It originates from the area of the city of Augsburg, in the Swabian region of the state of Bavaria, in southern Germany.

[2][5] It was bred in the nineteenth century, and derives mostly from the French La Flèche breed.

Under the National Socialist régime the Augsburger was not officially recognised, and could not be exhibited at poultry shows.

In 1938 a new breeders' association, the Sonderverein der Züchter des Augsburger Huhnes, was formed.

[9] From the 1960s the Augsburger began to suffer from competition from specialised high-productivity breeds, and its popularity waned.