Australorp eggs hatched this?!

loopycoops

In the Brooder
Feb 19, 2022
23
28
49
Whoop Whoop, Tasmania, Australia
Hi everyone!
Bit of a dilemma and hoping for some suggestions.
Last year I bought an Australorp breeding trio (Tasmania, Australia) and ended up hatching 18 chicks.
This year I wanted to mix up the gene pool so I bought 30 eggs from a highly rated seller, then 8 dozen eggs a couple weeks later.
I was shocked when the first batch came out with this:
1664362022797.png

1664362090252.png

I asked the seller what happened and he replied, "I've never seen those colourings before".
The 8 dozen eggs have just started hatching and I've now got another 3 (so far) chicks that are the same yellow with white and black stripe.
1664362362142.png

I once again contacted the seller and asked what happened and he said "the black chicks are definitely from my Australorp chickens. Maybe the other eggs got mixed up."
Should I be worried?
The original ad stated "fertile Australorp chicken eggs", but then he later changed the ad which said "mixed breed fertile eggs."
What would you do? Would you be concerned?
Thanks for any tips!
-Richard
 
Well, clearly there was a breed mix up. I would ask for your money back, or maybe at least a partial refund, since you paid for Australorps and got another breed you didn't want.
It's a little hard to tell exactly what breed they are at this age, as there are several that look almost identical. But I think they're probably either Welsummers or Brown Leghorns.

Now, if you should be concerned depends on what you are using these birds for. If you want to breed pure Australorps, then you can't mix the two breeds. You'll have to either house them separately, or sell them.
 
Hi everyone!
Bit of a dilemma and hoping for some suggestions.
Last year I bought an Australorp breeding trio (Tasmania, Australia) and ended up hatching 18 chicks.
This year I wanted to mix up the gene pool so I bought 30 eggs from a highly rated seller, then 8 dozen eggs a couple weeks later.
I was shocked when the first batch came out with this:
View attachment 3274006
View attachment 3274009
I asked the seller what happened and he replied, "I've never seen those colourings before".
The 8 dozen eggs have just started hatching and I've now got another 3 (so far) chicks that are the same yellow with white and black stripe.
View attachment 3274017
I once again contacted the seller and asked what happened and he said "the black chicks are definitely from my Australorp chickens. Maybe the other eggs got mixed up."
Should I be worried?
The original ad stated "fertile Australorp chicken eggs", but then he later changed the ad which said "mixed breed fertile eggs."
What would you do? Would you be concerned?
Thanks for any tips!
-Richard
The black chicks may very well be Australorps, but I would not trust this seller. That he did not immediately try to make it right is suspicious in my opinion. You should have been be offered a refund.
 
I don't know who rates him highly or what their criteria they use for those ratings. With those results and those reactions that indicate to me that he hasn't a clue I would not rate him highly at all and would not trust him.

I don't know what your goal are. If they include quality and conforming to the breed requirements in Australia I'd start over with someone else. It is always possible it is just a mix-up in eggs, he may even get his eggs from good breeders, but I would not trust him.
 
Hi everyone!
Bit of a dilemma and hoping for some suggestions.
Last year I bought an Australorp breeding trio (Tasmania, Australia) and ended up hatching 18 chicks.
This year I wanted to mix up the gene pool so I bought 30 eggs from a highly rated seller, then 8 dozen eggs a couple weeks later.
I was shocked when the first batch came out with this:
View attachment 3274006
View attachment 3274009
I asked the seller what happened and he replied, "I've never seen those colourings before".
The 8 dozen eggs have just started hatching and I've now got another 3 (so far) chicks that are the same yellow with white and black stripe.
View attachment 3274017
I once again contacted the seller and asked what happened and he said "the black chicks are definitely from my Australorp chickens. Maybe the other eggs got mixed up."
Should I be worried?
The original ad stated "fertile Australorp chicken eggs", but then he later changed the ad which said "mixed breed fertile eggs."
What would you do? Would you be concerned?
Thanks for any tips!
-Richard

Was this eBay?
 
The original ad stated "fertile Australorp chicken eggs", but then he later changed the ad which said "mixed breed fertile eggs."

I *hope* that the change in ad indicates his honesty after your feedback of unexpected non-Australorp chicks. But I do think you should have gotten a refund for the obvious non-Australorps.

I'd take a wait and see approach to the black chicks. If they grow to fit the Australorp SOP then they're Australorps and you can evaluate how good they are and if you want to breed them forward or not.

I wonder if the seller has project pens and got eggs mixed or if a bird got into the wrong pen and mated there? No knowing, I suppose.
 
No, it was a classifieds site here in Australia, Gumtree

Oh. I was going to say that most eBay users leave positive feedback when they receive the item. Hatching eggs take 21 days to hatch and even after they hatch it may be 6 months before you know you got a faulty bird. So someone on eBay can have positive reviews but still be passing off inferior birds as purebreds on the regular.
 
My guess is he runs the flock as one until breeding when birds are penned. Didn't quite wait long enough to clear out all the old sperm before collecting eggs. It's shocking how long it can take to clear out some hens. Glad I don't run multiple breeds anymore. Have had this happen.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom