Can anyone tell me if australaup and black Orpington are the same breed. Or what are the differences

[Janev]

Are australaup and black Orpington the same or are they different breeds.

 

[valeriebutterley]

They are different breeds, both are large and black obviously.

If you look up and read their origins though you may find they are related in some way, a common ancestor.

 

[Janev]

Thank you. I looked up the origins and noted that the ancestor was very close and the similarities are nearly indistinguishable. This led me to wonder if they were the same breed that had acquired different names somehow. Would you know the tell tale signs which make them different

 

[chrismahon]

The Australorp and the Black Orpington were from the same origins, the Black orpington being created by William Cook in Kent. He crossed Minorca males with Langshan females then crossed the offspring with Plymouth Rock to create a utility breed- good for meat and eggs. Breeders in Australia imported them and spent 25 years developing a superior laying hen from them which produced over 300 eggs in a season. In the 1920's this high production Australorp came to England where, in the meantime, the show breeders had crossed the original Black Orpington to develop a bigger, fluffier bird losing the original utility performance.

All the details are in Practical Poultry November 2012.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

Chris is quite right, and if you look at pictures of the 2 breeds today you will see some clear differences in shape. Orps are just bigger, fluffier, and more rounded in shape, and are much less what we call 'cut away' in the front. The tail carriage is quite different on the females in particular, an orp has quite a voluminous tail, almost cushiony, whilst the australorp is more upright. The australorp is a much better bet if you are looking for egg production in the females. But to my very biased eye, there is no equal to the female orp for beauty!