Australorps breed Thread

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

OK, here is the test batch if I can upload right. These are prime BA's from Tiger Creek, thanks Stan. You can clearly see the difference in the coloring between the 4 and the 1. Does anyone
want to make bets or do we start a pool? Only alot of time will tell so here we go!

 

[tigercreek]

I'll go first, looking at legs only, I'll say from left to right . pullet, 3 cockerels, and pullet, What do I win?? ...stan

 

[WVDan44]

Okay Stan, I'm in. cockerel, three pullets and I'll raise you a cockerel. Just to make it interesting for the viewers.

 

[WVDan44]

I'm looking at the one - and there may be two - that have smoky down on their breast area. Actually there might only be one cockerel or four, if that little difference means anything between the sexes. How's that for a definitive sexing of day old chicks LOL.

 

[WVDan44]

I'll delve into my genetics research material to see if smoky down on breast area means anything, if it expresses in males or females, and if it's sex-linked.

Rattler, do any of the chicks appear darker than others? I definitely see it on 2nd photo on the chick far left, and maybe in photo 1 on the chick far right stretching its neck, or is it the same chick, I don't know.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Click on the pics and they will enlarge. 4 of them are pretty identical with black heads and faces. The one in the back on the right has more white on face around the eye and the lighter down is more yellow than white. We will not know for quite a while because I did not vent sex them.
Also, the method that Aveca posted did not work at all except to freak them all out, go figure.
I am shooting for 4 pullets and 1 cockerel due to the markings, or the other way around, not!!!!!!!

 

[tater1961]

Thanks for the replies. Not sure which direction I'm going to take. I got the BA's for their laying, but the more I read on here i would really like to get some show quailty birds. Time will tell.

 

[aveca]

I'm going to put in my bad guess ..I see 3 pullets and 2 K...

Hope you come back and tell me how bad I did..

 

[groche]

OK, here is the test batch if I can upload right. These are prime BA's from Tiger Creek, thanks Stan. You can clearly see the difference in the coloring between the 4 and the 1. Does anyone
want to make bets or do we start a pool? Only alot of time will tell so here we go!

Ok, Kurt, an Aussie vote. L to R in pic 2, I'd go cockerel, pullet, can't really tell, cockeral and pullet. Mind you, as I've mentioned before, my track record, even with 8 week olds, is lousy. I envy Aveca's success with BA sexing! I've never noticed, nor heard of here, that down color is any indication of sex in BA's. Good luck in Kurt's 'raffle', folks.

 

[aveca]

Has any breeder really studied their BA peeps to determine the cockerels from the pullets? I have my theories but nothing concrete over the past 3 years. I have tried feather sexing and that works most of the time, but not 100 percent. I have also noticed that some peeps have more white on the face than others that have a totally black head. Some have totally dark slate legs and toes and others have slate and more pink on the toes. I have a small batch of 5 that I just hatched and I will compare my theories with another batch that will hatch out in about 10 days and keep y'all up to date if I can determine the boys from the girls when they are very young. Unlike BR's that I can tell in a weeks time who is who, it has sometimes taken me up to 6 to 7 weeks to tell on my BA's. Please feel free to way in on this issue. 

I can hear those K warning calls coming little of the broader if the cat walks into the room..but I can never catch the ones that are doing it.