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

[DuluthHomestead]

Since this thread is active again, I will add that my three Australorps started laying at 26 weeks, 28 weeks and (FINALLY) at 44 weeks. But now that it's spring and all three are laying, we're getting 15-18 eggs a week from the three of them.

 

[Karen323]

Hi - I hope you are all still checking this thread. I am so happy to read that your BAs are slow to lay too. I hatched my girls (and have kept a rooster) in October. Still no eggs!
I am wondering - mine are outside and we live in Australia. Our days are shorter than our nights. How much does season have to do with them beginning to lay?
D you think we will have to wait right through winter? Their combs are lovely and the rooster is..... active.....

 

[wermnmnmnm]

My Australorp is slow starting to get her tail in.... My other 3 have inch long tails already...

 

[wermnmnmnm]

My Australorp is slow to growing her tail feathers too and she isn't preening like the others. She seems absolutely fine, just not getting that coating off of her feathers... hmmmm mine are only 5 weeks or so.

 

[Tippy Toes]

At that age, you should be on chick grower... not chick starter. My Aussie girls are 22 weeks (tomorrow.. but who's counting

) and today I found two eggs!

Yippee! I had just yesterday, purchased egg layer mash to begin gradually introducing in with the chick grower. So excited. I have two BAs and one (the other died this week of liver disease) Light Sussex.

Hope this helps.

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

My australorp is 26 weeks and nothing yet.....

One of our Australorps started at 22 weeks and the other at 27 weeks. @ValD

 

[tantricdragon13]

Our Australorps are around 21 weeks old. They all have red combs and wattles, though some are brighter than others. They started squatting and singing the egg song last week, and today I checked a couple of them to see if their pelvic bones had moved. Yes, they had!

Sooooo, I'm thinking eggs any day!!!!

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

Our Australorps are around 21 weeks old. They all have red combs and wattles, though some are brighter than others. They started squatting and singing the egg song last week, and today I checked a couple of them to see if their pelvic bones had moved. Yes, they had!

Sooooo, I'm thinking eggs any day!!!!

Yep, once they start squatting it means they will lay within 2 to 3 weeks. My Easter Egger started squatting at 16 weeks and she just layed her first egg last week at 18 weeks old. Good luck with your first eggs!

 

[tantricdragon13]

Thanks!

 

[Tippy Toes]

Yikes! Checking pelvic bones? I hope that isn't uncomfortable for them.
My Black Australorps have begun laying. All a huge surprise to me... found two eggs on the nest one day. I had been looking for a missing girl and searched all over for her. Finally looked in the coop and there she was... sitting patiently. When she left the nest, I was shocked to find that, not only had she laid then, but there was a cold egg sitting there with the warm one. Yippee.

My Light Sussex FIRST laid at 24 1/2 WEEKS. Her eggs are around 10gms lighter (around 48-51gms) than the Astralorps (58-62gms) but she is a much bigger chicken. ???

So happy to have eggs at last but they, chickens, cost a fortune. The three chickens eat at least 1 iceberg lettuce, 1 corn cop, 2 -3 pieces of fruit (paw paw, pears, plums) every day... porridge for breakfast and fermented feed every evening. Of course, they are also eat their organic top layer mix at will all day.

The three girls have laid every day since which is now just over a month.