27 weeks and no eggs from Black Astralorp....

[jewel1]

Hi all...

I have a flock of 4 hens and three of them started laying near Thanksgiving (about 24 weeks old). The fourth, my Black Australorp, has a reddened face, but isn't even squatting yet.

Since they were leaching POL in the late fall/early winter, I decided to provide a little extra light in the hen house in the morning (about 2 hours worth wil low wattage) to get them going...and it seems to have worked (at least for some of them!)

Do BA's tend to mature more slowly or not lay in the winter at all? She seems very healthy...large with shiny plumage....but no laying!

--Julie

 

[sourland]

Hens mature at varying rates of speed. Be patient. She will start to earn her keep.

 

[Peggy-Sue]

Anyway you could post a picture? I have a young BA pullet that I would like to compare to yours I have no idea of mines age

 

[jewel1]

Anyway you could post a picture? I have a young BA pullet that I would like to compare to yours I have no idea of mines age

Sure...I'm at work right now, so I don't have a lot of pics to choose from, but here are two from a few weks ago. She was probably 22-23 weeks here (her face is less red than now). I'll try and add a better, more recent picture later. It's funny, she's got some of the prettiest, shinest plumage of my hens, but she's not very photogenic...maybe because she's so dark and she runs from the camera!

Maybe you can post back and we can guess on the ageof yours? Mine looked kinda thin until about 20 weeks, then she got a wide, fluffy butt...unfortunaley not shown in these pictures..

 

[jewel1]

Anyway you could post a picture? I have a young BA pullet that I would like to compare to yours I have no idea of mines age

Also..what sounds does yours make? Still "peeping", clucking, or loud squawking?

 

[Peggy-Sue]

she just lost her peeping maybe a week or so ago... And her face has gone from a pinkish shade to more of a red. Mine looks a lot like your second picture...

 

[jewel1]

she just lost her peeping maybe a week or so ago... And her face has gone from a pinkish shade to more of a red. Mine looks a lot like your second picture...

sounds pretty young then....I'm trying to remember when mine lost the peeping. Maybe 16 weeks? (just a guesstimate)

 

[Peggy-Sue]

Ill try to post a up to date picture of her tomorrow! She is the cutest of all things lol if you put your arm out shell jump up and perch and shell let you walk around the yard with her like that!

 

[CubCadetGuy]

I have two BA and they lay one egg each a day some times only one will lay but they are known to lay over 300 eggs a year close to 365. I let mine free range during the day and they go in to the coop to lay during the day when they feel its time. My sister has two BA hens and they lay regularly too.

 

[Peggy-Sue]

300 eggs a year!!!! Thats amazing!