Australorps breed Thread

[cactusrota]

Hello BA people. My wife had a major heart attack 4 weeks ago and I have some health issues also, but Pat is doing much better. I have broken down my breeding pens and the future with BBS Aussies is unknown. I will check in on here regularly to keep in touch with y'all.
Kurt

Oh no! So sorry to hear that! Hope things improve soon.

 

[getaclue]

Hi Kurt. Been wondering why you haven't been posting on here. So sorry to hear about your wife's heart attack. Glad she's doing better. Sorry to hear you are going through health issues too. You take care of yourselves. I'll be praying for you. Don't be a stranger.

I understand how health issues change things in one's lifestyle. Remember, I'm battling cancer. I do hope you can downsize, and not totally have to give up breeding chickens. At the very least, to be able to continue with Dundee's line. Again, you have to do what's best in your situation.

The 4 I recently hatched out, Dh was correct, and I have 2 cockerels, and 2 pullets. The one pullet still acts more like a cockerel. One of the cockerels found his "crow box" this morning. I heard this awful noise, and went to check on the youngsters, just knowing something was wrong. Silly me! He was up on his roost, making his first pathetic attempts at crowing. Oh, he thinks he's big stuff now. He's going to have a nice deep, throaty cock-a-doodle-do.

With all the rain we've been having, and flooding, I've developed a bit of a rat problem in the coop. I've got bait stations with the one-bite in them, but it doesn't seem to be attracting them. Maybe the bait is too old. I have more, that I know is fresher, so I'll put that out tomorrow.

 

[CiceroXY]

I'm sorry to hear that too. And I totally agree with getaclue and what she said.. well, I couldn't have said it better!
You know, a long time ago I read a book in which a 50 year old man called Alonso decide to dedicate his life to his passions. He loves reading books of chivalry and one day takes a donkey and an old armor and leaves his house, his niece and his domestic to finally became a bizzarre cavalier called Don Quixote. He goes in search of adventures and because he doesn't find them, he invents them! So he starts fighting against wicked giants (windmills), vast armies (flocks of sheep) bandits who kidnapped a princess (priests) and much more.. But his loved ones are worried he wears out and gets sick (it was written in the XVII century and at that time a 50 year old man was already an old man) so the priest of his village and his barber decide to burn his books of chivalry and his niece makes him back home under false pretences. After a week at home he really gets seriously ill for the first time and dies.
The point is life is made up of passions and your family is for sure the biggest one but there are a lot of little things that are important too.. As far as possible don't change your lifestyle, you have to stay happy for you and for the ones you love, trust me.
I hope the best for you and your wife and I apologize for my bad english

 

[CiceroXY]

I need an objective opinion guys. Yesterday for the first time one of my Australorps decided to go broody. But I think she messed up or she didn't consult very well the calendar. The fact is that we are obviouisly in August now and the temperatures are so high here.. today about 28°C but it easily reaches and passes the 30°C. Moreover I have already hatched some chicks in March so I didn't want other chicks for space issues but an Australorp that goes broody is a thing which doesn't happen often I think. So, because I am curious to know if she reaches her goal, I put (only) 3 eggs under her. Did I do the right thing or it was better to just break my crazy broody hen?

 

[getaclue]

Cicero, I've been reading on several threads how quite a few hens have been going broody in the summer heat, and now it's nearly time for them to molt. While some of them broke their broody, several did not, and they did fine, or are doing fine.

The first consideration was heat tolerance in regards to the breed. BA's tolerate the heat pretty good. The next consideration was nesting environment. Those that had plenty of shade, so the nesting area was not too extremely hot, with the addition of a fan, reported that their broody fared better than they expected. The other consideration was feed. A couple of people stated that their broody was about to start their molt and were looking a bit ragged, or that their broody had started to molt. They upped the protein in their feed. How much they upped the protein depended on their situation.

There is no right, or wrong answer. It's more about making an honest assessment of your own situation, and deciding from there.

 

[CiceroXY]

First of all thank you very much for the info!
I put her and the nest in a shadow zone where the roo and the other hens cannot enter. She seems to be fine and doesn't move a millimeter ahah
I see that she is very decided despite the muggy weather.. I don't think she will give up

 

[cactusrota]

I need an objective opinion guys. Yesterday for the first time one of my Australorps decided to go broody. But I think she messed up or she didn't consult very well the calendar. The fact is that we are obviouisly in August now and the temperatures are so high here.. today about 28°C but it easily reaches and passes the 30°C. Moreover I have already hatched some chicks in March so I didn't want other chicks for space issues but an Australorp that goes broody is a thing which doesn't happen often I think. So, because I am curious to know if she reaches her goal, I put (only) 3 eggs under her. Did I do the right thing or it was better to just break my crazy broody hen?

I'll have to agree with getaclue. When you consider that eggs incubate between 37 and 38 degrees, then 30 degree summer highs aren't all that bad. I'm in Arizona, and I've got eggs in the incubator right now with daytime temps around 36-37. Ya know what that means? The incubator doesn't have to work as hard, and once they've hatched I'll only have to give them a heat lamp at night. That's pretty much it. Unfortunately I don't have a broody hen, but yours will no doubtedly know how to lead her chicks to shade and water and food. They'll probably do even better, be even healthier, and give you something fun to watch, as well.

 

[Dusty and Jessie Lea]

Would just like to share what I believe to be a perfect textbook example of a healthy Black Australorp Rooster. This very big fella named Astro just hit the 6 months mark and rules the roost indeed (he doesn't get messed with by the other 3 cocks)Also he usually beats my dogs to greet me after work everyday.

 

[CiceroXY]

Today another of my aussies has gone broody I am a bit confused, it's a really odd situation The weather is so hot and muggy now here, I can't understand why they have waited until now to go broody.. I feel sorry for her but I absolutely don't want an another broody hen, too many chicks and not enough room for all of them, what can I do to break her brodiness? They are almost 1 year and a half/2 years old and I didn't imagine it was such a broody breed

 

[apryl29]

Today another of my aussies has gone broody I am a bit confused, it's a really odd situation The weather is so hot and muggy now here, I can't understand why they have waited until now to go broody.. I feel sorry for her but I absolutely don't want an another broody hen, too many chicks and not enough room for all of them, what can I do to break her brodiness? They are almost 1 year and a half/2 years old and I didn't imagine it was such a broody breed

I haven't dealt with this myself. But from everything I've read basically just keep taking the eggs and shooing her out of the nest. I've also read where people give them ceramic eggs or golf balls to sit on. Good luck! Hopefully you can break her.