Black Australorp thoughts and opinions

[ForFlocksSake]

I’m putting together an order for this summer and I like to add 1 or 2 prolific layers since I’m getting some breeds that don’t lay as often. I’ve had my eye on black australorps for a while. To those who keep this breed, how do they lay? how early do they come into lay? How is their behavior? My birds are always confined so they would need to do well in a very large run but without access to free range.
Thanks!

 

[Sally PB]

I have 3 Black and 2 Blue Australorps. They are good layers. I'd say the first year, I got 5 eggs/week from all of them.

The timing of when you get chicks will have some effect on when they start to lay. I got my first batch in March, and they began laying in August, at 19-20 weeks. I got the second batch in June two years later, and they started in December.

One of my Blues is the most chatty of my birds, but not loud. The 3 Black ones are very quiet.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I’m putting together an order for this summer and I like to add 1 or 2 prolific layers since I’m getting some breeds that don’t lay as often. I’ve had my eye on black australorps for a while. To those who keep this breed, how do they lay? how early do they come into lay? How is their behavior? My birds are always confined so they would need to do well in a very large run but without access to free range.
Thanks!

In my experiences with them, the hens are very good layers with little to no tendency for broodiness. In flocks of mixed breeds hens, they have tended to be higher up the pecking order as well due to their dominant personalities. The BA roosters I have had through the years skewed towards being human aggressive. I would recommend hens but not roosters for this reason. Both sexes are quite beautiful.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

I have 3 Black and 2 Blue Australorps. They are good layers. I'd say the first year, I got 5 eggs/week from all of them.

The timing of when you get chicks will have some effect on when they start to lay. I got my first batch in March, and they began laying in August, at 19-20 weeks. I got the second batch in June two years later, and they started in December.

One of my Blues is the most chatty of my birds, but not loud. The 3 Black ones are very quiet.

Thanks!

How do they do in the summer? I’m in North Florida and it can get quite hot here. Of course I do what I can to keep my girls cool but I know some breeds do better than others.

 

[Chicken Heel]

My Black Australorps have handled both hot and cold weather with no problems and I have lived in the foothills of NC, the mountains of SW VA, and now along the central VA/NC border with them in my flocks.

 

[Sally PB]

My summer heat is much different than your summer heat, but my birds did fine. I make sure that they have shade and water.

A nice treat on the "stinking hot" days is some watermelon. I eat the melon, leave about an inch of flesh on the rind, and they love it. I store the pieces in the fridge, so they are a cool treat.

 

[cubalaya]

the black australorp is almost the perfect chicken. great all around

 

[ForFlocksSake]

the black australorp is almost the perfect chicken. great all around

Thank you! I have a really great feeling about them. So much that I ordered 2. They will be my ONLY multiples of a breed in my soon to be flock of 15 (currently have 9). Still in my first year of chicken keeping and basically sampling breeds

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Very happy with them. We have 7 hens and 2 roosters that are now a year old. With 7 hens the roos get along just fine and the hens laid well all winter with no light or heat stimulation. They are calm people birds with no flightiness. Now with the days getting longer their laying is picking up to 5-7 eggs a day. We are looking to cutting back to 1 roo and 4 hens, Giving away 1 roo and 3 hens as a package. Located in New Jersey so winters are cold. They also did well this past summer as we are surrounded by woods were there were places for them to get relief.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Very happy with them. We have 7 hens and 2 roosters that are now a year old. With 7 hens the roos get along just fine and the hens laid well all winter with no light or heat stimulation. They are calm people birds with no flightiness. Now with the days getting longer their laying is picking up to 5-7 eggs a day. We are looking to cutting back to 1 roo and 4 hens, Giving away 1 roo and 3 hens as a package. Located in New Jersey so winters are cold. They also did well this past summer as we are surrounded by woods were there were places for them to get relief.

Username checks out haha.

Thanks for the info!