Langshan
The Langshan came from China and is a popular breed in Australia. They developed their own variety, the Australian Langshan in the early 20th century by selective cross breeding of Croad Langshans, Orpingtons, Wakfer Chinese Langshan and Modern Langshan.
They are tall birds with feathered legs and very long wing and tail feathers. A very active bird it is known for good laying abilities in the winter and will produce as many as 220 eggs per year. it is a dual purpose bird, good eggs, good meat carcass. The two main varieties are the early maturing Chinese (Australian) and the rare, but heavier, Croad, named after the British man who originally imported them into Britain from China.
They have soft feathers, are usually black to beetle green but there are white varieties and blue varieties. They are a heavy bird with roosters weight up to ten pounds and hens up to seven pounds, laying brown eggs.
Early in the last century the Croad Langshams became quite popular as the were good winter layers even if their annual egg production was lower than other breeds at 150 eggs per year. The hens are good mothers and the birds are easily tamed. They will accept confinement but also do well on free range. They do need shelter and dry conditions as they do not do well in areas with a lot of inclement weather. The meat is very good, fine texture and good quality.