Help....hens or roos, what are my australorps?

[sweetbeak]

Just worked that out, must be the heat in Australia that is causing me to not get things straight away

Thank you, I thought I had a pair

 

[Homie Four]

A pullet and cockerel, very beautiful

 

[sweetbeak]

Hi from down under everyone,

well it's confirmed, a boy and a girl. The boy (Ollie) has started growing beautiful purple and green tail feathers and sometimes the feathers around his neck all spike up. Still barely any wattles and no crowing which is strange for 7 months, or is it??

Also the pullet (ophelia) had not laid yet either but has no boy features. Pictures of them both below.

Ollie

Ophelia

Would love any advice on why he is developing so slowly and why she is not laying at 7 months?

Thanks

 

[Peep_Show]

(Buff) Orpingtons usually lay around 22 to 26 weeks of age, but some take longer. I dunno, but it could be Orps of a different color take longer still. Hens need 14 hours of light a day to kick-start laying. If your daylight hours are long enough and no eggs, then are they confined inside a dark place during daylight hours? Another factor might be diet...too low in protein. Or could it be she has a hidden nest somewhere?

The pictures are tiny, but has her comb reddened up?

 

[sweetbeak]

Hi, they are out very early in the morning then have all day to play on an acre of land in my apple orchard. They get very good food high in protein, I am really hoping that any day she will lay but because she and her brother grew up together they are inseparable, they sleep together and follow each other all day. Both of them are fairly slow developers, even the boy, so fingers crossed in a few weeks we'll have something. All my other girls are laying but she doesn't associate with them as the boy is following his sister all day.

Maybe I just need to be a little more patient. They have roasted now for the evening but I'll try to post more photos of ophelia tomorrow,.

thanks for your advise, much appreciated.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

(Buff) Orpingtons usually lay around 22 to 26 weeks of age, but some take longer.   I dunno, but it could be Orps of a different color take longer still.  Hens need 14 hours of light a day to kick-start laying.   If your daylight hours are long enough and no eggs, then are they confined inside a dark place during daylight hours?  Another factor might be diet...too low in protein.  Or could it be she has a hidden nest somewhere?

The pictures are tiny, but has her comb reddened up?   

That time frame is typically for hatchery stock, but not for breeder stock

 

[sweetbeak]

One of my broody hens hatches all my fertile eggs, I just put eggs under her when she's broody and 21 days later the family has grown.

Hopefully in a few weeks we'll have some news on her first egg. The sun has just come up here so I'll have a look around the orchard today to see if she has a secret nest