Australorp

It's very important that our birds be friendly, as we have kids. We have raised several of these birds and I'm currently hatching some too! We are very hands on with our flock and our girl Raven is very very personable. She was actually kept inside the house for a bit and loved being around people, sitting in laps, running around or sleeping with the dogs and cats. Also loves to fly to you when you go into the coop. Lays a consistent 6 eggs weekly, all large and light brown. In the right conditions will lay through summer and winter as well if needed. Definitely in my top two for good friendly layers. The other is Buff Orpington.

I've had one of these beauties for about 5 years. She is the sweetest hen that we have. She's one of the few birds who you can walk right up to, reach down and pick her up. She's nearing 5 years old and is still constantly giving us eggs.
I also ended up with a cock this year, and he's is a very nice roo.

this hen lays maybe 1 egg per week. She gets pecked constantly by all the other birds. I would not recommend getting this breed if you have RIR or other aggressive breeds in the mix.

Even though my Australorp pullet hasn't started laying yet, she has already proven she is going to be a nice, friendly, and smart (not to mention, very beautiful!) chicken breed! Co-op had lots of black australorp's in March and I am so glad I reached in the bin and picked out (in particular) my black Australorp, Avivia (strange name, I know). I picked her because she looked like a little baby emperor penguin and she was soo cute! I'm soo glad I picked her because she turned out to be a hen. I recommend you get yourself a few! Oh yes, I'm more than likely stock up on them next spring! (I hope!)

Absolutely love my Australorps. They are definitely my favourite breed of chicken. Mine are only about 28 weeks old and we basically get an egg a day from both of them.

I only have one of these girls and in my personal experience she has been the least consistent layer out of my hens. She took 1-2 months longer than my chooks the same age to start laying. When she did start they were all soft shelled or shell-less. I had to give oyster shells before she started laying normally, every once in a while they still come out soft or cracked. She has also pushed her eggs out of the laying box a few times. She did not lay during the winter. She does not like to be held and she is not the brightest of the bunch. Also has been the most broody of my flock but some consider that a pro since it makes for a good mother hen.

Although she is not a consistent layer she lays beautiful smallish brown eggs, perfectly smooth and sometimes speckled. What I can say positive is that she has always been sweet with new birds to the flock, especially younger, smaller chickens. She is almost like a welcoming bird. I've never seen her peck the lowest birds in the pecking order. Great for small backyard flocks because I've noticed this bird is very quiet and coos, doesn't tend to squawk like some of my other birds. Since I have neighbors I can appreciate that.

We got four of these birds from a local store (commercial hatchery chicks) and ended up only keeping two. They are big birds with pushy personalities.

Social Features: (2/5)
Despite hand raising these chicks, they are not very personable and they can be quite the bullies when they want to be. They are the dominant hens of the flock, using their size to push smaller or more submissive birds out of the way to eat (which they do a lot of). However, it's worth noting they have never seriously injured any of the lower ranking birds, which is a plus. They prefer to torment one another rather than oppress other breeds.
Both birds do not like being handled or touched and are prone to pecking (hard).
Their bold personalities do have a pro. They are good foragers but decently wary of dangers without being overly skittish.

Egg Laying Features: (3/5)
We got these birds for their egg-laying potential, unfortunately they don't quite live up to it. One began laying quite early, in the dead of winter. She was a decent layer for about a month and gave up the ghost for a few months before laying again with the other australorp. When they both started up, they gave about an egg a day for 4-5 days and would take 2-3 days off.
The eggs are brown and medium to large in size.

Climate Features: (4/5)
We live in the Salt Lake Valley area in Utah and get temperatures up in the 100s and down below freezing. It snows, it gets wet and muddy, it gets dry and hot, it blows up a storm. The australorps have tolerated weather conditions nicely.
They stay clean in the mud, tolerate the heat well, and did not have hardly any problems with frostbite (except a paling of a comb tip here or there).
These greedy little pigs eat everything. They forage decently enough, but their heavy bodies require them to consume a bit more feed than a lighter variety might. That said, if you're for stewing birds, they are good size for it (about twice the size of our Ameraucanas).

We only have one australorp named Charlie. She is our most consistent egg layer. She shut down for 2 weeks when we put baby chicks in the outside run. She did nothing but follow them back and forth along the fence all day. When we do set some eggs, she will definitely be a good momma.

I've been raising chickens over 12 years and have raised a large amount of breeds and I've been the most impressed with the Australorp. Australorp is my favorite breed of all the breeds I've owned in the past. Hardy to the cold and heat, docile, and friendly. With these factors they lay better, live longer, and don't get sick as easily. Amazing egg layers and meat chickens. The hens are fantastic large brown egg layers and the rooster can make amazing meat chickens. I always recommend them to anyone looking for egg layers or meat birds.

If I were going to pick one brown egg laying breed this would be it. Lay a lot of extra large eggs and no need for an incubator if you want chicks.

I have 5 Australorp hens that are 10 months old, they have been producing eggs since about 7 months. Eggs are large to XLg and light brown sometimes with a pinkish tinge to them. They are currently laying 5-6 eggs each week for each hen. I had 2 Australorp roosters that were very aggressively trying to breed at 5 months of age, and they were quite rough on the girls. They went in the pot. I wish I had another 5 to go with these girls as their egg production and quality is excellent.

I have 21 Black Austrolorps, and I have had them for almost two years now! My 17 hens lay approx. 10 eggs a day!!! Some of my hens will come up to me to get treats but mostly they are scared of me. Also, I was collecting eggs, and for absolutely no reason at all, my HUGE rooster attacked me twice!!! Also, everyone on BYC says these chickens NEVER go broody. In the past two months we have had 9 broody hens and THEY ARE MEAN! I am not saying that people here are wrong, I am just saying how mine are. It is probably just the breeding strain. Overall I would recommend these chickens new chicken owners. I also would recommend getting these in small numbers to see how the strain is.

I just got my first batch of chicks ever-with 4 of the 8 being Australorps!! From the beginning they were SO sweet and would almost purr when I would pet them. One of my EE's has crossed beak and is about 1/4 the size of the rest and two of the Australorps literally treat her like their baby, following her around when she's chirping to make sure she's ok, and then putting her under their wings at night to stay warm. It is so sweet and the breed is so sweet. You need one!

I have a hen and she is a amazing bird, She is maybe about 5 years old,

She is very friendly and we love her very much

Mature quicker than most and lay nice large to extra large eggs on a regular basis. Hens make excellent mothers and great for sitting on a variety of eggs from other hens too. They are a chicken who earns their keep after they start laying. They can lay for up to 5 years.

Australorps originated from the cross breeding of Orpingtons to create a more well-rounded chicken.

As such, they have fantastic personalities like the Orpington, however are known for their inquisitive rather than docile nature. They're ultra friendly and would suit families with children. They typically get along well with their flock. They're fantastic layers and have a super high production rate and they lay large, brown eggs. They would be perfect for someone in suburbia just wanting to keep a few hens for egg production or someone in the country with a 'no frills' approach to poultry keeping. This breed is low maintenance with high productivity! A very versatile breed.

I personally love that mine are very keen to form relationships with people and are super friendly.

I can't think of a bad thing to say about them.

They go about the business of being a chicken without much interference by me. I feed them a small ration most days out of the week, but they primarily exist on forage. They have chosen a roost spot that is not their pen, but it's not a big deal because they actually herd quite nicely when I tell them "go to bed birds". I do not expect herding behavior from chickens, but the australorp flock walks across the yard and puts themselves to bed when asked to without much effort on my part.

One nice feature is that the roos make it to a decent table/pot weight before they really start to crow, and they're totally fine living together until that time. The hens can be a little snarky, but they're also super at keeping themselves safe from the hawks and owls, so snark away, ladies!

If you're looking for a solid dual purpose homesteader type bird, look no further, this is the breed.

Don't base your purchase on my review, because I only have one Australorp. I just figured I should put in a review, in case it helps anyone.

I included an Australorp in my chick order because of the great reviews. Unfortunately, the one we got is not the nicest hen. I love all of my "children", but she's the most difficult. She's aggressive and obnoxious. She bullies the pullets incessantly. She is not very friendly. (We handle our chickens a lot. The others are all very tame.) She is pretty though, and a consistent layer. She's also a good forager. She catches frogs in the woods! It's disgusting, but I have to admire her tenacity.

We have 1 Roo, and 5 hens of this breed. Would definitely recommend!
Roo can get a little overly excited, and hens can be almost too friendly a times (comes across as aggressive). Ex. We had a hen that would repeatedly jump in our vehicle when we came home, or would try and follow us in the house lol

I am an owner of Australorps myself, and am very pleased with them. Last year my flock went under siege by a mink, and everyday I'd wake up to 15-16 birds dead every day. I had a mixed flock and several breeds were wiped out. Two of My Australorps had severe injuries. One, with a massive chunk of skin torn off her neck, and the other had a broken beak and a fever. Both pulled out of it. They are hearty and resilient birds with a lot of personality.