Australorp

The Australorp is a dual-purpose chicken breed from Australia, developed from the British Black Orpington and refined for egg production. Some hens can lay over 300 eggs annually.

Characteristics

The breed gained global fame in the 1920s after setting multiple world records for egg-laying and has been a staple in Western countries ever since. It is one of eight poultry breeds created in Australia and recognized by the Australian Poultry Standards. The original color is black—the only one accepted in the United States—but Australia also recognizes blue and white, while the Poultry Club South Africa adds buff, splash, wheaten laced, and golden.

History

The breed’s foundation stock came from England, imported to Australia between 1890 and the early 1900s from the Black Orpington flocks of William Cook and Joseph Partington, along with Rhode Island Red blood. Local breeders crossed these with Minorca, White Leghorn, and Langshan birds, and possibly some Plymouth Rock, to boost utility traits. The resulting fowl were first called Australian Black Orpingtons (Austral-orp). The name “Australorp” (meaning Australian chicken) is disputed.

W. W. Scott claimed it before World War I, and from 1925 he worked to have the breed recognized. Arthur Harwood proposed “Australs” in 1919, with “orp” added to honor the Orpington lineage. Britain’s W. Powell-Owen drafted the British Standard in 1921 after importing “Australian Utility Black Orpingtons.” The name was in use by the early 1920s, and the breed joined the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1929.

A white variety was bred in South Africa in the 1930s and in Australia in the 1940s, gaining Australian recognition in 2012. Bantam Australorps were created in the early 1930s by Roy Corner and Jack Mann, first shown in 1934. The breed is found on five continents in 17 countries, with significant populations in Australia, Serbia, Slovakia, and the United States. The 2024 global population was estimated near an unspecified number, with an overall conservation status of “not at risk.” In Australia, DAD-IS lists it as “at risk/endangered,” while the UK’s Rare Breeds Survival Trust marks it as “priority.” The Livestock Conservancy in the US removed it from its watchlist in 2023.

Both standard and bantam sizes exist. Australian standards recognize black, white, and blue; the same three are accepted by the Entente Européenne and the Poultry Club of Great Britain. South Africa’s club also recognizes buff, splash, wheaten laced, and golden.

Use

The breed’s egg-laying prowess made headlines in 1922–1923, when a team of six hens set a world record by laying 1,857 eggs over 365 days—an average of 309.5 eggs per hen—without artificial lighting. This sparked import orders from England, the US, South Africa, Canada, and Mexico.

Another record saw a single hen lay 364 eggs in 365 days. Australorps are also known as good sitters and mothers, making them a popular large heritage utility breed. Standard hens lay about 190 light brown eggs per year (average weight not given), while bantam hens lay roughly 160 eggs annually (average weight not given).