You will really like the australorps if you like egg layers.. Mine are monster egg layers. If they are treated right they will not dissapoint in the egg dept. Ive never eaten an australorp but have freinds who have, I know...easter bunny farmer I am... But I never go without eggs.
My freinds have RIRs and brown leghorns and whites and an assortment and they are not p[roducing the eggs this winter. She has customers that have been waiting. got them set up with light in a better area , but they still arnt picking up. shes getting impatient, I said just hang in there the light will get them going now that its nearer to them but it will be 2 to 3 weeks ..These australorps went down in numbers for about a month 10 hens down to 4 to 6 eggs a day back up to 9 - 10 eggs a day again.my freinds has 36 hens and they dropped right down to 4-9 eggs a day, thats pretty low, they have everything they need, water, feed OS ect...so not sure whats going on there, they seem content.
My.husband breeds high yeild australorps at our other farm..he has one that laid 340 eggs. had she not gone broody for a spell there would have been more he thinks...pretty good, shes his prize hen..and has rooster known to produce high yeild hens..he keeps pretty good records on them. but right now hes keepng a low number of birds, ,culls right down to the best so he can keep close eye on them. Ive borrowed a hen or 2 from him time to time just cause they cn cross well into the show flock.they have a bit bigger tails than mine and his birds have a different look, more like a black leghorn. but with australorp eye and correct foot color ect... but Im telling you he gets so many eggs he gives them out to the neighborhood down there. hes working them with no artificial light. when i bring one of his hens up here and they get under a light, in winter, its like a saturday afternoon cartoon of a hen and a conveyor belt of eggs coming out.
Some of the marans are great eating birds. Would be inbteresting to see what that cross produces.
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........stan
