Australorp

i took 2 roosters in for a trade and thought they were jersey giants. they turned out to be australorps so i went and got a few hens from different sources. i can't really fault this breed. even the hatchery australorps are pretty good. breeders adding orpington into the breed for size are winning in the shows. this bird should be good layers and smaller than orpingtons.

My Australorps do very well here in the City. Very well-mannered birds who are curious, friendly, lay well, and don't get into the neighbors' yards when I let them out. They often follow me around the yard and have never tried to peck me. They haven't shredded the plants in my garden although they did eat all of the green bean plants. They're solidly built and are dealing with the cold weather just fine. The fact that they're gorgeous is just icing on the cupcake.

I LOVE my austrolorp! Her feathers shine, and have a green shine to them. She lays eggs well, and they're very sweet!

These were the first chickens I bought and really like them until my rooster got so aggressive and I had to "Put him down" also my hens seem to be very skittish. Besides that they do their job when it comes to laying eggs and came into production around 22-24 weeks of age. Very beautiful birds too. The green sheen is amazing the in afternoon sun light.

Good eaters

Good personalities, great foragers, lay big brown eggs regularly. People keep coming back for more, they love these!

I have three birds that I got from a hatchery when I first got into chickens. I've sold most of all my other birds over time, but these 3 hens have stayed on because of all of their wonderful qualities. Mine tend to be on the broody side but that works for me since I don't have an incubator. They are great mom's too. I really think this is the perfect all around bird for beginners and children.

Great birds, cannot say enough good things about them. Beautiful plumage, clam personalities and great layers.

Overall a great bird, easy to care for and lays tons of large brown eggs. Great personalities and very docile.

My two australorp hens are good consistent layers. They lay a good sized brown egg almost every day.

After having a mixed flock of different breeds I chose the BA's to be my breeder flock. I could find no fault with these birds other than it seems everybody likes flashier colored birds more. BA's are solid black with an irridesant green sheen that is beautiful in the sunlight. They are by far the friendliest of my flock. They are good with confinement and also love to free-range. When they are out, they put themselves to bed in the coop everynight at dusk. They are a dual purpose bird for meat or eggs. What more could you ask for in a backyard chicken?

We have had our Australorp for a while now and she has been so consistent in her laying. We just lover her. She will let us pick her up but really is less needy in the attention dept.

We love our Australorp. She's a great hen to have in the suburbs. Calm, quiet, and great eggs!

I have 5 BA hens in my free range flock. They lay just about every day. Great foragers. Very gentle. Cant say enough good about them. Highly recommend them for someone wanting a low maintenance chicken that is an outstanding layer!

What can I say about these birds?

They are simply every chicken keepers go-to breed. They are very hardy in both cold and hot weather (being in south central KY, we can get temps around 100 with humidity way up there and winter nights down in the single digits with wind chill and snow). Amazing layers of XXXLarge brown eggs, they're the type of layers that won't let you down. They are also very attractive birds - a lovely shape, HUGE dark eyes, big combs/wattles, and a glorious black color with primarily green sheen with blue and purple also. They're also big birds, I'd assume good for processing though I don't do that with my pets!

They are incredibly friendly, not to mention they are great with other birds. They take up for themselves VERY well but are also in my experience one of the most bird-friendly breeds I've had in my flock. They don't crave human contact but they definitely have personalities and enjoy your company. I believe birds that were hand raised would probably crave human contact like my others.

My hen was purchased from the Amish and raised around some fairly bird aggressive breeds (RIR, sex links, poor quality Wyandottes) but even so, she is the best head hen I could ever ask for. She deals out punishment with an iron clad fist but is happy to sit back and enjoy life with 0% aggression when she can. She gets along well from every bird from my Faverolle to my EE's to the Langshan without any problem whatsoever.

At 5 years old, my baby girl Tau'i was still laying and still the head hen to this day. It will be a sad day when she leaves us, but I will make sure there is always at least one Australorp in our flock!

ETA: Tau'i just passed a week ago due to internal laying/ovarian cancer. We are terribly upset that she's gone after being with us for 6 years... but she left many good memories and I still miss seeing the "bird with no eyes" out there in the coop.

Have continued to lay throughout the winter so far. we are about to set our first bunch to hatch this week. this is by far our favorite breed. we have 4 other breeds right now and we love this one.

I did my homework before I got into chickens and researched the different breeds. I wanted a friendly chicken, one that could tolerate sub zero temperatures in the winter and one that would be a good layer. My 4 Aussies live up to all of these characteristics and then some! They are super friendly and love to "Lap sit". They follow me around like drooling puppies looking for treats. They lay nearly everyday even in the winter and freezing temps do not phase these birds. I highly recommend this breed to first time chicken owners, especially ones with children. The Australorp will not fail you!

Great breed for laying! Nice sized brown eggs, calm temperament, generally healthy and great to have around!

I love my Australorp! She was the first in my flock to start laying (around 5 months) and laid 7-8 days in a row right off the bat. Even now, in the middle of winter, I am getting 3-4 eggs a week with no supplemental lighting. My australorp also has a great personality. She is very smart and curious. My other chickens all run away when I come out to see them, but my lorp always comes to investigate and see what treat I have brought. Australorps may not be as colorful or patterned as some other breeds, but just wait until you see one in the sun. The greens and purples shimmer through the black...just beautiful!

From what I've experienced with this breed is that the more time you spend with them, the more friendly they get. They are a very good egg producer. I love my Australorp.