Australorps breed Thread

[ronott1]

Hi all - have a stupid question. I have three pretty ladies - since May 14th. They are getting acclimated with the 6 other birds (two giants, 2 polish, an Easter egger and a bantam Cornish - I think) and at least 2 are laying eggs. The problem is these eggs are as big a golf balls. Seriously. These young ones are as big as the Polish - actually a little bigger. Is there something wrong? We thought that they lay large brown eggs.

Pullets usually start out with small eggs that get bigger over several months. They are often as small as 29G but will get into the 60G and up range soon.

Get a small kitchen scale and start weighing the eggs. You will see that they are getting bigger.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: Not a stupid question -
Think of it this way - a young laying hens equipment is still growing .. so the eggs start out smaller..
also a egg too big in a young hen can injure her ..
be patient they will get bigger with time

 

[dynomy]

Thank you both! I really thought that might be the case but wasn't sure. My two giants started off with pretty large ones, as large as my two reds did. Thanks again.

 

[hellbender]

Hi all - have a stupid question. I have three pretty ladies - since May 14th. They are getting acclimated with the 6 other birds (two giants, 2 polish, an Easter egger and a bantam Cornish - I think) and at least 2 are laying eggs. The problem is these eggs are as big a golf balls. Seriously. These young ones are as big as the Polish - actually a little bigger. Is there something wrong? We thought that they lay large brown eggs.

There's a condition in some Australorps called Haileselassie Syndrome, thought to have bee derived from birds that were bred in Ethiopia. The eggs are very small and round, something like golf balls and they will get progressively smaller and the shells will virtually disappear.

Of course I'm joking!!!

Pullets will often start laying very small eggs, even smaller than golf balls but thy will gradually or even quickly begin progressively LARGER!

 

[appps]

At what age do the roosters start crowing? Seen mention of australorp roosters being very late to start.

And secondly at what age could I begin to use a rooster for breeding? Wondering if my eggs turn out to be boys if I can delay the compulsory removal of the rooster till I have some fertile eggs to hatch.

 

[maddogdodge]

At what age do the roosters start crowing? Seen mention of australorp roosters being very late to start.

And secondly at what age could I begin to use a rooster for breeding? Wondering if my eggs turn out to be boys if I can delay the compulsory removal of the rooster till I have some fertile eggs to hatch.

Every rooster is different. One of my chicks last year started crowing at 8 weeks old! I've had other boys that didn't crow until around 6 months old.

I believe they start mating anywhere from 4-6 months? My Australorp didn't start working until 6 months, but my other mixed breed boy started earlier.

You could try a rooster collar, I've heard lots of positive things about them.

http://www.cockcollars.com.au/

If there was a way you could keep a rooster to hatch your own eggs, that would be brilliant, you'd probably have heaps more success!

Not to mention that roosters are gorgeous I love my two roo's!

 

[DesertChic]

At what age do the roosters start crowing? Seen mention of australorp roosters being very late to start.

And secondly at what age could I begin to use a rooster for breeding? Wondering if my eggs turn out to be boys if I can delay the compulsory removal of the rooster till I have some fertile eggs to hatch.

Every rooster is different. One of my chicks last year started crowing at 8 weeks old! I've had other boys that didn't crow until around 6 months old.

I believe they start mating anywhere from 4-6 months? My Australorp didn't start working until 6 months, but my other mixed breed boy started earlier.

You could try a rooster collar, I've heard lots of positive things about them.

http://www.cockcollars.com.au/

If there was a way you could keep a rooster to hatch your own eggs, that would be brilliant, you'd probably have heaps more success!

Not to mention that roosters are gorgeous I love my two roo's!

@maddogdodge is right. Several of my little cockerels actually started crowing around 3 weeks, thought their crows sounded more like kid's kazoos than actual crowing. I have noticed a correlation between how early crowing starts and their level of dominance as they mature. All of my early crowers wind up being the top cockerel in the group, and usually breed more regularly and aggressively.

 

[hellbender]

@maddogdodge is right. Several of my little cockerels actually started crowing around 3 weeks, thought their crows sounded more like kid's kazoos than actual crowing. I have noticed a correlation between how early crowing starts and their level of dominance as they mature. All of my early crowers wind up being the top cockerel in the group, and usually breed more regularly and aggressively.

Yep, they come into puberty sooner. It happens within breeds. I have a Chantecler cockerel that started 'playing the kazoo' at about age 4 weeks and he is bigger than the rest of the cockerels (perhaps too big, I fear) and is the terror of all other cockerels. There is one from the same batch that is just coming into his own and is somewhat intimidated by the rest but has to be whipped because he won't back down. He a bit smaller than the others but at this point, he has a very broad back and is coming along nicely...He might be one of the two that actually stays. Gonna' try to get pics today. I didn't feel so well yesterday.

AND...I'm mot a trouble maker...I may be a bit mischevious at times but it's all in good fun.

 

[appps]

Every rooster is different. One of my chicks last year started crowing at 8 weeks old! I've had other boys that didn't crow until around 6 months old.


I believe they start mating anywhere from 4-6 months? My Australorp didn't start working until 6 months, but my other mixed breed boy started earlier. 


You could try a rooster collar, I've heard lots of positive things about them.

http://www.cockcollars.com.au/

If there was a way you could keep a rooster to hatch your own eggs, that would be brilliant, you'd probably have heaps more success! 


Not to mention that roosters are gorgeous I love my two roo's!

Our last adventure with a rooster wasn't very positive. We have a neighbour behind us who doesn't want us to have chickens. When their complaints to council didn't work because we have every right to have chickens and the council inspection found everything clean and how it should be they then started complaining our rooster was waking them at 5 am. Truth of the matter is in winter you can see their lights on at 5am even without a rooster crowing so it was just an excuse, their bedrooms are further away than ours and he didn't wake us.

Then the rooster decided to begin a vendetta against my youngest. If he saw her he would attack her. He even threw himself against the wire trying to get her if she walked past the pen and if the chooks were out she couldn't be in the yard. As much as the kids all still she'd a tear when he left it was a huge relief when he was gone.

So we are going to have a limit of how long we can hide he is there plus how long we can string council along saying we are trying to re home him once they report him. I'm thinking I might try the collar as a friend of my sisters is having good results. Actually the council guy said "we can't make you get rid of the rooster but we can charge you with a noise complaint" so if the collar keeps the noise down that would buy us a fair bit of time.

Mind you now I'm excited at this idea we will end up with two girls lol

 

[DesertChic]

AND...I'm mot a trouble maker...I may be a bit mischevious at times but it's all in good fun.

Mischievous and fun are a good thing.

I hope you're feeling better today.