Australorps breed Thread

[Junibutt]

Juni,
First of all that cross is a crossbreed not a hybrid. A hybrid is a horse and a donkey to make a mule. Two diferent species not breeds is what makes a hybrid.
If you have a copy of APA SOP then you will see the differences and they are many. It will take about 5 generations of offspring to get anything that is supposed to look like an SOP American Australorp which is even different from the original Australian Australorp. If you look at the pictures in your SOP you will see that an Aussie is a slimmer version of a fluffy Orp (laymans term).
In laymans terms, that means Aussies have longer backs, different degree tail angles, larger combs, etc they are just not the same bird. If you are trying to make a Mottled Australorp don't waste your time. The mottled gene affects the legs that will be mottled instead of slate gray and the eye color will be totally wrong. The eyes will be red instead of black or dark brown. So what color are you thinking of inventing or is it a secret?
Kurt

Hi Kurt,

I am not an expert so just used the term which everyone else had been using while working with "Legbar Hybrids". Anyways thanks for pointing it out. I am also not a professional breeder so just doing it for my own satisfaction, however if something comes along that is interesting for everyone, why not. I also live in a congested city so there are limits to what I can do, including having to hide the roosters at night etc to avoid neighbors complaining.

And its not a secret or invention. Someone probably already has done it but I just can't seem to find anyone who has. So decided to do it myself all over again to make Chocolate Australorps.
I do have an sweet black Aussie which I bred with a chocolate cuckoo Orpington rooster and have black cuckoo cockerel crosses as a result. Very aware of a the challenge that it may take 5 generations or so to get an Australorp like body. However, the Orpington rooster I chose, looked less English, so hoping that will help. Here is a picture of the rooster for your comments. I also have a mauve orpington rooster that could have given me other colors as well but he is just too much of an English Orpington. Inserting his picture as well.

Question reference mottled. Lets say one did work on a mottled project and does not hope to be recognized by APA, then does it matter, what color the eyes are? I don't think APA is going to recognize my chocolate or mauve Aussies anyways!


Junaid

P.S. English Orpington are one of the least intelligent chicken I have found, I hope the cross will not bring the dumbness into Aussies.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Juni,
Good to hear from you. I actually like the looks of the Blue cross you are going to use, he just needs a longer back. I agree with you he definitely looks more Aussie than Orp. I guess you are calling the light gray or blue bird a mauve? The other cockerel or cock bird is most definitely a cuckoo pattern. You can breed anything you like, they are your birds, I was just trying to save you some grief. We all are guilty of trying to reinvent the wheel, but most ideas and colors have already been tried. I just wish more people, including myself, could work on some of the old breeds that are disappearing due to crossing and color interests, but they are hard to come by.
Kurt

 

[RossB]

We hatched Black Australorps eggs 9 weeks ago. After our Welsummer hatch that only netted 4 hens out of 11 chicks, it looks like we have 6 Australorps pullets out of 10 chicks that hatched. A much happier ratio! I decided to only keep one Welsummer rooster and will not be keeping an Australorp roo. There are 4 of the Australorps that show some red comb and wattle development at 9 weeks, while the other 6 show no development or pronounced color in this area. Am I safe in assuming that these are Roos and likely the only Roos? The city we live in has restrictions on the total number of chickens you can keep and we are over the limit and need to start thinning the flock.

 

[jbkirk]

We hatched Black Australorps eggs 9 weeks ago. After our Welsummer hatch that only netted 4 hens out of 11 chicks, it looks like we have 6 Australorps pullets out of 10 chicks that hatched. A much happier ratio! I decided to only keep one Welsummer rooster and will not be keeping an Australorp roo. There are 4 of the Australorps that show some red comb and wattle development at 9 weeks, while the other 6 show no development or pronounced color in this area. Am I safe in assuming that these are Roos and likely the only Roos? The city we live in has restrictions on the total number of chickens you can keep and we are over the limit and need to start thinning the flock.

It is safe to say that those are cockerels, but there can always be late bloomers among the "pullets"

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Yep, at 9 weeks the cockerels definitely stick out with the pinkish comb and wattles.
Kurt

 

[RossB]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully the 6 that we think are girls will stay as such!

 

[kekstrom]

Betty, or as she has earned this past week, "Betty the Brave". She has gained a lot of confidence and does not shy away from the bigger chicks, and they don't mind her either. I even watched her steal away a worm from the big chicks and hold her own. Yum!

4 weeks:

 

[MonicainAZ]

Betty is such a cute little fluff ball!

 

[ponchu]

Hi everyone, newbie here
I have a question, but not sure which thread to post in. I'll start here since I've got Australorps.

I bought two 12 weeks old pullet hens a week ago. They came from a winery where the owner let them free range in the vineyard. They were raised by a broody and not handled by people much at all.

For the last 3 days, I've been getting into the run once a day and sit on the ground to offer them treat. Their favourite treat is sprouted wheat, and I clink the china dish with a spoon before I feed it to them, so they should hopefully associat that noise with the treat. They're getting closer, and even took some sprouts off my hand and pecked at my shoes, but still very skittish.

If I keep doing what I'm doing, do you think they'll warm up to me, or will they always be skittish? I chose Australorp because I heard they're laid-back and good with kids. My 4 year old daughter wants to pat them but they're nowhere near ready for that kind of contact.

They've been free-ranged before, so obviously very keen to get out of the run into the garden. But I'm guessing that if I let them out now, I'd have to chase them around to get them back into the run/coop, and that's not a good idea. Or will they go back into the run on their own if I put some treat in there?

Any suggestinos/tips would be much appreciated!

BTW, they're indifferent to dried mealworms or live earthworms - they eat them eventually, but no sign of excitement what so ever...

 

[appps]

We bought 11 week old faverolles that never had much human contact and I did the same thing with them and they eventually became very friendly pets. Remember that young birds,even hand raised ones are much jumper than adults too.

I would keep them locked up till they are absolutely sure where bed is and are putting themselves to bed in their house each night. A few weeks at least. Then I'd probably put some sort of cheap wire and tomatoe stake run out into the yard and let them in that for a bit. Remember that the smaller or younger they are the more likely something is going to swoop down and eat one.