Who has Astralorps?

[pooponshoe]

I have 6 around 10 weeks old. Maybe 3 roosters. Anything I need to know, are they pretty good chickens to raise??

 

[Chickee's Mom]

Hello, I have six also, five hens and a rooster. I bought them when the hens were just starting to lay. They are some of the nicest chickens I own. My Grandsons, ages four and six come and carry the rooster around, he is so tame. The hens are great layers of light brown eggs and also let the kids pick them up.
And they are beautiful, especially in the sunshine.....

 

[rnjane]

I have 3 australops, love them. They are all hens. They are gentle, big birds and give large eggs. I think you will enjoy them.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Very nice chickens. Good egg layers. I would say Medium to Large size. I have 2 of them which are about 3.5 years old and still laying.

 

[Ang]

I love mine! And they are decent setters, too.

 

[SeaChick]

We LUV our Aussie Olympia. Sweetest girl, prettiest eyes, awesome layer.

Olivia

____________
Cool people raise chickens.

 

[jeaucamom]

So does anyone know how to sex them fairly accurately as chicks, or is it a case of wait till they crow or lay??? We have 5 we just hatched out. Thanks.

 

[Chirpy]

I have four Australorp hens that we got as chicks. I actually got five hens but one turned out to be a Roo. It was very obvious with mine that we had a boy by the time he was five weeks old. His comb was much larger and he was larger than the girls.

Our girls are wonderful. They let my children pick them up and pet them any day. I love the beautiful green sheen on their feathers.

Our Roo was also very sweet until he turned about five months old - he became very aggressive to my children. I had to rehome him with a lady that has no children. He never messed with me but our kids weren't safe around him. Our children were never mean or hurtful in anyway to him so I don't know what turned him although when I did an 'unoffical' poll here on BYC I found that most Australorp Roos ended up being mean.

He was the best protector of my flock though. If I didn't have children I would definately have kept him as he did a great job as a Rooster taking care of "his girls".

 

[MandyH]

Jeaucamom, can you post a good pic of the babies so we can see them? I may be able to tell you what they are.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I had a roo! new at 5wks real easy to tell