Question 1

Are Black Australorps friendly?

Accepted Answer

Although they are fairly calm, I wouldn't describe them as friendly. They don't seem to mind you being nearby (as long as you're not trying to catch them), but they don't seem to like being handled. And they lack the curiosity that some chickens seem to have that would make them more friendly.

Question 2

At What Age Do Black Australorps Start Laying?

Accepted Answer

Ours typically begin laying at around 6 months of age (26 weeks). But that's going to be somewhat dependent on the time of year that you hatch them, the weather, and other factors.

For a more in-depth answer, please see my article on when do Black Australorps start laying.

Question 3

What color eggs do Black Australorps lay?

Accepted Answer

Egg color is typically a medium brown. Neither extremely light nor extremely dark. But that said, egg color varies quite a bit. We occasionally have a hen that lays nearly white eggs.

Question 4

How Do You Tell if a Chick is Male or Female?

Accepted Answer

With Black Australorps, it's really hard to tell at first, but as you gain experience raising them, you can start to tell at younger and younger ages.

Regardless of gender, they look pretty similar. When I first began to raise them, I couldn't tell males from females until they reached about 12-14 weeks of age. Now I can tell much more accurately starting around 4 weeks old. There will be a few that are hard to tell until they are older.

Once you've been raising them for a while, you start to recognize the subtle differences between both behavior and appearance. The males are more aggressive. They are more likely to spar with each other at a young age. Their comb also begins to develop more quickly.

Often the ability to tell them apart is somewhat intuitive. You may not be able to exactly put your finger on how you are telling the difference, but when you look at one and take into account how he looks and behaves, you are fairly certain he is male.

That said, there are still some slower-to-mature males that are really hard to distinguish from the females until they are older.

Question 5

Are Australorps Loud?

Accepted Answer

It varies. I wouldn't say that they are exceptionally loud, but we have occasionally had a much louder than normal hen.

Normally the hens are pretty quite.

The roosters are loud and crow a fair amount, like most breeds. Their crowing is not just restricted to sunrise, but they crow throughout the day.

Farmstead Chickens

Chicken Breeds

Black Australorps

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