01/04/2021
Australorp
Origin Category Egg Colour Sitter
Australia Softfeather Heavy Tinted or Brown No
The Australorp is a production bred Australian Black Orpington, noted for its splendid egg production. The breed was developed in Australia where for many years it has been bred principally for egg production rather than meat as has been the case with its progenitor, the Orpington.
It is a medium weight, active bird laying a tinted egg and is a valuable fowl for those who desire an abundance of eggs without sacrificing too much value in meat quality.
SHAPE OF MALE
Comb: Single; of medium size, proportionate to size of specimen; set firmly on head; perfectly straight and upright; free from indentations; evenly serrated, with four to six distinct points, the one in front being shorter than the remainder; fine, even texture; blade slightly following shape of head.
Beak : Of medium length, fairly stout.
Head : Of medium size, broad, rather deep, neatly curved.
Eyes : Large, round, somewhat prominent.
Wattles : Of medium size, proportionate to size of comb ; smooth; free from folds or wrinkles; nicely rounded; fine in texture.
Ear-Lobes: Of medium size, oblong, smooth.
Neck : Rather long, moderately well-arched, having abundant hackle flowing well over shoulders.
Wings: Of medium size, well-folded and carried without drooping; front, well covered by breast feathers and points well covered by saddle feathers; primaries and secondaries, broad and overlapping in natural order when wing is folded.
Back : Rather long, broad its entire length, slightly sloping downward from shoulders to center of back, then rising in a gradually increasing concave sweep to tail. Saddle feathers, long, of good width, abundant. Tail : Moderately large, well spread; main-tail feathers, broad and overlapping, carried at an angle of forty degrees above the horizontal ; sickle feathers of good width, well-curved; lesser sickles and tail-coverts long, of good width, nicely curved and abundant.
Breast : Full, well-rounded, carried well forward.
Body and Fluff : Body, moderately long and rather deep ; carried nearly horizontal but sloping very slightly from front to rear ; Plumage soft; fluff minimal, only sufficient to cover the thighs. Under-line to conform generally to top-line.
Legs and Toes : Legs, set well apart and straight when viewed from front ; lower thighs and shanks, moderately long ; toes, medium length, straight, well-spread.
SHAPE OF FEMALE
Comb : Single, of medium size, set firmly on head, perfectly straight and upright, with four to six even and well-defined points, the one in front smaller than the remainder.
Beak : Of medium length, neatly curved.
Head : Of medium size, broad ; face, smooth.
Eyes : Large, round, somewhat prominent.
Wattles : Small, well-rounded, fine in texture, conforming to size and shape of head.
Ear-Lobes : Oblong in shape, smooth.
Neck : Medium in length, nicely curved and tapering to head, where it is comparatively small ; neck feathers moderately abundant, flowing well over shoulders with no apparent break at juncture of neck and back.
Wings : Of medium size, well-folded and carried without drooping : fronts, well covered by breast feathers and points well covered by back feathers ; primaries and secondaries, broad and overlapping in natural order when wing is folded.
Back : Rather long, broad its entire length, with a slight slope down from shoulders to center of back, and rising from center with a concave sweep to tail, feathers of sufficient length to carry well up to tail.
Tail: Medium length, well-spread, carried at an angle of about forty degrees above the horizontal ; main-tail feathers, broad and overlapping.
Breast: Moderately deep, full, well-rounded.
Body and Fluff: Body, long, broad, moderately deep, full, extending well forward, giving the body a moderately oblong appearance; feathers carried close to body. Soft feathering close to the body, with a minimum of fluff, only sufficient to cover the thighs.
Legs and Toes : Legs, set well apart, straight when viewed from the front ; lower thighs, of medium length, well-feathered, smooth ; shanks, of medium length, well-rounded, smooth ; toes, of medium length, strong, straight, well-spread.
COLOR OF MALE AND FEMALE
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-lobes: Bright red.
Beak: Black with shading to off-white or white tip allowed.
Eyes : Black or Dark brown - black favoured.
Shanks and Toes : Black, Dark slate in adults; soles of feet and toenails, white.
Male and Female Plumage: Surface, lustrous black with green sheen; under-color dull black.
EXTRA COLOURS STANDARDISED IN AUSTRALIA
BLUE
Male and Female Plumage: Main body: clear slate blue, each feather distinctly laced with dark slate. The contrast between ground colour and lacing to be clear and well defined. Male hackles, wing-bow, back, sickles, side hangers and tail: rich deep dark slate. Female head and upper neck: rich dark slate.
WHITE
Male and female: White without any yellow tinge. Beak: bluish white, slate or horn. Eyes: black or dark brown. Comb, wattles and lobes: bright red. Face: bright red. Shanks and feet: slate blue. Skin: white. Soles of feet and toenails: white.
STANDARD WEIGHTS
C**k 8 1/2 lbs (3.85kg).
Hen 6 1/2 lbs (3kg).
C**kerel 7 1/2 lbs (3.4kg).
Pullet 5 1/2 lbs (2.5kg).
Bantams to be approximately one third of the weight of their standard counterpart.
SCALE OF POINTS
Type 35
Head (eye 10, face 5, skull 5, comb 5)
Plumage (quality and character of feathering) 15
Colour 10
Condition 10
Legs and feet colour 5
SERIOUS DEFECTS
Any deformity such as wry tail, roach back, crooked breastbone, crooked toes. Yellow or pearl coloured eyes, feathering on shanks or feet. Side-sprigs on comb. Red, yellow or white in feathers. Underweight.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
More than one-half inch of positive white in any part of surface plumage, or two or more feathers tipped or edged with positive white; shanks other than dark slate. (See General Disqualifications and Cutting for Defects.)
SOURCES
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68530985 The American standard of perfection, illustrated. A complete description of recognized varieties of fowls, as revised by [the Association at its 62d-67th annual meetings, 1937-42.]
Poultry in Australia: A Universal Guide for Breeders and Householders. 1 August 1934, page 13.
Australorp Club of Australia Website: http://www.australorps.com/4.html
http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp
