The Australorp is an Australian chicken breed. The names comes from a cross between Australia and Orpington as the name suggests! 

It comes in both bantam and large varieties.  It is a soft-feathered bird with glossy black feathers and a beetle green sheen. It is hardy, docile and a good egg-layer. The bird's single comb is moderately large and upright and it has dark eyes.

The original stock used in the development of the Australorp was imported from England out of the Black Orpington yards of William Cook and Joseph Partington in the period from 1890 to the early 1900s. Local breeders used this stock together with Minorca, White Leghorn and Langshan blood to improve the utility features of the Orpingtons. The emphasis of the early breeders was on utility features. The resulting birds were known as Black Utility Orpingtons.

Most Australorps will lay approx 250 eggs per year as birds have been bred for show quality rather than laying capacity.

I keep Australorp bantams in black and blue. Blacks are solid in colour with lovely sheen whereas blue have lacing to the edges of the feathers.  When breeding black and blue together you will get approximately 50% of each colour.

please see hatching eggs section for availability