3 Young, Blue Australorp Gentlemen, Keeping Two

[SourRoses]

I really like #2.
Heavy is good and easy to lose in dual purpose.
Looking closely at his tail, it's just only partially grown yet. Which tracks with what I've noticed in our bigger birds, they often save the finishing feathers for last because they're using the nutrients on mass.

I also think his comb looks nicer than #3, because his prongs / spikes (? lol) are more even.
#3 has a much higher middle to his comb which gives a rather rounded look to it overall.

Just my inexpert opinion <3

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

I really like #2.
Heavy is good and easy to lose in dual purpose.
Looking closely at his tail, it's just only partially grown yet. Which tracks with what I've noticed in our bigger birds, they often save the finishing feathers for last because they're using the nutrients on mass.

I also think his comb looks nicer than #3, because his prongs / spikes (? lol) are more even.
#3 has a much higher middle to his comb which gives a rather rounded look to it overall.

Just my inexpert opinion <3

I agree. If the “white shimmer” isn’t a concern, I like #2.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Another vote for #2. Hands down.

I like his size, I like the nice wide square back, and that first profile picture just looks gorgeous! I was told a couple things to look for - the dark eye. None of these boys have it, but the light eye in #1 is really striking, even though I like his coloring. Somehow it's more subtle in #2 and possibly #3.

Also, combs should have 5-7... Prongs? OMG words. Teeth? Whatever. So for my taste anyway, (if I ever get to breed lol) I am going to prefer to breed birds with the nice even, balanced looking, more like 5-pronged combs, which I think I've noticed tend to also closer to the head, over the ones with meaty, flappier combs, or looking like many little spikey teeth. I hope you can understand my English. It's past my bedtime apparently. But I would maybe start looking out for the dark eyes in the hens and breed those mamas? I don't know how eye color and comb shape is passed on...

 

[SourRoses]

Also, combs should have 5-7... Prongs? OMG words. Teeth? Whatever.

You're as bad as me!
We totally need to find out what these are called

@NatJ , would you help us out please?

 

[NatJ]

You're as bad as me!
We totally need to find out what these are called

@NatJ , would you help us out please?

"Points" seems to be commonly used.

Here is an Australian standard for Australorps as an example:
http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp
"Comb... evenly serrated, with four to six distinct points..."

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

"Points" seems to be commonly used.

Here is an Australian standard for Australorps as an example:
http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp
"Comb... evenly serrated, with four to six distinct points..."

Ooh! Thanks! There ya go. So I think ours is 5-7 but that's interesting yours goes down to only four. Four is very different from seven.

ETA: Please don't quote me on the SOP though, I might be totally off. Lol

 

[NatJ]

Ooh! Thanks! There ya go. So I think ours is 5-7 but that's interesting yours goes down to only four. Four is very different from seven.

ETA: Please don't quote me on the SOP though, I might be totally off. Lol

It's not really "mine," as I live in the USA, just like you and @3KillerBs

I was quoting an Australian standard just because it was easy to access online, and showed that someone official was calling those things on the comb "points."

 

[3KillerBs]

It's not really "mine," as I live in the USA, just like you and @3KillerBs

I was quoting an Australian standard just because it was easy to access online, and showed that someone official was calling those things on the comb "points."

Actually, I mainly use the Australian standard because I don't have easy access to the US standard.

(Somewhere in my boxes of books in the different sheds I actually do have a REALLY OLD copy of the US SOP).

 

[3KillerBs]

I said I'd reveal my preference after getting some comments.

I prefer #2, Pink/Green because he's more solid and broader in the back.

The helpful people here in this section of the forums have taught me to see that my birds run narrower in the tail than is desirable so I want to keep my wider male.

 

[SourRoses]

I feel like all of us who picked the same as you should get cookies. I like chocolate chip. Or macadamia nut.