The Australorp chicken breed has been known for over 100 years and is popular not only in its homeland, Australia, but throughout the world. Blue-black poultry has fairly well-defined inherited traits and has excellent productivity. Once upon a time, it was the record high egg production that gave the representatives of the breed worldwide fame. Today, she is often turned on for her unusual attractive appearance and good profitability.
History of origin
As the name implies, Australorp chickens originate from Australia, where issues of autonomous food supply have always been particularly acute. In 1890, thanks to the work of breeder William Cook, the breed was born. Such popular breeds of poultry as langshans, leggorns, orpingtons were used as breeding material. The offspring obtained from their crossing had high productivity rates, combined with an impressive body weight and rapid maturation of males and females.
Initially, the Australorp received the greatest interest in itself in its own country. But after setting a record for egg production in 1922, the situation changed radically. Chickens have received recognition in the US and Europe. And Australorps got to the USSR in 1946, when the issues of providing the population with food were especially acute.
Features of the breed
Australorp chickens have a fairly clear description of external data. Any deviation from the standard is considered a tribal marriage. Among the characteristic features are:
- a compact, neat head, adorned with a spur-toothed small comb;
- pronounced, well-defined chest;
- sunken belly, forming a beautiful line of the body;
- large, well developed wings;
- short, proportional black legs;
- tail of increased width in comparison with other breeds;
- rich black eyes, like olives;
- white skins.
It is also not difficult to determine the breed affiliation of young animals in Australorps. The chicks have pronounced gray spots in the area of the wings and the belly against the background of white fluff, a light iris and metatarsus.
Over time, all areas of a light shade become a rich black color. This is due to the peculiarities of the manifestation of the pigment, which only hatched chickens are deprived of.
Characteristics of character
The character of the Australorps also deserves attention. Chickens of this breed are quite peaceful, avoid quarrels with relatives and, in general, are not too willing to go into conflict. Laying hens are rather silent, in comparison with representatives of other breeds, they clearly orient themselves in space, are disciplined when free-range and do not tend to panic. Males are also distinguished by sedateness and calmness. In general, Australorps are ideal farm pets with a fairly high intelligence, contact, and obedience. There are practically no problems in their content.
Mother hens and their features
Australorps are one of the best hens among all existing breeds of chickens. They have excellent egg production, the record figure exceeds 300 eggs per year, and the average female brings about 180. They are ready to incubate and raise offspring twice during the season, and the process of incubation of chickens occurs in such a way as to ensure their maximum survival. An annual increase in livestock can be expected in the amount of up to 15 young animals.
High hatchability of offspring (about 95%) is always associated with the peculiarities of the choice of the manufacturer. Australorp roosters are allowed to be bred with strict selection. The male should not be older than 5 years, be overweight or excessively large. Another factor of influence is the creation of an optimal temperature regime. For this purpose, sources of additional heat are often installed in chicken coops: special lamps that provide heating for the hen.
Performance indicators
Purebred Australorps are birds belonging to the meat and egg direction. But the breed also has a dwarf variety, the productivity of which is noticeably lower. Visually, they are not too different, the difference is only in the size, productivity and parameters of the eggs.
A feature that makes Australorps highly valued by farmers is their ability to maintain high productivity rates in all conditions. Birds easily tolerate almost any changes – weather deterioration, shortening of daylight hours.
Under ideal conditions, up to 300 eggs per year can be obtained from one chicken, but the real figures are still a little more modest – 200-250 pieces with an average weight of up to 60 g.
Early puberty is also characteristic of Australorps. Birds begin to rush already from the age of four months, and show maximum activity up to 2 years. Further, the livestock needs an update. Young growth obtained from a mother hen loses about 10% of the livestock in the first months of life. But the survival rate of the breed is still one of the highest.
Australorps grown for meat are in optimal shape by six months of age. Properly selected diet significantly improves the quality of meat products. Laying hens are sent for slaughter after molting, with the formation of blackened pads. That is why the farm should have a sufficient number of young birds for a continuous change of generations.
Varieties
The classic plumage color scheme for Australorp chickens is always black. But over time, breeders have added other color options to the standard. All varieties are united by the presence of very soft feathers.
Description of black chickens
The largest in the breed – black Australorps, are distinguished by excellent productivity and excellent health. With the right organization of preventive measures, you can not worry about the state of their immune system and the risks of diseases. During the year, a laying hen with black plumage brings up to 250 eggs. Chickens grow quite quickly – by the age of six months, their weight is up to 3 kg, for roosters this figure reaches 4 kg.
Description of the black-and-white variety
Australorp chickens can also have a black-and-white color, also called marbled. In this case, the breed is characterized by decorativeness associated with an unusual tone of feathers. Light ripples on a black background look interesting and impressive. But the birds of this subspecies gain much less body weight – up to 2,5 kg for laying hens, they are distinguished by weak immunity and reduced egg production. In addition, egg weight varies from 30 to 55 g.
It is important to note that the Black-and-White Australorp was bred in Leningrad by crossing the original sires with Plymouth Rocks.
Permissible colors
In Australia, only three variants of bird color are considered recognized – white, black, blue. Black-and-white chickens are found exclusively on the territory of the Russian Federation, and in terms of their performance, they are not too similar to the original Australorps. There is also a South African variety, which has plumage of red, wheat, gold, silver colors.
Advantages and disadvantages
Australorp chickens have their pros and cons when breeding and growing. The advantages of the breed include:
- balanced, non-conflict character;
- high level of immunity, resistance to diseases;
- easy adaptation to different conditions of detention;
- excellent performance indicators;
- excellent taste of meat, rapid weight gain.
Among the disadvantages of Australorps, one can single out the loss of productivity in offspring when crossed with other breeds. Another negative point is the need for slaughter after molting. In addition, modern breeding allows you to get birds with even higher productivity. But this already concerns the personal preferences of farmers.
What is required for content?
Keeping chickens and adult Australorps is not difficult. Chickens are unpretentious, suitable for industrial cultivation, do not conflict. Since birds can withstand the winter cold well, they are often recommended as a breed variant for breeding in the harsh climate of the Urals or Siberia.
A ready-made chicken coop for Australorps is suitable, it can also be built taking into account the planned size of the livestock. Heating for the winter is mandatory if the average temperature drops below +12 degrees Celsius. At lower rates, poultry productivity decreases. The optimal solution for heating and lighting are infrared lamps mounted under the ceiling.
The interior of the poultry house is equipped with drinkers and feeders, wooden perches, nests for hens. Australorps are large in size, the calculation of the area should be done based on indicators of 1 m2 per 4 chickens. Hay, straw, peat are used as bedding, the layer should be quite thick.
For Australorps, it is mandatory to provide free range, it is fenced with a net, a canopy to protect it from the weather. Ideally, if the corral is located on open ground, where the seeds of knotweed, clover, and cereals are sown in advance. On a free site, a bathing area is equipped with a coating of a mixture of sand, ash, granotsev – this will help the birds get rid of parasites and pollution.
Walking should also be used in winter – at temperatures around zero, Australorps do not freeze due to their dense plumage.
Feeding and care
Birds of this breed are not too capricious in nutrition. Australorps should not be overfed, but a depleted diet should be completely eliminated. Otherwise, the birds will carry shellless eggs or the outer shell will be fragile. During the feeding of laying hens and producers, the diet includes:
- cereals – they make up the bulk of nutrition;
- meat and bone meal;
- dairy products – buttermilk, cottage cheese, yogurt;
- boiled vegetables;
- steamed bran;
- yeast, which has a beneficial effect on overall egg production;
- mineral additives, including natural shells, chalk;
- fresh or dried herbs, tops of plants.
Subtleties of breeding
The process of breeding Australorp chickens is quite simple. Chicks show a high survival rate both when the eggs are hatched by the brood hen, and when grown in incubator. Before laying in the apparatus, a careful selection is carried out. Eggs with cracks, dents, dark spots are culled. All selected options are thoroughly washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
When laying in an incubator, it is important to choose the right temperature and humidity conditions. During the rearing of the chicks inside the egg, the characteristics of the environment and the settings of the equipment do not change. The first 5-day process is the active maturation of the fetus. Then the air should be drier for days 7-8 to 11. Babies begin to squeak on the 12th day, during this period the active formation of metabolism is already underway, and by the 22nd day the chickens are ready to be born.
In the first 5-10 days after hatching, Australorp offspring need special attention. A light, spacious chicken coop is required with a place for a hen and babies to walk, the calculation of the area is simple: 20 chickens account for 1 m2. In the first days after incubation, the chicks are kept in a separate box with paper bedding and a slatted top; millet can be poured inside.
The temperature regime is not lower than +32 degrees Celsius with a gradual decrease to +19 by the age of one month. During the day, the chicks are taken out into the air, at night they are heated with lamps. In the first 10 days, the diet of young animals is cereals, fresh herbs, an egg. Further, animal protein is removed from the diet, as too high-calorie.
By the age of one and a half months, Australorps should weigh more than 1 kg.
Diseases
High disease resistance is the “calling card” of the breed. Due to the lack of cross-breeding, Australorp chickens inherit this property from generation to generation, and even in epidemic conditions they retain livestock. The only feature that can be attributed to a kind of disadvantage is a significant deterioration in the appearance of laying hens as a result of molting. This is the reason for the removal of the bird from breeding and serves as the reason for slaughter. Leaving such a bird is not accepted.
Reviews
Studying reviews of Australorp chickens, one can note the general positive tone with which farmers and owners of private households speak about the breed. There is an unusually high survival rate, up to 100% of incubated eggs. In addition, roosters provide good fertility.
The peaceful nature of Australorps also managed to win the hearts of the owners. You can easily add three-week-old chickens to birds without fear that adults will destroy the young or harm them.
The average age of egg-laying, according to Australorp owners, is about six months, from 30-35 hens you can get up to two dozen eggs per day. Even when kept in a cold house in winter, egg production does not decrease.
For information on how to care for chickens of this breed, see the following video.
