forever greatful for her kindness..
And so started what has become an obsession and here is our story so far...............
We got started in what is commonly called the 'Stately Breed' after seeing some at the Royal Melbourne Show in 2004. My wife thought they looked like 'Bowling Balls' and after seeing some advertised locally in the Weekly Times we bought a young quad of Large Blacks. Unfortunately this first purchase turned out to be less than hardy but after buying some nice quality birds at local poultry club auctions we kept going and in 2006 we bought a Trio of Large Blues that were absolutely magnificent.
Then in early 2007 it was by chance that I met Leanne Maxwell who kindly gave me most of her collection of magnificent Large Black, Blue, White, Buff and Cuckoo. Hilary and I will be forever greatful for her kindness..
And so started what has become an obsession and here is our story so far...............
'GD'. My Champion Orpington ( Res Champion Soft Feather Heavy) Royal Melbourne Poultry Shows in both 2015 and 2016( Photo courtesy Andy Vardy)