Australorp
Also known as: Australian Orpington
An Australian record-setter and one of the best brown-egg layers going, with heritage lines historically laying over 300 eggs in a year: calm, quiet, glossy black, and productive. Australorps are docile, adaptable, beginner-friendly heavy birds that lay about 250-300 brown eggs a year, with few downsides beyond an occasional broody streak and the hearty appetite of a large breed.
Figures verified against 3 sources. Ranges reflect variation by strain and individual bird.
At a glance
- Eggs / year
- 250–300
- Egg size
- large
- Purpose
- dual-purpose
- Class
- Large fowl
- Hen weight
- 6–7 lb
- Rooster weight
- 8–9 lb
- Starts laying
- 20–22 weeks
- Lifespan
- 6–10 years
- Comb
- single
- Noise
- quiet
- Origin
- Australia
- Conservation
- APA recognized
Egg color: Brown
Temperament & suitability
Appearance
Glossy black plumage with a green beetle sheen. Developed in Australia from the Orpington as a superb utility layer.
Varieties
The APA recognizes only the Black Australorp in the US. Blue, White, and Splash Australorps are bred here and are standard in Australia and the UK, but they are not APA-recognized.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Outstanding brown-egg layer (250-300/yr; holds laying records)
- Docile, quiet, and beginner-friendly
- Adaptable to heat and cold
Cons
- Can go broody
- Only comes in black in most of the US
- Large appetite as a heavy breed
Common questions
How many eggs do Australorps lay?
About 250-300 large brown eggs a year, one of the best brown-egg layers, with historic records over 300.
Are Australorps good for beginners?
Yes, calm, hardy, quiet, and highly productive.
When will your Australorp start laying?
Just got chicks? Enter their hatch date and we’ll estimate the first-egg window for a Australorp, based on its point of lay of 20–22 weeks. Hens rarely read the calendar, so treat it as a range.
Similar breeds
Sources
Verified 2026-07-06. Brown eggs and English class confirmed by Wikipedia and the Livestock Conservancy. A famous production layer (~250-300 eggs/yr; historic record 364 in 365 days). Weights ~6-7 lb hen / 8-9 lb rooster; Wikipedia's ~190/yr is the standard-bred figure, productive strains lay more.