Australorp

The Australorp Breed was developed in Australia at the end of the nineteenth century with Black...
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
High
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Brown
Breed Temperament
Friendly, Easily handled, Calm, Bears confinement well, Quiet, Docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
Black, Blue and White are recognised in the Australian Poultry Standards
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
English
LL.jpg

The Australorp is an Australian breed which was developed from Black Orpingtons imported into Australia starting around 1890. The egg laying ability of the Orpingtons was emphasized by the Australian breeders, and other breeds including Minorca, Leghorns, and Langshans were bred into the lines to increase egg production and decrease broodiness. The result was a bird with exceptional egg laying ability. They were popular entries in egg laying contests in the day and for years Australorps held many of the world egg laying records, one hen famously laying 364 eggs in 365 days.

These "Australian Black Orpingtons" were given the name Australorp around 1920. Australorps were exported in the US and England in the 1920’s, where they were an immediate hit because of their great egg laying ability, and they remain a very popular breed to this day.

Australorps are a medium sized breed. The APA recognises only one color, the original Black, but there are several other colors developed by breeders, including Blue and White, which is recognized in Australia.

They tend to be calm, docile, fairly quiet birds, with nice temperaments and they make good pets. The roosters are generally good natured. They are dependable winter layers of big brown eggs, fairly heat tolerant despite the usually black feathers, and quite cold hardy. They generally do not fly well and take well to confinement. The hens will occasionally go broody and make good mothers. They are very popular with backyard flock owners looking for a friendly productive brown egg layer, and small flock owners looking for a duel purpose breed with hens that have excellent laying ability.

It was recognized by the APA in 1929 and it is on The Livestock Conservancy's Recovering list.

First egg laid by an Australorp pullet:
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A male and female Australorp, aged 11 weeks:
juvie.jpg

Australorp rooster:
7005.jpg

Australorp hen:
LLhen.jpg ​

For more on this breed and owners' experiences, likes and dislikes, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-australorp.988347/
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Latest reviews

Data
The ultimate backyard chicken
Pros: Great egg production even later in life! Fast to start laying large brown eggs. Excellent temperament and personality, docile, friendly, can be great pets, good in mixed flocks. Very hardy, good in confinement, good in free range, talkative but not loud, quick to mature.
Cons: Chicks grow fast and you need a large, escape proof brooder setup.
The Australorp has to be the ultimate backyard chicken.

My first flock was mixed and the Australorps stood out as the best layers, and having the best personality and temperament. Though much larger than the other breeds, they sat in the middle of the pecking order, not that there was much pecking on their part.

After 7 years of neglect, only the Australorps are left. I had figured them to be at the end of their productive life and bought chicks to "replace" them (I can't see Gertrude and Myrtle ending up in a pot), then come Spring they started laying 3-4 eggs each a week down from 5-6 in their peak laying years. Once the new pullets start laying, I'll need to start actively selling to keep from being buried in eggs. Should be able to run a slight profit with them at a bargain price.

They are very friendly and not the least be flighty. They are talkative, but not loud. They always call to me if they see me in the yard asking for treats, which are usually weeds or kitchen scraps. Man, they love weeds and I wish I could let them forage more, but concerns over avian flu and a Russell terrier mix keeps me from letting them forage unsupervised. The dog has finally learned to leave them be for the most part after 3 years, but she got a couple hens before that.
Purchase Date
April 2015, Feb 2022
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Gypsi
Gypsi
What climate are you in? I loved my Australorps but they only lived 3 to 5 years, except the daughter of one who made it to 8. It gets very hot in north Texas and I always lost them in summer.
Data
Data
I'm in Delaware. It gets miserable hot and humid in the Summer and I've lost track of the times I found them without water, but they do have plenty of shade available in the run.

Australorps are known for heat tolerance as long as they have shade (It gets pretty hot in most of Australia in the summer.). I could see them having trouble with hot sun without shade and sufficient fresh water. Without shade their black plumage absorbs a lot of heat which puts them at risk of heat stroke. They should be fine in hot, dry shade as long as plenty of cool fresh water is available you might need to add electrolytes to the water to make up those lost in respiration. I'd watch for panting, wing lifting and other signs of heat stress which indicate additional cooling procedures are necessary. I found good article on heat stress in chickens https://www.vetpoultry.com/blogs/ba...pot-signs-and-prevent-heat-stress-in-chickens.
Gypsi
Gypsi
I've switched to Americauna but they always had this huge elm tree for shade and a couple of ponds to drink out of. It Does get very very hot and fairly humid in Fort Worth, TX. I loved my Australorps.
Fluffy Lambs
Freindly
Pros: Good layers and very friendly. Also very pretty.
Cons: Weird sometimes.
Mine went broody a couple months ago and hasn't laid since after I got her off of it. Before she went broody she laid huge eggs, alot. Also make sure you have on a 20% protein diet to keep their feathers looking good, like a flock raiser feed or a all flock feed. Very pretty, even without laying in a while. I dont mind it.
Purchase Price
2.00
Purchase Date
2/2017
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I
Australorp mostly great as egg layers, occasionally on the broody side
Pros: Docile to owner, great egg layer once she establishes her territory
Cons: territorial, broody, bully to other chicks, to the duck and to the rooster even! Asserts her coop and her nest and doesn't recognize other layers.
I got mine as a rescue, brought in same day -from a local farm, with few other shabby looking birds- whose physical appearance would give out right away their story. Though I didn't ask-for it was obvious; also- every person working there had a different story about the background of the birds- whether they lay eggs or not (one said every day, they just laid eggs today, another says - not for a long time, so you have to buy them this layer food, third says these hens were just fooling with the rooster- so you are getting eggs tonight!! and the rooster looks like he had a career as a fighter in Argentina)... so I pick up my Gailina (hen in Spanish) and I am surprised she is so timid as her size is quite large- yet her beak is broken off; and she had big skin tags as well-visible signs of abuse or neglect; but then again- I bought her during the winter - when no one is selling egg layers, so I was like -ok! I will nurture her back to health.
Gailina seemed like the sweetest thing, until I put her in a flock with other small chicks- she made the duck bleed; dug out all my lettuce from my greenhouse, ate my new apple trees, then finished off with the tomato sprouts bed- and all of that while she still wasn't laying! Well-after ravishing my greenhouse I thought enough! - I am bringing this hen back! And the next day there it goes - she lays; next day yet again, and again! Then she starts to be sweet with me; seeks attention, yet the only way for her to not be territorial with the other chicks is to be left in her coop. She would leave her food, while all birds are eating, only to sneak behind the others-so to bully them out of their food-even when that is not the food she likes eating-Just to pick on them!! -and this is when I find out she feels rather sleepy and needs to go back to her coop. Somehow I feel like she challenges me to be hard with her- because she doesn't have a rooster her size; I have about given up she would lay eggs until she killed greenhouse produce which got me so mad I locked her up right away and she started laying! The day before she would come around me picking on my construction gloves while I was working on my pond. It was hard to chase her off! Its very interesting, temperamental hen; would also swing her tail a lot. Is that normal?
Purchase Price
$25 (with the recommended feed :)
Purchase Date
03.2021
Last edited:
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J
Jeans
Sounds like my hen, now she is lame and carried everywhere but when feeding she tries to "run the show" with my other two younger Astrolorpes.
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Comments

Knock Kneed Hen
I agree with everything you've said! I have three and while I've sold off most of my original flock of birds, the Australorps have gotten to stay because of all their wonderful qualities. I've found mine to be on the broody side, but that works for me since I don't have an incubator. They're great mom's too!
 
BackSwampGirl
I am about postive that the Australop will be 1 of my best pick for egg laying.It is really difficult to decide on the ones I do want.I want Silkies,Favorelles,and I don`t what else yet,Thanks for info of all on BYC,Sandra
 
TwoCrows
Thanks Knock Kneed Hen and Back Swamp Girl! I am new to chickens this past year and I am so glad I went with the Australorp. They couldn't be sweeter and more friendly. Had I known these birds could be such like pets, I would have gotten into chickens years ago! So far, none of my girls have not gone broody, although they are approaching 1 year old soon. I do not have a rooster so am not interested in chicks.
Good luck to the both of you and Happy Australorping!!
 
chookhead
same with me my girl is flightly even though she is the size of a watermelon not friendly hasnt brooded and only laid well for the first yr i have an isa brown that has laid well for 2 or more yrs and has gone broody and raised chicks
 
chookhead
my girl is flightly even though she is huge and doesnt lay very well at all and doesnt brood
 
kinsey228
I have one of these, and she is a beauty ! I love how she looks greenish in the sunlight :)
 
chookhead
no lol thats not it i cant post a foto it looks like a red sex link crossed a red star and a red comet
it all brown witht he neck feathers being darker with yellow legs its beautiful midmolt its all speckeled and mottled lol
 
galanie
Wow! I've never heard a comment like that on Australorps before. Everyone I've known with them likes them a lot.
 
chickenpooplady
Why? Can you give some reasons? And how do they have "all" cons? Almost everyone else said that they loved the breed.
 
PetRock
We have 1 Black Australorp who is head hen! She is quick to put the lower ranking hens in their place. She also tends to go broody so not our best egg layer. She is 2 years old and went broody twice last year. We wondered if she would be lower in rank after spending so much time in a nest box trying to hatch non-existent eggs but she came out of the experience still on top!
 

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