Australorp

The beetle-green sheen of their plummage is captivating and compliments their prominent dark eye.

Classification: Heavy Breed

The Australorp is an active breed and they are fast growers with hens reaching point of lay at around five months. They are amazingly productive and are not prone to broodiness. They make good pets as they are calm and friendly birds although they are a little heavy for children to pick up. There is a ¼ sized bantam version though which would be much more suitable for children to keep as pets. They will happily live-in runs but they do enjoy being allowed to free range. They aren't good fliers so fencing doesn't need to be particularly high. They are also very hardy and withstand cold weather well.  Australorps achieved world-wide popularity in the 1920s after the breed broke numerous world records for the number of eggs laid, and has since been a popular backyard breed.
The Australorp was developed as a utility breed in Australia in the 1920s from the Black Orpington, primarily for egg production rather than for its meat. The name originates from the club which was founded for them, the Austral Orpington Club. They are excellent layers of tinted eggs and hold the world record for egg production; a hen of the breed laid 364 eggs in 365 days! They are smaller and neater than Orpingtons but still have a lot of meat on them.

We do not have Australorps hatching eggs, pullets and cockerels available for sale.

Healthy Australorps lay approximately 250 light-brown eggs per year.
They are also known to be good nest sitters and mothers, making them one of the most popular large heritage utility breeds of chicken.