Australorps breed Thread

[bruceha2000]

Interesting Kurt. I got a dozen chicks (EE, BA, Ancona, Faverolles, Partridge Chantecler, Cubalaya) from Ideal mid June 2012, all laid their first winter. Same with the 7 (EE, BA, WR) I got from Meyer mid June 2015.

Planning to get chicks earlier next year, maybe late April or into May since I have 3 girls that seem to go broody around then. If none does I'll break out the Mama Heating Pad brooder and stick it in the coop.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Bruce,
That is the difference between hatchery birds and quality breeder birds that are always larger. That is how hatcheries stay in business with early maturing and early laying birds. My hatchery birds always burnt out faster because they laid like a house a fire for two years. At the present, I still have some Duane Urch BA's that are still laying well at 5 years old and a 7 year old Barred Rock who still lays 2-3 eggs a week. I am glad your birds are laying for you in those cold Vermont winters. I can only speak from my own experiences.
Kurt

 

[mamatink7]

We got our rental deposit check, and the refund for our home owners insurance check.  Now we can start getting the rest of the materials needed to build my coop.  YAY!

wahoooo! Progress is grand

 

[mamatink7]

Kelly,
When chicks are born after April, like May or June, they may not lay until next spring or at least 7 or 8 months old. I don't know why, but that has been my experience especially if you have cold winters. A chicken needs 12 to 14 hours of Sunlight or artificial  light to keep laying in the winter unless they were born between Dec and April then they start laying about 5 to 6 months old and keep on laying in the winter, of course depending on the breed.
Has your blue and brown easter egger in the front started laying yet? Should lay a blue or blue green egg.
Kurt

our girls are all spring 2016, all but 7 of the 26 have started laying. The last 4 just got are between 16-20wk (started pullets) so they've got awhile.
Not sure why the 2 26 wk Olds haven't started yet:/ hatched 16 May.
One of the new 3 girls hasn't started either and they're all 3 from breeders. Hatched beginning April.
Sooo confusing
First 15 girls started between one day before 18wks all the way to 24wks old.

 

[Magnolia7330]

I'm getting my first Australorp in April

 

[mamatink7]

Have a question:
We have many girls (response above) and 6 are Australorps
Several days ago they were getting pecked very badly. So bad I pulled them out to our puppy cage, bedding feed and waterer, even scratch. They have laid for past 2 days in cage.
Our issue is they are pecking at each other, doing more damage than letting them heal.
Been putting on purple No peck lotion and blue hen healer 2x a day.
Only thing to do is get 2 smaller cages and separate them so they fully heal. Hubby doesn't want me to put the red lamp above them even though I'd think that would help. I believe we will put in coop to deter bad Girls from pecking more.
Before the end of all this, every girl will have the blinders/ peepers.
Do these work?
What to do to prevent peckers from going after others?
Will splitting up the 2 injured into separate 'ICU' help?
When and how do we transition back together with flock? As of right now, still open wounds so that won't happen soon.
Is there better wound care/ anti pecking available? I'd like a spray no peck.
Thankso Australorp folks!

 

[getaclue]

ma, Are they a bit overcrowded? You can use Neosporin WITHOUT PAIN RELIEF (any of the -"cain" family of pain relief will kill them) for the open wounds. I tend to put a couple bails of hay in my coops for the younger ones to get away, and hide from the older ones. I also make sure there are at least 2 feeders, and waterers that are not close together, because the older ones, or those higher in pecking order tend to guard the water, and food sources. By putting 2 sources, far enough apart, they can't guard both at once, and the younger ones can grab some food, and water.

 

[bruceha2000]

Bruce,
That is the difference between hatchery birds and quality breeder birds that are always larger. That is how hatcheries stay in business with early maturing and early laying birds. My hatchery birds always burnt out faster because they laid like a house a fire for two years. At the present, I still have some Duane Urch BA's that are still laying well at 5 years old and a 7 year old Barred Rock who still lays 2-3 eggs a week. I am glad your birds are laying for you in those cold Vermont winters. I can only speak from my own experiences.
Kurt

Sounds like I really need some of your Australorps Kurt! Years of laying is more important to me than # per week since the girls will stay alive whether they are laying or not until a predator, some disease gets them or they just die painlessly of old age.

Of course the problem is: No roosters here so I have to keep my fingers crossed that the hatchery chick sexers are REALLY good at their jobs.

 

[Lot11Baraka]

Gday !

I have 3 young pure Bantam Australorps and have just successfully hatched the first fertile eggs from my trio.
Although my hens have been laying for 8 weeks now, only some of the eggs have been fertile.

I incubated them away from the farm as the hens have not yet reached maturity to become 'clucky'

I assume that my roo is only JUST 'working' and has a favorite hen ( I have experienced him being quite selective and abusive to one or the other) - (hard to identify which hen is which - as they are identical)

Out of 24 eggs that I set only 3 hatched and although I candled the eggs to notice many more developing chicks it seems that half of the 24 were not fertile and many stopped developing past day 7 of incubation.

I have noted that 2 months into the start of laying the success rate of new chicks is LOW, hence the reason hens may take a season or 2 before the become clucky...

standby for some pics !

Lot11Baraka

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Bring on the pics, sounds like you are from Down Under!
Kurt