Australorp Chicken Breed : Eggs, Height, Size, and Raising Tips

The name ‘Australorp chicken’ tells you about the origin of the chicken in Australia. It is a new black chicken breed, but it has become popular in a short time.

In this breed guide, you will discover everything you need to know about Australorp Chickens. It includes information on popular color varieties, such as black, white, lifespan, and characteristics.

Australorp chickens are known for being friendly and loving. Furthermore, you cannot ignore it, as it’s a good egg-laying bird.

The species’ scientific name is Gallus gallus domesticus, and the family is Phasianidae. Australorps are easy to raise and are a good breed for beginners.

Australorp chickens are very adaptable, so you can provide them space to free-range or keep them in coops or sheds.

Also read: Top 10 Best Rooster Breeds

What are Australorp Chickens?

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Australorp is a popular chicken breed, mainly originating from Australia. The English Orpington chicken was bred in the Australian region and named Australorp.

It is a dual-purpose chicken with lots of unique features like friendly, docile, cold-hardy nature.

History of Australorp Chicken

The main bird contributing to this breed’s formation is from England. Between 1890 and 1900, a few black-colored English Orpingtons were imported to Australia from the yards of William Cook and Joseph Partington.

Then local farmers bred those English Orpington with other chicken breeds like Rhode Island Red, Minorca, White Leghorn, and Langshan.

Some historical literature also explains that local breeders bred them with Plymouth Rocks. 

Because of the multiple breed genes, an excellent dual-purpose chicken was developed, Australian Black Orpington chickens.

Further, they named those chickens Australorp. 

Recognized Varieties of Australorps

The Australorp chicken has three recognized varieties under Australian Poultry Standards:

• Black
• White
• Blue

The White Australorps were recognized in the second edition of 2011 in Australian Poultry Standards.

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But The Poultry Club of Africa has four recognized colors of Australorps:

• Buff
• Splash
• Wheaten Laced 
• Golden

According to the American Poultry Association, large black Australorp chicken is the only accepted variety.

Lifespan

Because Australorp is a result of breeding chicken breeds with long life expectancies, they have a good life span. The lifespan of Australorps chickens is between 6 and 10 years.

Egg Production

Australorp is one of the best dual-purpose chickens with a splendid egg-laying capacity. An Australorp hen lays around 280-300 eggs per year.

The eggs of black Australorp chickens are light-brown colored and large. Consider this chicken breed if you want to raise an excellent egg-laying chicken.

Temperament of Australorp Chickens

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Australorp chickens are friendly and playful. They are very docile and loving in nature. You can also provide them few chicken toys to make them more active.

If you have children in your home, Australorps will adore playing with them and running toward them. They live in peace and harmony with other chickens.

Australorp hens make good mothers and nicely take care of their baby chicks. They love to live in both free-range and bear confinement.

If you have a long yard and place for them to explore, allow them to see how active they are and what they find. Both the rooster and hens are friendly in nature.

Also read: Appenzeller Spitzhauben Chickens

Color, Size, Appearance, Characteristics of Plymouth Rock Chicken

Color

As we have mentioned above, there are 3-4 recognized color varieties of Australorp chickens found all over the globe. 

However, you can see the three most popular colors of Australorps. The commonly available colors of Australorp chickens are Glossy black, Blueish Green, and White.

Size

As Australorps are dual-purpose chicken breeds, they have good weight. A standard-sized Australorp rooster weighs around 8.5 to 10 lbs, whereas hens weigh 7 to 9 lbs. 

Australorps chickens are also found in bantam varieties, but most people do not recommend raising them because of less profitability.

The average weight of bantam size Australorps roosters is around 2.5 to 4 lbs, and hens about 2 to 3.5 lbs.

Appearance

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The Australorp chicken possesses a beautiful red comb with 6-8 spikes. This breed’s roosters have a large comb with visible spikes, whereas the hens have a small comb.

The wattles and earlobes are also bright red in color. As we have explained, Australorp chickens can be found in different colors, such as black, blue, and white, but the black color is the most popular one raised by most breeders.

The black feathers of the hens and roosters are glossy with little brown ruffled feathers on the back.

The legs of Australorps, hens, and roosters are gray to black. The black Australorps have black beaks, and the white Australorps have yellowish-white beaks.

Characteristics

Australorp chicken is a lovely and friendly chicken. Most chicken raisers recommend raising this chicken breed.

They always live calmly and peacefully with their flock mates and rarely fight. Australorp chickens are easy to train because they are not aggressive.

Buy a few chicken treats and play with them so that they will listen to your commands. After a few days, you will see how they will run towards you.

Both the roosters and hens of this breed walk like kings and queens. Australasian chickens are dual-purpose birds, but they also make beautiful exhibition birds.

Try to buy some dried mealworms for them to become more friendly with you. Australorp is cold hardy chickens; they do not bear hot climate conditions. 

If you have many trees in your backyard, they will love to graze inside their sheds. Many Australorp strains from hatcheries become significantly less broody, and your flocks may become broody if you raise them in your backyard.

Benefits of Raising Australorp chickens

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Here are some common advantages of raising Australorp chickens:

• It is a dual-purpose chicken, ensuring you get a double profit from eggs and meat.
• The Australorp hens lay more than 250 eggs annually, so you can only keep them for egg production. 
• One of the best chickens for beginners is Australorp, so if you are a new chicken breeder, this fowl is best for you.
• If you have kids in your house, they will love to play with them.
• It is one of the most profitable breeds for chicken raisers in cold regions.
• If you want to raise a chicken that’s easy to care for, you can choose Australorps.
• Australorp chickens are also a popular choice as exhibition birds.
• The Australorp hens rarely go broody, but they make good mothers if you raise them in your backyard.

Care Guide For Australorp Chickens

Australorp chickens are good foragers and best for long yards. You don’t need to give them any special treatment, but, like other chickens, they require appropriate care depending on their characteristics.

The Australorp rooster and hens are large-sized chickens, requiring additional space inside the chicken coop compared to other chicken breeds. 

Give each chicken at least 2.5 to 3 square feet inside the coop and a 12-15 square foot area in the run area.

Worrying about run space is unnecessary if you have large yards. Stress in chickens can be alleviated by giving them space to enjoy and live stress-free.

The major drawback of calm and docile chickens is that predators quickly attack and kill them. So, it would help if you built a strong fence around your backyard. You can read our guide on the best chicken wire and hardware clothes.

You are embarrassed by multiple predator attacks, and if you have already built a standard fence, try to add an electric fence around your yard. So, it will give additional safety for your flocks and cattle.

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You can build chicken grazing boxes on grass, leafy veggies, and other greens.

You will see how they enjoy pecking at them. It will help them to live a healthier and stress-free life. My chickens always love to roost on branches of mango trees.

Australorp chickens are cold hardy chickens, so if you live in a tropical climate, you must provide them with some cooling equipment like coop fans, ventilation, and tree shades.

Clean the chicken coop bedding regularly. It will cause bacterial infection and a foul smell if not changed for a long time. Here is our guide on the best chicken coop odor eliminator.

Australorps are dual-purpose chickens, so you must provide suitable space for egg-laying hens. Build some good chicken nesting boxes, or you can buy them ready to use from any nearest store.

Summary

Australorps are a good chicken breed for both new and old chicken raisers. This is a beautiful chicken with many benefits for raising.

This is one of the best dual-purpose chicken breeds if you want a new breed for your backyard poultry coop. Australorp chicks are sold in many hatcheries in the US.

Are you already raising Australorp chickens in your backyard? Share your experience below.