Australorps breed Thread

[groche]

Glad to hear from you Aveca,
I know you've spruiked Ray's book before and it really should be in any serious Aussie breeder's library. You got it cheap too! Mine cost twice that and our dollars share parity at the moment. The book is the only text on Aussies available. I have lots of shorter articles and breeder contacts that I'll be using as well. Have to be careful of infringing copyright on Ray's book, but I can give you a copy of my summary of his and others' basic breeding advice to use or ignore, as you see fit.
Cheers Geoff

 

[groche]

Hi Bill,
hard to tell from the pic, but the bird in pic 2 seems to have the head of a Utility. The body seems a bit 'rounder' though. Please don't think I'm underestimating your expertise in line breeding, but just thought you might be interested in what I was intending to do. Changed my mind a bit as I seem to have quite a few nice birds coming through in the first generations and this approach is more suited to those with less birds than I have now. I'm going to rely more on tight culling and breeder selection. I'd be using different colored Velcro cable ties rather than the toe punch suggested. Enjoy or ignore as it seems to be the direction you're headed in anyway!





Just popped 70 eggs in the 'bators and I'm off fishing for a few days - a rest from bloody chickens!
Cheers Geoff

 

[lildinkem]

Hi Bill,
hard to tell from the pic, but the bird in pic 2 seems to have the head of a Utility. The body seems a bit 'rounder' though. Please don't think I'm underestimating your expertise in line breeding, but just thought you might be interested in what I was intending to do. Changed my mind a bit as I seem to have quite a few nice birds coming through in the first generations and this approach is more suited to those with less birds than I have now. I'm going to rely more on tight culling and breeder selection. I'd be using different colored Velcro cable ties rather than the toe punch suggested. Enjoy or ignore as it seems to be the direction you're headed in anyway!





Just popped 70 eggs in the 'bators and I'm off fishing for a few days - a rest from bloody chickens!
Cheers Geoff

That is what my APA friend who is a judge was thinking. He prefers the male who looks like his daddy.
I have a toe puncher. But seem to not like it. I may just go with the ties from now on

 

[katschicks11]

I have these 2 australorps that my broody hatched last summer ( hatching eggs from heritage australorps), I thought, I had a boy and girl, because they grew so differently from each other. But I now I think I do have two boys, they are 17 weeks, so if I have two boys,one will have to go to stew-pot. I don't plan on showing, but have fell in love with the breed, so I would like to raise a good quality lorps. So can you helpful folk help me? Are they both boys and how do they look?


He is my boy, started to crow yesterday, he is head over other, has good personalty, taking up a good roo role, but I think his tail is wrong?


This is the other that I have ??? Thinking boy??? I think he looks better but I question his personalty? Ruff to my hens, rushes fence when I go out,more in my space.


them together,left ???, on right my young roo.



I'm still learning, so thanks for any thoughts, Kathy

 

[groche]

Hi Katschicks,
welcome to the thread and to keeping 'lorps. You're the first American I've heard refer to them using this term! Re your birds, it pays to remember that temperament is a heretable feature. 'lorp roos don't have a rep. here, like RIR for example, for being aggressive, though you'll get rogues in any breed. The only way I'd keep the nasty one would be if he was a far superior specimen in other respects. Aveca, a regular on here, is dealing with this problem with her boy. In your case, as you don't intend to show, the choice is simple. Breed from the nice guy and name the other one Stew! Stew has a bit of a 'henny' tail anyway. Although your nice guy is never going to compete on the show circuit with the likes of the bird in my avatar, he's quite a typical Utility roo. Compare him with some of the pics on here of early strains and you'll see what I mean.
Cheers Geoff from Aus

 

[katschicks11]

Thanks for the reply Geoff, I have admired the pictures of the Australian lorps a lot, like your good lookin guy on your avatar.
I've only had chickens for a year, I started with 4 australorp pullets, (was not a breed that was on my list to get, but they were the ones available when my coop was done) but I'm glad I did, they are great. On my avatar are my 3 remaining hens, after I got them, I new they was hatchery, but still good hens.

The one we're gonna call stew you said he has a henny tail, so does this mean your pretty sure he's a boy? I had thought for a long time he was a girl, until lately I've had my ??? The reason I changed my mind was to me it looks like he has saddle feathers and his tail feathers are more pointed then rounded like my other girls. But he was too be heritage for what that means?

From following this thread, it looks to be a difference between Australian lorps and those in America, and even show breed standards (not to start any fights) I guess their are several trying to get them back to their original standards in the U.S. ?

I'm going to keep following and learning, Thanks for you help. Kathy

 

[groche]

Hi Kathy,
wish my avatar was my boy, but alas! I do have some of the blood,however. I'm not at all sure that Stew is a boy. With most it's pretty easy to tell, but you can get some 'confused' ones. It's hard from pics and I confess that I don't find sexing young birds easy sometimes. Stew has a tail a bit like your girls, but the head and behaviour suggest boy. Pullets are not usually aggressive. Guess it'll tell you if it crows! I'd still call it Stew, whatever it is. My understanding is that there's not that much difference between the Standards. I suggest that you browse the thread and many of your queries will be answered. Feel free to ask anything though. Don't be afraid of appearing 'dumb.' We all start somewhere and you'll find very supportive folk on here. Most anyway!
Cheers Geoff

 

[groche]

Hi folks,
please tell me you weren't blown away in the storm. I'm concerned, as most of you have stopped posting. I post the following for interest/comment and it's in no way a recommendation! It's from a book called "The International Poultry Book", published here in the 1930's. If Walt's reading, I don't think they meant the American/Canadian Poultry Book. Ha! Ha! Seriously though, anyone heard of this? " To secure more colour in the plumage of Orpingtons and other breeds requiring green sheen, the feeding of sulphur before the last feathering is recommended. Start with a saltspoonful a day and increase the dose to up to a teaspoonful to be given in the mash. Done in Summer to early Autumn(Fall)". Certainly don't have a sheen problem myself with 'lorps, but it may be relevant to some Orp. strains. Stop 'em getting a few diseases anyway, if it didn't kill 'em!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

 

[groche]

Hi again Kathy,
as you're breeding for pleasure and you appear to have some nice Utility girls, might I suggest that you breed a little more seriously for the strain you have. Utility 'lorps gained a rep. for great egglaying and it'd be sad to lose this, as has happened to a certain extent with our Exhibition birds. The egglaying ability was the result of very large and widescale selection. ie. they only bred from the best layers! By all means, get tips on selecting goodlookin' birds from those you breed, but have egglaying standards and only hatch from eggs layed by birds that meet them. For me, anything under 4-5 eggs per week is an unacceptible Utility 'lorp to breed from. As you've only got 3 girls, it shouldn't be too hard to id which egg comes from which girl. If you have trouble, try putting different colored food dye around the vent. It should smear the eggs that color. Or, you could ignore this and just enjoy whatever happens!
Cheers Geoff

 

[groche]

Hi again,
as I'm trying to sex young birds at the moment, thought I'd share some advice I've received.
- don't rely on the 'cockerals have larger combs and wattles earlier' theory. This only works for some strains.
- young pullets tend to sprout tails earlier than cockerals (not what I'd have thought!)
- pullets tend to feather up quicker, while cockerals tend to retain bald patches for longer.
- at around 9 weeks, you might notice that pullets tend to have developed pink combs and wattles, whilst cockerals still have 'yellowy' faces at this time.
Certainly don't endorse any of this from experience but, looking closely at my birds for these features, some of the above differences are obvious. Whether they mean anything, only time will tell. Be interested in any of you folks' experiences of trying these sexing theories.
Cheers Geoff from Aus