Peloquin Homestead

The black pearl of ornithology – Australorp chickens, were bred by Australian ornithologists at the beginning of the 19th century by crossing aboriginal birds with British Orpingtons, from where they quickly gained fame and spread throughout the world.

Description of appearance
Australorp chicken breed is a strong, stocky bird with a dense body weighing: male ~4 kg, laying hen ~3 kg. Birds of this family flaunt an original coloring – black and emerald shimmer.

Eyes with brown lining and dark brown iris. By six months, the weight of the male is ~2.2 kg of pure meat, the weight of the gutted adult carcass is ~4 kg.

Character
The bird’s undoubted advantage is its wonderful, naturally balanced character. It is able to get along well with relatives of other crosses, is non-conflicting, and is friendly to its owners.

Australorp black hens adapt well to the conditions of individual, herd or cage keeping. Due to such versatility and non-conflict, they do not cause any worries to their owners.

Egg production
Australope is a breed of chickens, the description of which suggests that it is quite profitable to keep. The bird reaches reproductive age at six months, this factor is directly dependent on the lighting regime.

According to numerous reviews of the owners of this wonderful feathered beauty, data on its egg production is known, which reaches ~250-300 eggs per year, with a standard of ~200 and recorded records of ~364. The weight of the eggs is average, ~55-65 grams, by old age the laying hen can give double-yolk eggs.

Breeding Features
A family of Australian black hen chickens consists of the main male and 10-15 females, it is recommended to sometimes keep one or two spare leaders separately. Referring to information about the calm nature, it is worth remembering – the heads of families are distinguished by greater weight and are much more active than girlfriends.

Experienced poultry farmers advise leaving a late-maturing cockerel in the flock that meets the standard – sometimes, with low reproductive capacity of the main forwards, they have to be replaced.

Offspring
It is logical to move from the question of egg production to a discussion of the characteristics of the offspring. The chicks are distinguished by their early maturity, excellent immune system and exceptional adaptability to environmental conditions.
The key for them is also the temperature regime, which should be kept moderate, without turning into soft.
Another notable detail that requires close attention is late culling. It is characterized by white plumage, which almost always disappears after the completion of the juvenile molt stage, and a lightened iris with faded metatarsus, which darken with age in chicks.

Maintenance, diet, location
Representatives of the Australian chicken class are not picky about their diet and differ little from their relatives. The main menu of the feathered animal contains the same feed mixtures, greens, root vegetables, etc. The food set of an adult livestock should include in abundance:
-Beets;
-Greens;
-Carrots;
-Cereals;
-Dairy products;
-Potatoes and their boiled peelings;
-Fish scraps, freed from bones.
In winter, pets should be provided with eggshells – a source of calcium and given sand to aid digestion.

When keeping on the floor, you need to monitor the humidity of the litter, keeping it dry. This is extremely important, since if the humidity level is exceeded, the litter contributes to the development of harmful and dangerous microorganisms for the bird.

Chickens also love to take regular baths from a mixture of fine dry sand and ash. This mixture helps prevent parasitic infestations.