Australorps breed Thread

[Gramma Chick]

A question from a friend
my australorps seem to be laying, but the size of the egg is still pretty small compared to the other hens I have. They have been laying for a month or two. They are supposed to lay a large egg, so I'm wondering (hoping) the eggs will get bigger. Anyone know?

 

[ronott1]

A question from a friend
my australorps seem to be laying, but the size of the egg is still pretty small compared to the other hens I have. They have been laying for a month or two. They are supposed to lay a large egg, so I'm wondering (hoping) the eggs will get bigger. Anyone know?

Weigh the eggs. 57G is a large egg. The other eggs may be xlarge or Jumbo.

BAs do not lay the largest eggs.

 

[WVDan44]

Hi Gramma

I have 5 BA pullets and 2 hens laying out of two different lines. Some eggs are small and torpedo shaped, some are round, some are large (not jumbo) some lay a jumbo every now and then. The eggs are so diverse, I can ID them as to which hen they come from.

I have two lines of BA hens, those from a show line are not the best layers and tend to lay smallish eggs. Those that look more like production BAs are great layers and lay a larger egg. I've been told the hatchery BAs have often been crossed with other breeds such as black leghorn to obtain better egg production, and will often out produce show lines. This is the case with the few I have, but I can't say it is that way across the board.

I wouldn't say BAs are "supposed" to lay large eggs. They are all over the map with egg production. I'm finding that nothing is carved in stone, and exception is the rule with chickens.

All the best,
Dan

 

[ronott1]

Hi Gramma

I have 5 BA pullets and 2 hens laying out of two different lines. Some eggs are small and torpedo shaped, some are round, some are large (not jumbo) some lay a jumbo every now and then. The eggs are so diverse, I can ID them as to which hen they come from.

I have two lines of BA hens, those from a show line are not the best layers and tend to lay smallish eggs. Those that look more like production BAs are great layers and lay a larger egg. I've been told the hatchery BAs have often been crossed with other breeds such as black leghorn to obtain better egg production, and will often out produce show lines. This is the case with the few I have, but I can't say it is that way across the board.

I wouldn't say BAs are "supposed" to lay large eggs. They are all over the map with egg production. I'm finding that nothing is carved in stone, and exception is the rule with chickens.

All the best,
Dan

Mine lay an average size egg. One or two lay torpedo eggs. The larges is from a Blue Marans. Smalles is from SG Dorking.

This is what Hendersons chicken chart says:

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

The number of eggs in the picture indicates the amount per week per bird on average. Average below that is the egg size:
Click to make it larger.

 

[luluann]

they will not stay still

 

[ronott1]

they will not stay still

Can you have someone hold them and get pictures one at a time?

One from the front to see the comb and one from the side to see the wattles should work.

 

[luluann]

They have no wattles yet.

 

[WVDan44]

Mine lay an average size egg. One or two lay torpedo eggs. The larges is from a Blue Marans. Smalles is from SG Dorking.

I try to rate egg size by the sizes of eggs sold in supermarkets. Their "large" is about what mine average, with my smalls being store "medium" and then the occasional "jumbo" or x-large. Not considering double yolkers - that's a separate class altogether in my world.

I have two tiny red sex links that lay the largest eggs, and believe it or not a cornish cross meat pullet I spared from slaughter and named Diamond Lil, that lays the smallest egg (she was the only female accidentally shipped to me in a group of cockerels).

BTW -as a side note- several people told me I'd never get an egg from a cornish cross, but I can tell you she started laying at 4.5 months and now lays nearly every day - she probably averages 12 to 13 eggs every 14 days, a prolific layer. She was hatched 8/29/12 so you can see that she's not very old. I'm tempted to put her with a roo but don't know what would be best. Thinking about a BA though. Should get something I can eat out of that.

 

[Gramma Chick]

They have no wattles yet.

Baby Roos sometimes have a beginning wattle...a red strip where a wattle will grow out ..


they will not stay still..Isnt that the truth ! when I want a closeup of a hen ..they wont Stay still either ..LOL

 

[RossAussie]

Baby Roos sometimes have a beginning wattle...a red strip where a wattle will grow out ..


they will not stay still..Isnt that the truth ! when I want a closeup of a hen ..they wont Stay still either ..LOL

G'day,

Getting baby chickens especially to stay still for a photograph is a real challenge. We had to do some pictures of two to three day olds for a Seminar that we presented last Sunday, 3rd March. The way I do it is to fry up an egg and blend the yoke and white together almost like a mini omelette. Then when it cools down feed them sprinkles of it and when they get the taste of it they will hang around in the one area to so you can enable a snap then. That silly little trick works.

By the way the Seminar went really well, despite the flood conditions and many unable to attend as their roads were cut off. The speakers did about an hour each, which included a Power Point presentation by each speaker. The fowls covered were Australorps (Black, Blue & White), Campines (the subject that I spoke on), Pit Game, Old English Game ( Black Red & Blue Red Varieties), and Muscovy Ducks. I think the Campine section was partially recorded, but I haven't seen copies of it so far.

Regards,

Ross