Listed as a "Watch" status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy which
means that there are fewer than 2,500 North American registrations annually and estimated fewer than 5,000 globally.The Australorp was developed in Australia from Black Orpington stock. It is smaller than the Orpington with a trimmer appearance. Australorps have intense beetle-green sheen on the black birds, dark eyes, deep bodies and are very active. They are one of the best dual-purpose fowls, having gained attention in the 1930s and '40s by being one side of the successful AustaWhite cross. This cross of Australorp x White Leghorn became the successor to purebred breeds on many Midwestern farms. Broodiness was a problem with the cross and some markets discounted the tinted eggs they laid. Therefore, it soon fell victim to the inbred hybrid crosses of "Hyline" and "DeKalb." Australorps are good egg producers and hold the world's record for egg production with one hen having laid 364 eggs in 365 days under official Australian trapnest testing.
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