Colorado, United States
AnnieSullivan
I have a houseful of dogs. Okay, only two at the moment but we have a tiny house, so they seem like a houseful. Also barn cats and chickens.
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![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/29102013_1554461014012DogBreed_Joe.jpg&media=https://rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/29102013_1554461014012DogBreed_Joe.jpg&description=Joe showed up at our door one evening. Dinner was simmering, the kids and I were playing outside with our other two dogs, and when I threw a ball for one of them to fetch, Joe brought it back. We live in a small town, and wandering dogs are not that uncommon, so I thought that he had escaped from his yard and he would head home when we weren't fun anymore.<br><br>It started raining, so we moved inside, but rather than go home, Joe stood outside the kitchen door, staring into the house, looking miserable, so I let him in. After dinner, the kids and I made signs about the dog we found. Two weeks later, after more signs and a trip to the vet to look for a microchip, we figured Joe was ours.<br><br>He was a big dog, but still loved to sit on my lap. He had all of the craziness of a puppy, but you could see him working things out in his head. He became a very obedient dog, except when he was on a leash. He never mastered leash training, and was always distracted by things outside of his "normal," so I think the two are related.<br><br>He was very protective of our family, especially the kids. When we brought a new baby home, he decided his job was to protect him. He slept near the baby no matter where it was sleeping. If the baby was in his bassinet, Joe was in his room. If he fell asleep in my lap during a feed, Joe would gently work his way into the chair so he could be touching the baby while he slept.<br><br>He was absolutely terrified of loud noises like thunder and fireworks. One Fourth of July, when personal fireworks were banned due to dry conditions, we thought it would be safe to leave him at home. We came home to find he had managed to actually move the couch in his attempts to hide behind it, because the neighbors had set off fireworks anyway.<br><br>I would absolutely recommend this breed to folks with a family. He was gentle around even my small children, but able to run and play hard with the bigger ones. He was a great addition to our family!){kind=link}
 because my middle daughter was intrigued by them and their multi colored eggs.<br><br>I was fairly disappointed in their egg colors-we only get brown ones from them! However, they are prolific layers as long as they are getting adequate sun. As soon as the days get shorter, their production drops considerably.<br><br>We keep one rooster for protection, and our Americaunas rooster is the prettiest chicken I have ever seen. He definitely knows he is the master of his domain, and it's very entertaining to listen to him and the neighbor's chickens talking in the afternoon.<br><br>These are beautiful birds, and I enjoy sitting by the coop to watch them. They made great mothers, and were easy to handle when broody, which will make it easy to move them next spring when I begin isolating broody hens. They let me check and count the eggs without trying to peck at me. Overall, they are very easy to handle, although they will voice their dislike if they don't like you!<br><br>I would definitely choose this breed again for egg production and breeding. We cull the roosters at 20 weeks and they are a bit small on the dinner table for my large family, but I'm willing to make that trade for their excellent mothering skills.){kind=link}
, so in the future we will isolate the broody hens with clutches of eggs for the safety of the newborns.<br><br>I do caution anyone with children or who is even mildly afraid of birds against keeping Australorp roosters. While my hens have been very mild mannered and easy to care for, my Australorp rooster was aggressive and mean. He would charge me when I entered the coop for chores, and even charged the kids if they went in. He was the first chicken to go to the dinner table.){kind=link}