Welcome to the official Russian Orloff Society website, where Member and Non Members can find out information about the breed and the Society.
A brief history and what we are about ………
Originally there was an Orloff Club in the UK, which lasted from around 1912 to the mid to late 1930’s. At that time the breed was considered very much a utility bird for eggs and meat, although there were a few stalwarts who exhibited them at all the major shows in the UK. The Mahogany was the favoured colour in the early days as it was considered the best layer, but Whites, Blacks and Spangled were also in evidence. Nowadays the Spangled is by far the most popular colour both here and in its Russian homeland. The bantam had not reached the UK at that stage as it was created in Germany around 1925 and didn’t reach Britain until 1970.
As it had no Breed Club the Russian Orloff was placed in the custody of the Rare Poultry Society and therefore was exhibited in the “Rare” section at shows. For a few years the idea of a new club was mooted and finally a group of us got together, and formed what is now the Russian Orloff Society in November 2011. We left the Rare Poultry Society in November 2012 and became affiliated to the Poultry Club of Great Britain as a Society in our own right in January of 2013. From an exhibition point of view that means we are no longer in the Rare Section, we are now classed as a “Soft Feather Heavy Breed”, a point to remember if you are just starting out showing your birds. The aim of the Russian Orloff Society is to promote and encourage the keeping, breeding and exhibiting of quality, typical Orloffs, to encourage newcomers into the breed and help them find good stock or hatching eggs to get them started. There is a wealth of experience within the Committee and Membership and whatever you need to know about this breed, someone can help.
Gone are the days when Orloffs, like many of their contemporaries the Orpington and Wyandotte etc were kept in large commercial flocks for their eggs and meat. Today they are mainly kept as a beautiful breed to enhance your flock or as an exhibition bird, although they are still useful as a table bird (if you could bear to kill them) and their reputation as a good winter layer still holds true, but of course they cannot keep up with the variety of hybrid layers who replaced them after the Second World War. There is a growing band of keepers who are enjoying quite a bit of success in the show pen, the bantams being the most popular, as a Society we are trying to encourage this as we feel good examples could (and have) won top honours at shows, we just need to get good examples out there. Our “Club Show” and AGM is held at the National Poultry show each year in November, and we also hold several Regional Shows around the country too, where special Russian Orloff Society rosettes are awarded to the main winners. We can also send out our special Best of Breed cards to any show society who will put a few Orloff classes on for the breed, they only have to request one from the Secretary and she will only be too happy to send it in the hope it will encourage a few more Orloffs into the show pen.
If you already keep this wonderful breed or are considering it, please join us at the Russian Orloff Society and support our work in promoting it as a useful addition to anyone’s flock, or as an exhibition bird or as a much loved pet. They are uniquely attractive with their beautiful heads, beards and whiskers, full of character, friendly and very hardy in the colder climes and supply their owners with a good quantity of eggs too.
We publish a ROS Newsletter in the Autumn and now a YEAR BOOK in the Spring where Members can keep in touch with what’s going on in the Society and If you need help tracking down stock, you can contact either the Secretary or the Membership Secretary as we keep a nationwide Breeders Directory of Members, who keep a variety of colours in both Large and Bantam and can also supply hatching eggs.
We also have a thriving FACEBOOK page where you can join in discussions with Orloff keepers from around the world, maybe see you there! https://www.facebook.com/groups/orloffsociety/
Jayne Gillam
Secretary: Russian Orloff Society
The Russian Orloff Society GB is Affiliated to The Poultry Club GB and The Federation of Poultry Clubs
A brief history and what we are about ………
Originally there was an Orloff Club in the UK, which lasted from around 1912 to the mid to late 1930’s. At that time the breed was considered very much a utility bird for eggs and meat, although there were a few stalwarts who exhibited them at all the major shows in the UK. The Mahogany was the favoured colour in the early days as it was considered the best layer, but Whites, Blacks and Spangled were also in evidence. Nowadays the Spangled is by far the most popular colour both here and in its Russian homeland. The bantam had not reached the UK at that stage as it was created in Germany around 1925 and didn’t reach Britain until 1970.
As it had no Breed Club the Russian Orloff was placed in the custody of the Rare Poultry Society and therefore was exhibited in the “Rare” section at shows. For a few years the idea of a new club was mooted and finally a group of us got together, and formed what is now the Russian Orloff Society in November 2011. We left the Rare Poultry Society in November 2012 and became affiliated to the Poultry Club of Great Britain as a Society in our own right in January of 2013. From an exhibition point of view that means we are no longer in the Rare Section, we are now classed as a “Soft Feather Heavy Breed”, a point to remember if you are just starting out showing your birds. The aim of the Russian Orloff Society is to promote and encourage the keeping, breeding and exhibiting of quality, typical Orloffs, to encourage newcomers into the breed and help them find good stock or hatching eggs to get them started. There is a wealth of experience within the Committee and Membership and whatever you need to know about this breed, someone can help.
Gone are the days when Orloffs, like many of their contemporaries the Orpington and Wyandotte etc were kept in large commercial flocks for their eggs and meat. Today they are mainly kept as a beautiful breed to enhance your flock or as an exhibition bird, although they are still useful as a table bird (if you could bear to kill them) and their reputation as a good winter layer still holds true, but of course they cannot keep up with the variety of hybrid layers who replaced them after the Second World War. There is a growing band of keepers who are enjoying quite a bit of success in the show pen, the bantams being the most popular, as a Society we are trying to encourage this as we feel good examples could (and have) won top honours at shows, we just need to get good examples out there. Our “Club Show” and AGM is held at the National Poultry show each year in November, and we also hold several Regional Shows around the country too, where special Russian Orloff Society rosettes are awarded to the main winners. We can also send out our special Best of Breed cards to any show society who will put a few Orloff classes on for the breed, they only have to request one from the Secretary and she will only be too happy to send it in the hope it will encourage a few more Orloffs into the show pen.
If you already keep this wonderful breed or are considering it, please join us at the Russian Orloff Society and support our work in promoting it as a useful addition to anyone’s flock, or as an exhibition bird or as a much loved pet. They are uniquely attractive with their beautiful heads, beards and whiskers, full of character, friendly and very hardy in the colder climes and supply their owners with a good quantity of eggs too.
We publish a ROS Newsletter in the Autumn and now a YEAR BOOK in the Spring where Members can keep in touch with what’s going on in the Society and If you need help tracking down stock, you can contact either the Secretary or the Membership Secretary as we keep a nationwide Breeders Directory of Members, who keep a variety of colours in both Large and Bantam and can also supply hatching eggs.
We also have a thriving FACEBOOK page where you can join in discussions with Orloff keepers from around the world, maybe see you there! https://www.facebook.com/groups/orloffsociety/
Jayne Gillam
Secretary: Russian Orloff Society
The Russian Orloff Society GB is Affiliated to The Poultry Club GB and The Federation of Poultry Clubs
Historical articles about Russian Orloff
1915 Orloff Club Annual Report from Feathered World
1917 Orloff Club Annual Report from Feathered World by Joseph Pettipher
1921 Orloff Club Annual Report from Feathered World Miss M H Clay President of the Orloff Club
Russian articles
2013 Aviculture-Europe Orloff Chicken Breed authors Irina Moiseyeva, Michael Romanov, Helene Ovsyannikova, Andrei Alimov
1915 Orloff Club Annual Report from Feathered World
1917 Orloff Club Annual Report from Feathered World by Joseph Pettipher
1921 Orloff Club Annual Report from Feathered World Miss M H Clay President of the Orloff Club
Russian articles
2013 Aviculture-Europe Orloff Chicken Breed authors Irina Moiseyeva, Michael Romanov, Helene Ovsyannikova, Andrei Alimov