The breed of chickens Australorp belongs to the universal. From birds of this breed you can expect a high meat yield and excellent egg production.
Australian breeders used egg breeds of chickens in breeding . Thus, the user qualities of the breed were significantly improved.
History
Australorp is a meat-and-egg breed of chickens. The history of its origin began in 1890 with the importation of black English orpingtones into Australia. Their breeding was done by William Cook in Kent.
A beautiful breed with the highest genetic potential has entered the country. The genes of kokhinkhin, black plymouth rock, and minor were collected in it.
The main task for breeders was to significantly increase the productivity of eggs from one layer. For this, such recognized egg laying breeds of chickens as Langshan and White Leghorn were used. This introduction of fresh blood allowed to slightly reduce the splendor of the plumage and slightly reduce the live weight of the bird.
They achieved their goal - the Australorp breed of chickens shocked the world with record egg production. On average, 309 eggs were received from laying hens per year under natural conditions (without artificial increase in daylight hours and various top dressings).
Already in 1921, the British standard recognized the breed as an Australian black universal orpington. But poultry farmers in Australia offered their option - Australians. Later the additive “-orp” appeared, which made the official name of the breed final - australorp.
In 1929, the breed gained recognition on the American continent. At present, Australorp black breed lovers are united in clubs around the world - Australia, USA, Germany.
Australorp black
The bird is calm, but mobile. Full, with a massive body, medium heavy stocky chicken. Luxurious plumage, exclusively black, down is dark, skin is white.
The bird's head is small, with a leaf-shaped 5-toothed scallop, a short beak of black color. Eyes are brown, red lobes. A neck with a rich plumage of medium length.
The breed of Australorp black hens is distinguished by a made carcass and excellent taste of meat. The birds have a convex wide chest, a rounded dense body, a wide long back. The tail is not distinguished by splendor; in relation to the back line it has a slope of 45 0 . Legs are thick, short, dark in color.
What features do chickens have? Australorps babies are distinguished by a lively temperament, high growth energy and good health, the survival rate of young animals is up to 99%. Live weight of males by eight months can reach almost 4 kg.
For proper development, a bird growing without a walk is recommended to give fish oil at the rate of 0.1 grams per chick (from five days of age). It is useful to introduce into the diet (from the tenth day) wheat bran, vegetables, chopped beef, fish (boneless), crushed grain.
The breed of chickens Australorp belongs to the early ripening. Chickens begin to rush from the 135th day of life and in the first year give an average of 200 eggs. From the second year of life, egg production begins to decline.
Australorp marble (black and colorful)
When breeding the breed, the black-and-white Australorpus focused on reducing the age of puberty of the bird and on increasing the mass of eggs.
Australorp black-motley, or harlequin (photo on the left) was bred at the All-Union Institute for Farm Animal Breeding. The basis was the descendants of the hens of the original breed (black Australorp), which intramuscularly poured the blood of striped Plymouth rock. A feature of the breed is its resistance to pullorosis. The main plumage is black with a slight depigmentation, giving the bird a motley color.
The breed is considered to be egg. Its representatives are slightly smaller than the birds of the original breed. Young animals at the age of 150 days reach a live weight of 1.3 kg, adult males - 2.6 kg, hens - 2.2 kg.
The sexual maturity of birds occurs at 5.5 months. The eggshell has a creamy tint. Egg production - 220 pieces per year with an egg weight of 55 grams.
Hens are perfectly adapted for cellular and group maintenance. They are valued, first of all, as carriers of the st gene - this is a recessive gene responsible for lightening the color of the cover and improving the presentation of the carcass.
In addition to the black-and-white Australorp, there is also white and blue. For whites, a yellowish hue of plumage in the neck, reddish eyes and dark blue metatarsals are acceptable. Australorp blue has a plumage of a gentle gray-blue color. Plumage in chickens - with a black border, the cockerels have a border on the chest. Both subspecies are smaller than black Australorp; the weight of eggs is up to 55 grams.
Characteristic
Australorp Black Description:
- egg production - up to 220 pieces;
- egg weight - 62 grams;
- the color of the egg is brown;
- the weight of hens is 2.8 kg;
- weight of roosters –3.8 kg;
- comb - with five teeth of a leaf-shaped form;
- the safety of young animals - an average of 95%;
- temperament - balanced;
- plumage color - black with a greenish tint;
- productivity - meat and egg.
Unacceptable defects include:
- narrow and short body;
- spiky tail too long;
- narrow and long teeth on the crest;
- bleached metatarsus;
- yellow sole;
- purple or bronze shade of plumage;
- brown color of fly feathers;
- red or bright eyes;
- the presence of white plaque on the urine.
Care and maintenance
Australorp black is a breed of chickens that does not require special conditions. An important factor is the positive temperature in the chicken coop. With floor keeping, peat is the best litter. It absorbs moisture well, preventing pathogens from multiplying. Timely replacement of bedding material will prevent diseases.
To prevent parasitic infestations, chickens should be given the opportunity to take “baths” from a mixture of ash and dry sand.
The Australorp black breed is used for crossbreeding; this significantly increases the egg production in hybrid laying hens.
In nutrition, the bird is no different from other chickens. Adults should receive a balanced diet for all nutrients. In the summer, green grass is introduced, in the fall - vegetables and fruits. In winter, eggshell is added (as a source of calcium) . Coarse sand and fine gravel are used to normalize digestion.
Benefits
The advantages of this breed include:
- calm and balanced character, birds get along well with other domestic animals and never provoke conflict situations;
- quick adaptation to the conditions of detention;
- the possibility of using the breed as an improving one to increase the egg production of hybrids;
- hens do not cease to rush in the winter;
- high egg production combined with excellent meat qualities of the breed.
Rooster - breed signs
When describing a rooster, the following pedigree features can be noted:
- The head . Wide, low, medium in size, proportionately rounded. The beak is medium, strong, black. Eyes are brown, lively. The crest is medium, erect, simple with five uniform teeth. Not adjacent to the back of the head, although it continues its line. The “face” is smooth, red with rough skin. The lobes are medium, red, oblong.
- Neck . Slightly more than average length, with a voluminous mane falling to the back.
- Chest Explicitly protrudes forward, convex, well rounded, deep and wide.
- The back . From the shoulder and lower back - evenly wide. The lumbar plumage is plentiful with long and wide feathers.
- The abdomen is round, wide, full.
- The tail . Open, rather long, wide at the base.
- Wings . The body fit tightly.
- Body . Delivered almost horizontally, long.
- Lower legs . Strong, widely set.
- Metatarsus . Widely set, dark, smooth, medium length. The nails are light, the sole of the feet is white or light pink.
- Plumage . It fits snugly, deep black with a clear green tint, the fluff is dark, the skin is white.
Chicken - Breed Characteristics
Hens have similar characteristics, except for those that are responsible for gender difference. Their crest is smaller, their body is slightly longer. Very well-defined belly. With proper care, the bird looks strong, well-fed.
Universal productivity makes the choice for private breeding of Australorp chickens quite reasonable. Reviews of happy bird owners confirm the relevance of using the breed.