Australorp

I Love Australorps, They Are So Friendly, I Wish They Lay Blue Or Green Eggs!

these ladies make great momma's and go broody very easy.. my 1 momma we had sat on 17 eggs not all was hers.. 13 hatched..they lov attention too.. easy to train..

I got one with a group of other birds, and she is my favorite of the group. She loves to be talked to, and doesn't mind petting. She squawks loudly when being picked up, but never struggles. She is gorgeous and large, and has laid a lot of large eggs for me. My friends also have 6 of these, and they are all the same as mine...we had to butcher one at their house, and she a was fairly meaty, though the carcass didn't look as nice due to the black feathers. Overall, i would recommend this breed to anyone wanting a good backyard layer or pet.

Our flock has two Australorp hens that came from different sources. They are both very friendly. In addition, they are quiet, calm birds that get along with everyone else in the flock. One hen lays large eggs, about 5 per week. Her eggs are brown, but when the bloom dries they look pinkish-purple. The other hen lays about four extra-large eggs weekly that are nearly white. They are football shaped and have two pointy ends. They are so long it is hard to get them in an egg carton.

My only complaint about the Australorps is that they are rather generic looking. They all look the same. We had to put leg bands on them in order to tell them apart.

This fall we decided to hatch a mix of eggs from our flock. We ended up with two black Ameraucana/Australorp pullets. We did not play with them as much since they just don't have the cute coloring like the others. Nevertheless, the Australorp pullets are the friendliest of the batch. They are the first ones to run up to you and want to be petted. One of them (we call her Black Magic) jumps up and will sit in your lap for hours. Very nice girls despite being non-exciting colors.

One of our hens did go broody last year. We bought some fertile eggs and let her hatch them. She did the bare minimum but was not the best mom. She left the chicks when they were 5 weeks old and they were not well integrated into the flock.

I do recommend Australorps to anyone who wants friendly birds that are good layers and foragers.

I absolutely love my Aussie Bertha! She is 3 and 1/2 months and already has a full personality and leader of the pack qualities! My other 2 chickes folloow her everywhere, she is very sweet and she will eat out of your hand. Very lovably chicken and she always finds a way to make me laugh.

I bought my Australorps at 2 weeks old and hand raised them and they have now grown up so much and are 1 month away from leg laying! As a first time chicken owner I did my research before selecting a breed and read through the reviews on this site as well as experiences of other people I know. Everyone person I've spoken to or read about have praised the Australorps as being a great breed that not only is pretty to look at but produces good eggs and wastes no time doing so. My Australorps are extremely intelligent and know exactly what to do when they want their water cleaned out or new food or are looking for something to play with! I would recommend this breed to any first time chicken owners and they are great as they've got it all! A dual purpose bird (meat and eggs!) although I only have them for eggs, look pretty, are hilarious and develop their own little personalities (much more so compared to my ISA chicks) and are definitely not 'bird brains' !
^This photo was taken about 2 months ago and even then as little ones they were adorable! Now they're out and about the backyard and are starting to develop red combs as well as that emerald/greeny metallic colouring in the black coat - a significant trait in Australorps.

I've had LF Black Australorps for quite a few years and like them because they are easy to care for ... here is a short video of some 2014 birds ...

I have three Australorps of my own, and one I am babysitting for my grandmother. My rooster is very smart and perceptive. He is the perfect gentleman, even with many other roosters sharing the yard. The standard pullet, World, is aloof and perceptive like Nilo the rooster, but hates being touched. My bantam pullet, Crow, is so sweet! She is the cutest banty I have ever seen, and she is such a little baby. She is the whiner of the flock. She is so noisy, but she loved to be held, and her little fat self loves to eat. The first eggs she laid she wanted to brood, and I let her.

I simply adore my Australorps. I have ten of them, and we are hoping for more as soon as we get our hatching operation up and running.

We consistently get beautiful, large, light-brown eggs daily from our girls. They lay about five to six eggs per hen week each. It's slowed down some as the days get shorter, but I expect it will pick right up again as we get through winter.

They will run over with wings and legs in every which direction to tell you things if they see you coming with food or treats. They don't mind being handled once you catch them, but they will scatter if they think you are trying to pick them up. I've heard there are some Australorps that will jump in your lap like a pet - I have had no experience with this. We didn't get them for pets, so not a huge deal at all.

I have two roosters that were hatched together, and we have never had a problem. They aren't bothered by us messing with their girls or the eggs. Both of them are buddies, and any disagreement is usually settled with a stern look from the bigger guy. They take excellent care of the hens.

I have four from a breeder and six I got as started birds from hatchery stock. I can tell the started birds are much more laid back - probably because they were handled more. The breeder let the hen raise the chicks... They are slightly more high-strung, but still friendly.

The hens can go broody (maybe a little more often than other breeds), but not as much as a Bantam or Cochin.. They were bred from Orpingtons, so some broodiness is to be expected. It hasn't gotten in the way of our operation, but I know some keepers have no desire for a broody. It could go either way!

I started with Australorps, because I read so many great things about them... I can guarantee this is certainly true! I have been pleasantly surprised by the heartiness and easy-going nature of this breed... And that GORGEOUS beetle-green sheen! They appear to be black chickens, but when the sun hits their plumage at just the right angle... OH! It's sooooo pretty! A rainbow of greens, blues, and purples! Simply stunning to watch and very entertaining.

Highly recommended for first-time chicken owners.

MrsB

My australorp is the sweetest thing ever! I sit down and she runs over to me instantly, hopping up onto my shoulder to preen my hair. (Keep in mind she is only a month old now) She loves eating treats straight from my hand and follows me around. Overall, an amazing girl!

**UPDATE**
My little girl is all grown up now. She has developed into a beautiful, healthy hen with lovely black feathers that glint green/purple in the sun She is still pretty sweet, and LOVES LOVES LOVES to jump up and sit on my shoulder and clean my hair. (She must think I can't clean myself! ) She hasn't started laying yet, but should start any day now.

I'm not sure what went wrong with my Australorps, and I was surprised to see how highly they are rated. My Australorps are the meanest chickens and by far the worse layers I have. I bought 11 chickens of 4 different breeds in May of this year (2 Australorps, 2 RIRs, 2 Gold Sexlinks, and 5 Ameraucanas - 1 of which turned out to be a rooster), and the Australorps bully the rest of the flock to the point that I am now having to separate them. I have been getting an egg per day from all four of my RIRs and GSLs since they began laying around 18 weeks, however I have only gotten MAYBE 6 very small eggs total from my Australorps (they were also the last to start laying). When my Australorps come up to any of my other chickens (including the rooster), the other chickens can't get away fast enough, otherwise they get a nasty unprovoked pecking. I am very dissatisfied with these chickens and will likely end up getting rid of them.

From the time she was a week old my Australorp has been a peach. I had three bantam chicks at the same time I got her, and she would actually sit on them like a momma chicken. She's very friendly and so beautiful. I can't wait to get some eggs from her.

Beautiful birds, I have two in my flock. They are not quite old enough to lay yet, but they are getting there. They mix in well with the rest of the flock. The whole flock are hatchmates, however, so this may have affected how well they get along with each other. Beautiful beetle-black plumage, bluish-black legs, red combs and wattles, no health problems as of yet. My two are not overly fond of humans, but they are brave enough to walk up and see if you have brought anything good. This could also be because I got them at 4 weeks and not as day old chicks. Would definitely raise again.

We have 3 Australorp's that we got as day old chicks back in April of this year along with some Speckled Sussex, Red Stars, and Barred Rocks. Now that these girls are almost 5 month's old, some of them are beginning to lay. The Australorp's are giving us some very nice eggs so no complaints about their laying. However, I expected more from them in terms of friendliness and personality after reading so much about them. These 3 girls were handled as much as all the other breeds (which was a lot!) and today fall in the middle of the pecking order but they are "clannish" and prefer each other's company to any other bird or human. If we try to pet them, they back off. They do not like to be touched at all, let alone picked up. Although they are generally quiet birds, they can be very loud when we try to handle them. They are gorgeous birds and the eggs are nice but for personality and human-friendliness, I prefer some of the other breeds.

Updated 10-10-15: We no longer have any BA's. One died from internal laying issues a few months ago. Of the 2 that remained, 1 became a terrible bully to some of the meeker girls in the flock (feather pulling, attacking them when they weren't looking and chasing them from the feeders). The 3rd BA became a very determined broody but since I can't increase the size of my flock at this time, her broodiness wasn't a plus for us. These girls have been re-homed to a friend familiar with their behavior and who needed a broody for her flock. The birds in my flock are so much calmer, life is quiet in the coop and everyone (including me) is much happier without them!

I adopted an australorpe when she was already 4 years old thinking it would just be a short stop over before freezer-camp, but she ended up staying for almost a year because she was such a great layer. Even at her age I was getting daily large/extra large eggs with smooth solid shells. She did have some funny bald spots around her chin where she just never got them back after a molt so she wasn't the prettiest anymore, but that hardly matters when she's such a good layer. I did eventually decide to cull her when she took a big chunk of skin off one of my new chicks and went back for more. I understand that pecking-order duels are nopamal, but have no patience for violent aggression that leaves major injuries on my other birds.

I love this breed they are one of my favorites!!! They are so docile and pretty and can make great pets and layers . We have one hen that is laying and lays 5-6 eggs a week . This breed also makes great mother we have one hen that mothered 300 chicks in the coop!!!!

Love these birds! They have a good size, a nice amount of meat, and they're steady layers. They have a the best attitude in my mixed flock and are consistently at the top of the pecking order without being aggressive. They like to roost high and learn to fly earlier than others so mine tend to get into trouble...well, they fly into my garden to munch my maters and that spells trouble in my world. They seem to be smarter and more self aware than the b-rocks and reds I have. They're the first to spot hawks, or really anything flying overhead, and they sound the alarm if there's a critter close by. Some make a clicking noise and they're very vocal, I really like that but I guess in a neighborhood it may not be ideal but I can follow the gossip in the flock because of them. I get some eggs with dark spots and since mine are on most free-range diet the size can vary a little but they're always a tiny bit smaller than the b-rock eggs. Overall, my favorite!

i had 2 austraulorps and they were opposites. one was 50\50 but her feathers were ragged and dull. the other was 100% flighty! the flighty one was prettiest with a smooth green sheen to her feathers.
i don't know about laying since they lived with 17 other hens at one point. the universe was cruel by taking the nice one, Midnight, from me first. that left me with the flighty one, wraith. Overall i think they are very nice birds.

I have one Australorp and love her, every time I go outside she runs right up to me and I pick her up. They are very great birds to have.

I got my current batch of three black Australorps from a guy who lives near Oklahoma City and they're absolutely sweet and docile! I really want get more (currently have one rooster and two hens) since they're such a great breed. They were bred from another which I also love called Orpingtons (the black variety). They were imported to Australia from Britain and over time were bred for slightly smaller size for improved egg production while still maintaining a good carcass for meat. They were at one time called Australian Orpingtons (hence Australorps). They're an excellent meat bird and excel in egg production especially. In fact, the record laying hen is an Australorp who laid 364 eggs in 365 days! Like I said, the birds I have are very sweet especially the rooster who I named Thor and spend much time with. Recommend to anyone interested in chickens.