Australorp Chickens: Great Choice for Your Backyard Flock
The Australorp chicken is a breed that is becoming more and more common in backyard farms. It has its origins in Australia, where it was bred from the Orpington chicken.
These mostly all black chickens have red wattles and combs. These chickens are beautiful attractive birds with an iridescent sheen that really makes them stand out.
Egg Laying Qualities
Along with its iridescent plumage, the Australorp breed is also known for its prolific egg-laying abilities and hardiness in natural free-range environments.
This breed was bred for high productivity egg laying in a variety of weather conditions, which makes them a highly dynamic choice for your farm, backyard or barnyard flock.
With backyard farming gaining popularity, a small flock of Australorp chickens might be a very good investment.
Egg Laying Ability
In essence, the Australorp can be defined as an egg-laying machine. On average, the current breed of Australorps lay on average approximately 250+ eggs per year.
I think the winner hen laid a whopping 364 in one year!
Some hens may lay less than this number based on their health and behavior. But, generally speaking, Australorp hens ranked right there at the top for record numbers of eggs!
The average number per year breaks down to approximately five medium-sized light brown eggs per week, which is a pretty great number.
This breed also has the ability to be used industrially, as they can produce a higher number of eggs with strictly controlled feed and in a controlled environment.
But, due to their larger size and weight, they are not the typical commercial breed like the lightweight White Leghorns.
Leghorns have a very high feed-to-egg conversion rate which makes them ideal for commercial egg producers.
These chickens are not super broody which means the mother hens wants to set on a nest of eggs in order to hatch them out.
So, so if you do have a broody hen, Australorps are good mothers to their new born chicks.
If you are in the egg business, you don’t want broody hens. There’s a chance that your Australorp can go broody, but should this happen, they can be good sitters and mothers as well.
Appearance and Physical Quality
Appearance-wise, Australorps are pretty large in size for a chicken. They weigh around 6 to 8 pounds.
They have beautiful black feathers that show vibrant colors when out in the sun, such as purple and green.
Their feathers are iridescent and glorious in the sunshine.
The Australorp chickens come in a variety of colors, including black (the most common), white (the least common) and blue. Here is some top information on other black feathered chickens as well.
Personality and Temperament
These birds are gentle and soft natured. They are one of the docile breeds of chickens with the tendency to become attached to their owners.
They are very calm and flourish in a variety of environments, be it urban or rural. Their tameness makes them a great choice for families with children.
Health Issues
The Australorp chickens aren’t known for having many medical issues or ailments. Like other breeds, they require to be wormed regularly and vaccinated if there are any known or viral chicken illnesses in your area.
Generally, they are known as a healthy and fit breed when they’re given a protected and nurturing coop and environment.
Care Needs
When it comes to care, Australorps are hardy chickens and are perfect for colder weather.
They don’t require extravagant care so you can raise them like any regular chicken.
Since they are heavy, they don’t try to fly or jump around, which means they don’t go very far.
Meat Production
Australorp chickens don’t gain weight as fast as other chicken breeds. They are not consider a meat bird but are a dual-purpose chicken.
Dual purpose chickens offer good qualities for both egg production and meat.
Generally, an Australorp chicken takes around seven months to reach its full weight. However, some people like to butcher them earlier for tender and more flavorful meat.
If you wait the whole seven months, you will get a large carcass. The Australorp provides tender and slightly sweet meat.
Final Thoughts
The Australorp chicken often stands out in the backyard flock because of their color, appearance, and calm mannerism.
They are friendly chickens, which makes them a great choice for first-time chicken breeders.
Their needs are minimal, and they offer one of the highest rates of egg production compared to other egg laying breeds.
Whether you’re new to the backyard farming business or you’re looking to add variety to your existing farm, the Australorp chicken will make an excellent choice for you.
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