Australorp
The Australorp was developed in Australia from Black Orpington stock imported from England, bred for laying rather than for show.
It set a world record in the 1920s when a hen laid 364 eggs in 365 days — a figure that made the breed's name and has never been seriously challenged under the same conditions.
It is a large, deep-bodied black bird whose plumage carries an unmistakable green-purple beetle sheen in sunlight. The temperament is one of the breed's strongest points: australorps are calm, quiet and notably friendly, and are frequently recommended as a first backyard chicken.
- Origin
- Australia, from English Orpington stock
- Size
- 2.9–4.1 kg
- Lifespan
- 6–10 years
- Eggs
- 250–300 light brown eggs a year
- Temperament
- Calm, quiet, friendly; good with children
- Note
- Record of 364 eggs in 365 days, set in the 1920s
2 australorp photos, newest first
Living with a australorp
Provide a dry, well-ventilated coop with roosting bars, a nest box per three or four hens, and a run secure against foxes and against digging underneath.
Keep at least three — chickens are flock birds and a lone hen does badly.
They are heavy birds and go broody readily, which is useful if you want chicks and inconvenient if you want eggs.
Black plumage absorbs heat, so shade and water matter in summer. Feed a complete layer ration with grit and separate oyster shell, and check regularly for red mite in the coop and scaly leg mite on the legs.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual birds vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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