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

[EledaWV]

Here I thought our "Froggy" might be a dud! We have a Black Australorp who is almost 9 months old and nada!
Our Red Sex Link (Soapy) on the other hand, has given us an egg a day since late July, followed a few weeks later by our Amercuana (Stripey). Did I mention our 3 year old named them?
Now if we could just get them to roost in their coop instead of on my back porch....

 

[RoseMarie1]

Here I thought our "Froggy" might be a dud! We have a Black Australorp who is almost 9 months old and nada!
Our Red Sex Link (Soapy) on the other hand, has given us an egg a day since late July, followed a few weeks later by our Amercuana (Stripey). Did I mention our 3 year old named them?

Now if we could just get them to roost in their coop instead of on my back porch....

oh no...... your back porch? Did you leave them in their coop for a week before you turned them out to free range so they would know where home is?

Well I got an egg on Sunday and I got another one on Wed. I can't wait until several of them are laying more regular. I'm thinking both these eggs came from my RIR's though.

 

[allhisblessings]

oh no...... your back porch? Did you leave them in their coop for a week before you turned them out to free range so they would know where home is?   

Well I got an egg on Sunday and I got another one on Wed. I can't wait until several of them are laying more regular. I'm thinking both these eggs came from my RIR's though.

I have two RIR's that lay every day along with my newly laying Australorp and their eggs are noticeably darker in shell color than the Australorp's. Perhaps that can help? I know know individuals vary...

 

[RoseMarie1]

I have two RIR's that lay every day along with my newly laying Australorp and their eggs are noticeably darker in shell color than the Australorp's. Perhaps that can help? I know know individuals vary...

oh wow, can't wait until more of mine start laying. She laid another one today and got in her nest with me IN the nesting area tiding it up some. I was floored she did that with me IN there. I had a pan of oyster shells in there but they kept turning it over some and spilling it. So I put them into an old cooking pot that used to be my mother in laws that I wouldn't use to cook in. I needed something heavier that they couldn't turn over.
OH OK so they Aussies will be lighter in color. cool

 

[EledaWV]

oh no...... your back porch? Did you leave them in their coop for a week before you turned them out to free range so they would know where home is?   

Well I got an egg on Sunday and I got another one on Wed. I can't wait until several of them are laying more regular. I'm thinking both these eggs came from my RIR's though.

Well, we had them in a smaller, portable coop, which they roosted in. Then we built a big one, and they never really made the switch. We didn't think they'd just fly on over a five foot fence, even clipped, so even though I carry them over and put them in at night at lock the coop, they don't go in voluntarily...
And they only "free range" in our fenced in yard (their coop has a fence within a fence!), the australorp is the only one who tries to leave the yard though, the other two are happy escaping the coop

 

[RoseMarie1]

Well, we had them in a smaller, portable coop, which they roosted in. Then we built a big one, and they never really made the switch. We didn't think they'd just fly on over a five foot fence, even clipped, so even though I carry them over and put them in at night at lock the coop, they don't go in voluntarily...
And they only "free range" in our fenced in yard (their coop has a fence within a fence!), the australorp is the only one who tries to leave the yard though, the other two are happy escaping the coop

lol oh dear.

 

[Calibamawife]

Seems to me, at least with these as examples, the Australorps are followers rather than leaders. I kind of like that about them. Not pushy chicks at all.

Yes! Mine are very much that way too. I've tried to do what was suggested a few replies back, spend more 1 on 1 time with my 2 Austalorp girls. It's actually helped immensely with 1 of them. The other is just so shy, but I do see improvement. They have blended very well with the rest of my flock. Strangely though, 1 of them hasn't started laying, and the other has been laying close to 6 weeks. The one not laying is noticeably larger, but I'm 98% sure she isn't a Roo. But, I've been wrong about that before, lol. Turns out, BOTH of my brahma's have shown themselves to be Roosters this week, lol. Explains the dramatic lack of eggs!

 

[mejumpmore1]

I'm still waiting out my two BA pullets. They are approximately 20 weeks now. I got them about 3 weeks ago and am smitten. They are the SWEETEST girls in my flock, they even will follow me around the yard and when I walk out back will chirp happily, yes, they still chirp. They are starting to get more adult sounding voices but primarily chirp.

This is our first time raising chickens, so haven't really known what to expect. We got 2 older hens and 8 pullets. No chicks, which I think I might have preferred. Hubby was in a hurry to start getting eggs, plus we started late in the year. We bought all our birds within the past month and a half. They've been so much fun. I just wish I had started them all as chicks rather than buying older birds. They only friendly birds I have are my BA's and they were raised by a family.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I'm still waiting on all 7 of mine to lay. I first thought the eggs I was getting was coming from the BA's but they're coming from the RIR's instead.

 

[DuluthHomestead]

Mine are 24 weeks old today, and I'm still waiting.