Australorps breed Thread

[Rachel'sFlock]

I have 2 17 week old Australorps. I love having them and they are so fun to watch! They are still so little! Hope everyone is loves their Australorps as much as I do!

We do!!!

 

[KnobbyOaks]

I have 2 17 week old Australorps. I love having them and they are so fun to watch! They are still so little! Hope everyone is loves their Australorps as much as I do!

I know I love my 8 little girls too. They all have their own personalities and I can't wait for them to grow up to see what they'll be like.

I would also like to say that I appreciate the work that is being done to re-establish and cement the standards that belong to the Australorp and I love the history. Even though mine are hatchery chicks, I can still take pride in the breed they come from. Thanks to all.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

After almost 3 months of severely depressed egg laying, I have to ask, is 2 and a half the end of the road for productivity for BAs?
I hear they would slow down a bit after 2 years, but this is major.
Until August 1, I had 9 hens laying 6 eggs a day (3 were coming into molting, so I cut them some slack).
Like someone flipped a switch, one hen went broody and the rest of the flock started laying 2 eggs a day on average (some days 1, some days 3- most days, 2). I know for a fact one egg is coming from my one year old, so of 4- 2 1/2 year old hens, I am getting one egg from them.
The year and a half olds are finishing up their molt, and I am hoping they will begin to lay again soon, but the 4 Big Girls are definitely being called into question.
Just wondering if this is typical or if something is severely wrong in my flock.

 

[DeesHens]

Quote:
I could not have said it better myself. I am soaking up the knowledge and history being offered on this thread. Thank you so much! It is absolutely wonderful to know anything and everything about the BA.

~Dee~

 

[DeesHens]

After almost 3 months of severely depressed egg laying, I have to ask, is 2 and a half the end of the road for productivity for BAs?
I hear they would slow down a bit after 2 years, but this is major.
Until August 1, I had 9 hens laying 6 eggs a day (3 were coming into molting, so I cut them some slack).
Like someone flipped a switch, one hen went broody and the rest of the flock started laying 2 eggs a day on average (some days 1, some days 3- most days, 2). I know for a fact one egg is coming from my one year old, so of 4- 2 1/2 year old hens, I am getting one egg from them.
The year and a half olds are finishing up their molt, and I am hoping they will begin to lay again soon, but the 4 Big Girls are definitely being called into question.
Just wondering if this is typical or if something is severely wrong in my flock.

I am sorry you are going through this with your BA's. I look forward to the answers from the knowledgeable folks here. This also seemed to occur with my little BR flock. It was suggested that I supplement vitamin D3 since I live so far north. It actually made a difference as egg production resumed there after. I think I also added some vitamin E and B complex. My next flock will be BA's. I am considering using the Avian Charge 2000 supplement. Any thoughts about using this? ~Dee~

 

[DeesHens]

I have 2 17 week old Australorps. I love having them and they are so fun to watch! They are still so little! Hope everyone is loves their Australorps as much as I do!

That is so wonderful! I look forward to spring when I can get my BA chicks. I am sure I will feel the same.
~Dee~

 

[CarolynF]

I could not have said it better myself. I am soaking up the knowledge and history being offered on this thread. Thank you so much! It is absolutely wonderful to know anything and everything about the BA.

~Dee~

Ditto!

 

[groche]

Mandatory cute shot of first hatch for the year

Hi folks,
a few Aussie pics as promised.
At 6 weeks

These were hatched very early season in a mate's 'bator. Only 9 chicks but none have any obvious faults at this time, though a couple with bent 'bator toes I'll pass on as layers. Seem to be more cockerals than I'd like though! All have good colored beaks, legs and feet and there's not a dodgy comb amongst them. Good so far, with many many more in the pipeline. Hope you enjoy the pics.
Cheers Geoff from Aus

 

[groche]

Hi Aveca,
you expressed interest in the pullet I acquired that is supposedly a purebred Aussie from the rare, early Judson Utility line. I think it may be legit. as she's certainly a more refined bird than is usual with our commercial/feedstore 'Aussies'. She has a good comb and good leg, foot and beak colour. She has a nice Aussie green sheen. That's about where the resemblence to my Exhibition blood birds ends. She's much tighter feathered, face is sharper and even at around 14 weeks old you can see that she'll never be as large as my big girls. She seems to have all the attributes of what folk here see as a good layer. It's too early to tell, but with no obvious faults, with none in the other pullets in the sale pens either, I'm hoping she'll add some positives to my blood. Of course, it'll be an experiment, maybe a little like your 'secret project'. Ha! Ha! I'll keep the experiments seperate to avoid doing anything disastrous to what I already have. I'll certainly follow your suggestion of using the best of her sons to focus on tighter feather. It was a bit of a bugger to be told by the seller that a few serious breeders had bought birds from him to "Tighten up the feathering". I'm not alone! I reckon that the son-breeding idea slipped my mind because there's a big part of me that says I should breed the Judson line pure as well, to help keep it alive. Need at least a cock to do that, and another pen and ........Enjoy!






Interested in any comments, especially if you spot something I've missed. It's hard from a few pics, I know, and she's so young. Have to put her on the growth pills!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

 

[groche]

Hi Dee,
welcome to the thread. The vitamin advice seems sound. A very experienced commercial poultryman mate of mine advised me to 'put a slurp of Pentavite in their drinking water and don't use chemically treated water to do it!" Not sure whether you have Pentavite there, but it's just a common liquid multivitamin for kids - human ones! He also recommended adding powdered milk to the mash "if you can get them to eat it. If not, get milk into them any way you can." There is a woman here who does all the markets with her "Laying Spice Blend." It's just a 'secret' blend of common food spices such as cummin, chillie etc. She told me that it raises the body temp. and encourages laying, especially in cold climates. She advised me not to use it in summer or hot weather. Perhaps someone can give more accurate spice info. My older Aussie girls go more into graceful decline rather than all stop laying at once. This is my experience with Isa type 'breeds' that basically have planned obsolescence built in so you have to buy more every 3 years. If yours are feedstore 'Aussies', rather than purebred, they may have this tendency too. Good luck!
Geoff from Aus