Australorp

The Australorp is my favorite breed.  They are beautiful with their large combs and regal mantles of black feathers that flash brilliant metallic green in the sun. They are also one of the most flexible breeds you can get for whatever set up you desire. 

These are large heavy chickens that are good all-purpose birds and good for beginner chicken owners. If you want eggs, meat, or pets, this is an excellent breed to pick. I've used them for all three. They are a popular favorite here in the Pacific Northwest as they don't seem to mind the constant rain and mud very much.

Their personalities range from very friendly to aloof. They can be big snuggly lap chickens, or they will regally patrol your farm at a distance from you. They often continue to lay through the winter. They will not disappoint on meat! 

I highly recommend including these in your flock. 

Of my breeds these are my favorites. (I have plymoth rock, australorp, production, and arucanas)  Australorps are my best producers, are intellegent, friendly, not too passive or agressive and even manage to keep their plumage in better condition than the rest.

My Australorp is about five years old and still laying! While she is currently one of my favorites in the flock, she didn't used to be. When she was young, she and her Australorp sister were hard to catch, stayed as far away from humans as possible, and were prone to messy-cakey-butt. This is the only breed I've ever had to bathe.

But now that she's one of the flock elders, she is much sweeter. She comes to me easily, is easy to pick up, and hasn't had cakey-butt in two years. *keeping fingers crossed*

I have two black Australorps, and both are very nice girls. However, one of them doesn't lay, and the other one doesn't lay as much as she did when she was younger. The laying one has a son whose half Australorp, and he's a very handsome boy, big and soft, but his comb is lopped over, giving him a rather mischievous look. Both the girls are very sweet and friendly, and always come when called. They are very large chickens, and they eat a lot, but they can easily sustain themselves while free-ranging.

i have 2 roos, 4 hens in black australorps. i get 22-25 eggs a week from these 2 trios, with over 90% fertility.  they seem to be very disease resistant, i would rate them as a pretty good on cold hardiness, their combs do frostbite easily. some vasaline rubbed on them does help with this.

i love the dark brown eggs, not as dark as my marans, but way darker than my rocks. being a larger bird, they do need a decent amount of protein, don't expect them to lay well cooped up if your not feeding a good quality feed.

I have 2 Australorps  they are very friendly and they lay good eggs. But Tweeter is a little  shy birdmy favorite chicken is the Australorp chicken.

We have had them for over a year now and there very good layers of a large brown egg, also easy to handle. we can just walk up to one and it will let us pick them up. 

My Australorp was my first hen to lay, last to stop for the season, last and fastest to molt, and first to start laying again this spring.  Her eggs are large, and she generally lays 5-6 a week.  She will be two in July.  She's funny, but definitely not the smartest chicken in the flock.  She will watch the others jump into the pen, then walk around and around the pen trying to figure out how they got in-LOL.