Australorps breed Thread

[KnobbyOaks]

The Green comes from their oil glands.

I did not know that. See? Learn something every day.

 

[bayoudragon]

Four days! It took me four days, but I managed to get through the entire thread. So much information!

 

[Cockle-Dood]

Four days! It took me four days, but I managed to get through the entire thread. So much information!

im still on page 25 lol!

 

[cnd0020]

I've got 12 Australorp chicks, as well as 12 Anconas and 12 Barred Rocks coming in a few weeks. It'll be our first go at raising chickens! We can't wait!

 

[ronott1]

I've got 12 Australorp chicks, as well as 12 Anconas and 12 Barred Rocks coming in a few weeks. It'll be our first go at raising chickens! We can't wait!

To Chickens!

 

[RossAussie]

Ross,
How did you guys come up with the white BA? Was it a sport of the blacks or was something else mixed in?

Hall family,
That is an awesome looking BA bantam. Congrats to Marguerite.

G'day,
The Large White Australorp was actually a "sport" and there were well attended classes of them in the early 1950's. Somewhere I saw a picture of the late Athol Giles judging a large class of pullets around 1952.
The Bantams and Large that you see these days are a made up fowl from years and years of perserverance by a few dedicated breeders. The Large are crucially rare, the Bantams are more prolific. Most of the blood used over the years to "make" them have been White Langshan and White Orpington.The better ones have those lovely round black eyes and are almost true to type, but they still need a lot of work.
The Australian Poultry Standards accepted the White Australorp into their book in 2012.

Congrats to Marguerite on the big win.

Regards from Ross

 

[RossAussie]

The Green comes from their oil glands. Green is good!

G'day,

There are a few little tricks to enhance the beetle green sheen as Ron is absolutely correct. The oil glands secrete and promote the sheen.
I use corn oil and another oil that is used to enhance the coats of show horses mixed sparingly in their feed. I'll feed this to my selected show birds up to four weeks prior to a show and that enhances the sheen. You have to be very careful not to give them too much as it can sometimes send them into a forced moult. Good Australorps should have a natural beetle green sheen.

Regards,

Ross

 

[KnobbyOaks]

G'day,

There are a few little tricks to enhance the beetle green sheen as Ron is absolutely correct. The oil glands secrete and promote the sheen.
I use corn oil and another oil that is used to enhance the coats of show horses mixed sparingly in their feed. I'll feed this to my selected show birds up to four weeks prior to a show and that enhances the sheen. You have to be very careful not to give them too much as it can sometimes send them into a forced moult. Good Australorps should have a natural beetle green sheen.

Regards,

Ross

Very interesting. If you don't mind, I'm going to save this trick until tomorrow so I have something I can learn tomorrow.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:

We can only handle so much new information in a day.

The green sheen is one of my favorite things about Australorps!

 

[luluann]

Well I'm trying to upload pictures and it will not let me. Wish there was a way to email them. Is there?