At what age do Black Australorps begin to lay their first eggs???

[song of joy]

Here is Kathleen

She's very pretty. I wish I knew what to tell you about her lack of egg laying. Have you tried isolating her in a separate area with a nest box to confirm whether or not she's laying? Sometimes with multiple hens, it's difficult to know who is laying which eggs.

I have one hen that is not laying at all. I suspect it may be because she suffered from coccidiosis when she was a chick. She's fine otherwise.

As for her mounting the new hens, it's a sign of dominance. If the flock lacks a rooster, sometimes one of the dominant hens will take on the role of flock master. In some cases, the female flock master stops laying eggs.

 

[jmroesener]

I like the wonderful piece of wood the girls are on, mine love to climb on anything! Mine are 16 weeks and have been on meat builder to harty them up for laying. ( I was told) I am to start them on laying mix with thier next bag of feed. Waiting excitedly for them to start laying!

 

[shiral]

I have 4 black beauties 1 started laying at 20 weeks 1 at 22 weeks one at 24 weeks still waiting on number 4 to start. This is my first time with Australorps, but they seem to be following the same pattern as others they muture at different rates. I have had a rhode island reds that didn't lay until they were 7 months old and english sussex that layed from 19 weeks and some took 9 months to start. Don't give up, eggs are coming. LOL

 

[kittykatchick]

My Australorp laid her first egg today! She is roughly 28 weeks old. I'm so proud

 

[Mountaineer]

I have a Black Australorp, a gold laced Wyandotte, and an easter egger that were all hatched the first week of March. They have yet to lay an egg. The other chickens I got from the same breeder and are about the same age have been laying for quite some time...red sex links, a Brahma, and Leghorns. I've had them since August and have been feeding them layer feed. Any comments?

 

[melbethie]

I am new to this and am experiencing the same problem, at least I think it's a problem. My oldest hen is a mutt we hatched on January 21, 2016. She looks very much like our black australorp hens but still no eggs. We also have two red rock Cochin crosses that we picked up the middle of march 2016, no eggs yet. They all have bright red combs and wattles. Any ideas anyone?

 

[song of joy]

I have a Black Australorp, a gold laced Wyandotte, and an easter egger that were all hatched the first week of March. They have yet to lay an egg. The other chickens I got from the same breeder and are about the same age have been laying for quite some time...red sex links, a Brahma, and Leghorns. I've had them since August and have been feeding them layer feed. Any comments?

It's possible they're laying and hiding the eggs. Try putting these hens (australorp, wyandotte, EE) in a confined area where it would be very easy to find their eggs (e.g., a separate mini-coop). Keep them in this area for at least 3 days, along with a suitable nest box, roost bar, feed, and water.

Also note that chicks that were hatched January through March of this year may be taking a break from egg laying to go into a fall molt.

 

[song of joy]

I am new to this and am experiencing the same problem, at least I think it's a problem. My oldest hen is a mutt we hatched on January 21, 2016. She looks very much like our black australorp hens but still no eggs. We also have two red rock Cochin crosses that we picked up the middle of march 2016, no eggs yet. They all have bright red combs and wattles. Any ideas anyone?

If the flock is free ranging, they may be hiding their eggs. Confine them to the coop for several days and check at least twice/day for eggs.

Do you have one or more nest boxes in the coop? Are the nest boxes set up so they are desirable places to lay eggs?

It's also possible you have one or more egg-eaters in the flock. Check the nest boxes and coop floor for signs of shell fragments and egg residue.

Chicks that were hatched January through March may not be laying eggs at this time of year, as they may be going into a fall molt. This is less likely for chicks hatched in the spring or early summer; they usually start laying in late fall/early winter and continue laying until the following autumn.

 

[Mountaineer]

My 8 chickens are in an area 15' x 8'. In addition, the house is 4' x 8'. There is no place for them to hide eggs. The other 5 are regular layers and the nest boxes are large and kept clean so I don't believe any of them are eating eggs. I did get a small golf ball sized egg a couple of days ago and I'm not sure which hen laid it. I thought, perhaps, that it could have been a first egg from one of my non-layers. I can identify, so far, each hen's egg by color, size, and markings. Thank you for your comments.

 

[kittykatchick]

I have a Black Australorp, a gold laced Wyandotte, and an easter egger that were all hatched the first week of March. They have yet to lay an egg. The other chickens I got from the same breeder and are about the same age have been laying for quite some time...red sex links, a Brahma, and Leghorns. I've had them since August and have been feeding them layer feed. Any comments?

I have an australorp, gold laced wyandotte and easter egger as well! Great choice! My easter egger is my only non-laying bird left. She's a patient little thing, unfortunately I am not

Are your birds squatting? Are their combs turning a brighter red yet?