I found the first Australorp egg the other day and was surprised to see it was a different color of brown than the Orpingtons’ light brown eggs. It’s a deep, reddish-brown, and large for a first egg. I have heard the eggs lighten up as the hens age, which will be a shame. It’s a beautiful rich tint, like a strong cup of China black.
There are 3 Buff Orpingtons in our flock as well as the 3 Black Australorps and two Easter Eggers. The EE’s green-blue eggs are easy to pick out and it’s nice to know, now, that I’ll be able to tell the “lorps’ eggs from the Orps’ eggs making it possible to keep track of who’s laying how many and when. Not that I’m a real farmer or anything, but, well, curious minds want to know.
The Australorps are an Australian chicken bred from the Black Orpington, which put the “orp” in “Australorp”. It is a good dual purpose bird (meat and eggs) and a particularly dependable layer, by reputation. I hope this last is true for my trio, as I don’t plan to use them for meat. They are relatively calm but not as sociable with people as my Orpingtons. They seem to get along well with the other breeds and among themselves. I love the green “beetle” sheen on their black feathers, and the black sets off the scarlet combs to perfection.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Ever since the 9-11 (dog) attack, we haven’t had a single egg from our hens. We’re having to feed them more, since snow covers the ground. I keep thinking about charging the neighbors (the unsaintly bernard owners) for the eggs I buy at the store…
Congratulations on your eggs. At some point, you may even be able to identify past the breed, and down to the hen herself. We were usually able to tell, and it was kind of a nice way to be sure that all the hens were healthy and in “working order.”
ivory, you’ve done it again.
your writing and artistry are maturing so beautifully.
what a treat your posts are.
thanks for doing what you are doing.
I just love brown eggs. I love fresh eggs period. I am so glad you have the opportunity to raise your chickens. About twenty years ago I raised chickens. My husband made me this chicken house that looked like it came out of a “Cat in the Hat” book. LOL I was so proud of that house and those darn chickens. I even tried to use one for meat because I had far to many roosters, but I proved that I could not stomach that chore. Literally. I miss those chickens, but no time for that right now. Maybe when I retire. Thank you for sharing. Thanks for bringing back good memories as well.
Melissa
I’ve never really thought about different chickens before….I just get my eggs…but now I wonder what sort of chickens my eggs come from???? Maybe I should ask the guy up the road who supplies me with my lovely free range eggs!!!
I can see why you might be proud of your little chooks…what a pretty egg! We’ve found that coloring brown eggs from my mom’s chickens at Easter results in real deep tints. They can be quite pretty. Talking about the breeds reminds me of when mom was choosing what chickens to get…she had a poster of breeds that she and dad referred to as the ‘chicken centerfold’! I really enjoy your blog…not only the information but the enthusiasm you have for your very varied projects. It gets me all revved up to try new DIY things…so thank you!
We have Australorp crosses and they are very robust, reliable layers. They have very big eggs and have not had an ounce of ill health. We have another batch of Austrlorp day olds coming very soon. They have been slow to catch on to eating snails but love the corby grubs. We have their pen situated around the apple tree and never have a problem with coddling moth. Really love this bird.
KAT- the dog attack probably upset the chooks significantly but with the onset of winter, they would be off the lay anyway now, unless you use artificial lighting? I’m sure when the days get longer again they’ll start laying their heads off. Be interested to know how you keep chickens in snow conditions. It gets cold here (Tasmania Australia) and snows on the mountains but not in our backyards. Our chooks are kept in a tin shed that has been wood lined and in the Autumn I get in a few bales of straw to stack on the outside of the shed for extra insulation.
That’s interesting that the egg was so dark. Our two Australorps lay light pinkish brown eggs with white speckling. Maybe a difference in the line they were bred from? Our Reds and Sex-links lay darker brown eggs, though…very pretty.
I have three Indian Runner duck hens, less than a year old, and I STILL can’t figure out whose laying which eggs! All my eggs are tourquise in color, but go from pale to very dark in color. Some are very round in shape (closer to a circle) and others have nearly a point on one end. Then….on rare occassions, I get the double-yolker (my son LOVES those). Sure makes the act of scrambling eggs much more fun.
TANYA:
We have three hens, and last winter we had an egg or two per day, with no artificial lighting.
The gals have a very nice insulated coop with a heat lamp, but they refuse to use it.
They roost overnight on a trellis, over which we finally put a little roof (plywood scrap braced with other wood scraps). They also have a small shelter I originally built to house our trash and recycle containers. I keep the shelter full of straw, and that’s where they spend most of their time. My latest fave is a water bowl that plugs into an electrical outlet and keeps the water in a liquid state. Solid-state water was the bane of my existence last year.
Because the gals refuse to use the coop, they all suffered a bit of frostbite during a particular cold spell last winter, located solely on their combs, but seem none-the-worse for wear for their stupidity.
I plan on doing a post about our winter chicken set-up, but first I want to clean the pen up a little bit. And wait for the hens to finish healing and molting. It’s all a little sorry looking right now!