Does my Australorp have delayed puberty?

[KristyMN]

My hens (4 different breeds) are 4.5 months old. I get about two or three eggs per day, not sure who lays what! But my Australorp is skittish and underdeveloped. She doesn’t squat for me, is hard to catch, has no pronounced comb or wattles (and what she has is not red...) and in general is the loner. Is she just delayed? Or is there something wrong? This is my third Australorp hen over 8 years and the only one that isn’t a friendly little puppy of a hen. All of my other hens have their combs and wattles fully developed (Rhode Island Red, Speckled Sussex, Gold Star).

 

[sourland]

Healthy looking bird - just slower maturing.

 

[FuzzyCritters]

She looks more like a black sumatra than an australorp. Where did you get her?

 

[KristyMN]

I was wondering about that too. She’s just from a local chicken supply store - they order chicks from Iowa per customer orders. Hmmm I’ve always gotten chicks through them and haven’t had issues. What color eggs do Sumatras lay?

 

[KristyMN]

She looks more like a black sumatra than an australorp. Where did you get her?

This would possibly explain the one pale cream egg I got this week...??

 

[FuzzyCritters]

I was wondering about that too. She’s just from a local chicken supply store - they order chicks from Iowa per customer orders. Hmmm I’ve always gotten chicks through them and haven’t had issues. What color eggs do Sumatras lay?

They lay cream tinted eggs. They aren't very great layers either, about 3 eggs a week.

 

[KristyMN]

I wondered why I got a cream egg when all my hens are supposed to be brown eggs...

 

[KristyMN]

This has been eye opening. Looks like I got the wrong breed!