Chicken Breed Focus - Australorp

[Michael OShay]

More pics...

Thanks for all your pics. Your Australorps are gorgeous. )

 

[DesertChic]

My Australorps are hatchery stock rather than breeder quality. I chose these birds for my starter flock because of their reputation for being very heat tolerant (I live in the hot Sonoran desert of southern AZ) and good egg layers.

This past week the temps climbed to 105 °F and my Aussies seemed perfectly content while most of my other breeds panted heavily. Impressive heat tolerance indeed!

My Aussie girls are not the friendliest of my birds, and only one of the four hens seeks me out to sit on my lap and be petted. The rest of the girls are friendly, alert and curious, but not affectionate like my other breeds. I attribute this to be a combination of hybridization since they're hatchery stock, and the fact that they were already 2-3 weeks old when I acquired them rather than being raised from hatching like most of my other birds. But for me their minimal friendliness is totally forgivable since they consistently supply me with large brown eggs on nearly a daily basis, and have never shown an ounce of aggression towards me.

Oh...and my girls are also very "chatty" with me. They'll be quiet when I'm not around, but even the non-snuggler hens seem determined to hold conversations with me every time I enter the run. They really are a lovely breed and I hope to one day acquire breeder stock to fulfill my experience with them.

 

[Westmarch]

We've only got one Australorp pullet in our small flock, and we think she has "special needs." She has severe anxiety and is terrified of everything, and each time she experiences something, it's like the first time. For example, when I put down a plate of scrambled eggs the gals go nuts and start chowing down, but the Australorp hangs around in the back making sure nothing's going to explode.

She's about 10 weeks old, and having a really hard time adjusting to free ranging because of her anxiety. She doesn't happily peck and discover things the way the rest of the flock does. But I'm hoping she might grow out of it a little.

In our next round of chicks I'd like to try a couple more Australorps to see if I can get a real experience of the breed, because I think this lady is definitely different.

 

[Michael OShay]

This past week the temps climbed to 105 °F and my Aussies seemed perfectly content while most of my other breeds panted heavily. Impressive heat tolerance indeed!

Boy can I attest to that. I raised Aussies for 7 years in the Corning, CA area where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (sometimes more), and while my other dual purpose breeds were listless, panting, and holding their wings out from their sides, my Aussies were going about their normal business like troopers. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, since they are often raised in the Australian outback where summer temperatures get very hot. Aussies are also very cold hardy. I raised them in northern Kansas where the temperature dipped to 30 F below zero one winter, and with a draft free, dry, and well ventilated coop they did just fine.

 

[TwoCrows]

We've only got one Australorp pullet in our small flock, and we think she has "special needs." She has severe anxiety and is terrified of everything, and each time she experiences something, it's like the first time. For example, when I put down a plate of scrambled eggs the gals go nuts and start chowing down, but the Australorp hangs around in the back making sure nothing's going to explode.

She's about 10 weeks old, and having a really hard time adjusting to free ranging because of her anxiety. She doesn't happily peck and discover things the way the rest of the flock does. But I'm hoping she might grow out of it a little.

In our next round of chicks I'd like to try a couple more Australorps to see if I can get a real experience of the breed, because I think this lady is definitely different.

I am sorry your Aussie is so stressed! I have found a single Aussie in a flock can develop anxiety. They really do need others of their breed to settle down and relax. Because they are so docile and not aggressive, they feel vulnerable. If you do get more of this breed, get several of them and definitely get them as chicks. I think the likeliness of having stressed out Aussies in a group of them is more rare.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: X2 on their hardiness. My birds have seen Minus 15 and up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They have never had a problem with either of these temps.

 

[MrsBrooke]

I'd like to add that there is a difference between the Australian SOP and the American SOP when it comes to showing and conformation.

Aussie Aussies tend to be more "rounded," while their American cousins have a little longer tail, among other slight variances...

We're an Australorp-only farm! Absolutely LOVE them!









MrsB

 

[Michael OShay]

I'd like to add that there is a difference between the Australian SOP and the American SOP when it comes to showing and conformation.

Aussie Aussies tend to be more "rounded," while their American cousins have a little longer tail, among other slight variances...

We're an Australorp-only farm! Absolutely LOVE them!


MrsB

You have a beautiful Australorp flock. Thanks for posting the pics. )

 

[galvinj]

You have a beautiful Australorp flock. Thanks for posting. )

X2

 

[TwoCrows]

Learning to lap sit....Aussies in training....




This is my largest hen...she is huge!


This is my heaviest hen....