need help distinguishing sex of australorps.

[jamieledford]

we have three black australorps and we think we have two hens and one rooster but all the pictures we have looked at show roosters with bigger tail feathers. we have one that has very short tail feathers and two that have longer tail feathers but not quite rooster length. they are about six months old. we get two to three eggs a day and usually two in one hen box. there are four boxes, is it common for two hens to lay in the same box? also, we have witnessed one of the chickens trying to mate with another hence the reason for believing that we have one rooster.

 

[QueenMisha]

You have three pullets.

 

[appps]

At six months of age if you had a rooster it would be crowing on and off all day long. If it's not crowing it's not a rooster.

If you get three eggs a day you have three hens. They only lay one egg in a 24 hr period (yes I know it's not exactly 24 hrs). If you are regularly getting 3 eggs it's because 3 chickens are laying. It's common for one now and then to go a little longer between eggs so that's why sometimes you only get two.

Yes it common for them to all use the same box. As a general rule, the more boxes you give them the more likely they will ignore all but one and all squish into it together ;-). Sort of Murphy's law for chickens.

As for the mating, yeah it happens now and then just like mares or cows jump up on other mares and cows. It's also possible the one on top was simply trying to convince the one on the bottom she is below her in social standing.

 

[Michael OShay]

All three are pullets. )

 

[donrae]

All three are female

 

[PoultryQueen101]

At six months of age if you had a rooster it would be crowing on and off all day long. If it's not crowing it's not a rooster.

If you get three eggs a day you have three hens. They only lay one egg in a 24 hr period (yes I know it's not exactly 24 hrs). If you are regularly getting 3 eggs it's because 3 chickens are laying. It's common for one now and then to go a little longer between eggs so that's why sometimes you only get two.

Yes it common for them to all use the same box. As a general rule, the more boxes you give them the more likely they will ignore all but one and all squish into it together ;-). Sort of Murphy's law for chickens.

As for the mating, yeah it happens now and then just like mares or cows jump up on other mares and cows. It's also possible the one on top was simply trying to convince the one on the bottom she is below her in social standing.

X2 but the crowing bit. I have a 9 month old RC Rhode Island Red Cockerel (actually 2 but the other is 8 months) that have never crowed in their lives. The younger one I would assume is do to his more dominant pen partner, but the latter lives alone.

 

[Michael OShay]

X2 but the crowing bit. I have a 9 month old RC Rhode Island Red Cockerel (actually 2 but the other is 8 months) that have never crowed in their lives. The younger one I would assume is do to his more dominant pen partner, but the latter lives alone.

Agreed. I've had the rare Australorp over the years that was nearly a year old before he crowed.

 

[appps]

Agreed. I've had the rare Australorp over the years that was nearly a year old before he crowed.

Interesting. Our rooster was crowing by 13-16 weeks.

 

[BantamLover21]

Pullets.

 

[drumstick diva]

3 pullets