australoprps

[erkose]

If you want a general type chook(chicken) -can only suggest you try austral- in my opinion a medium sized bird-will lay you good eggs -some even double yokers(2 yokes)-they breed well a little reluctant to go clucky get a silky bantam they will hatch out anything

I cant eat the girls but any roosters are very good eating-do not expect force fed forced bred things like from shops but if u get your excess rooster put him in a small cage-plenty of protein and water for a week-I mean a cage a little taller and he can turn if-moveable is better-he will stop wasting his energy and he will plump nicely
and he will taste so good -I do not mean to offend and you probably know this

 

[EggSighted4Life]

reluctant to go clucky get a silky bantam they will hatch out anything

I have Silkies... and while they are excessively broody and will even hatch out AIR... My large fowl hens like Rocks and Marans... can/will/do brood circles around the bantams all day long. They are better equipped really!

Cool that you like the Australorps, they are beautiful birds.

Have you seen these comparison charts of different breeds...
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf

 

[alexa009]

Australorps are sweet birds, quiet and very easy to hold. Mine has never been a good egg layer though and her eggs are kind of small. She has been laying for more than a year now and her eggs haven't really increased in size since she was a pullet. They are a very sweet birds though with a excellent disposition when always socialized! If I didn't collect the eggs everyday, no doubt about it my Australorp would go broody.

 

[erkose]

tremendous-I know a man who has kept a special bantam from his flock-she is his egg hatcher-his method is to mix his flock to the billio(it is no known breed)-they free range in a fenced area-not even gonna guess at size of enclosure -live in trees and a shed if they want
the point is it works for him-the chooks are happy lively little buggers-not big-I don't know if they are eaten-he is 80 plus years old -he loves in his own way his farm -I think the point is the chooks are happy live a free life -its a wonder for them and those that tend them -sorry if a bit soppy

 

[erkose]

ps I have had silkies hatch out-geese eggs-lol baby is near as big as her-and for goodness sake she wants the goose to scratch for food-lol they try-
They hatch out duck eggs and goodness go crook(chipper away) when ducks don't scratch properly and as I said here some where guinea fowl are so finicky as hatchers -put them under a silky even non clucky -she hatches them and for goodness sake teaches them to scratch-I do not mean to waffle I am sorry -it is just what I have seen-if it works why bother changing the info on here is spectacular-thank you all -wonderful words to talk thank you all