Australorps breed Thread

[groche]

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

Hi Ross,
think I posted this earlier, but interested in your thoughts. Comes from an old book called "The International Poultry Book". "To secure more colour in the plumage of Black 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 mash. Done in late summer to mid autumn(fall)".
Cheers Geoff

 

[aveca]

Thank you Ross and Geoff..this has been a subject we have brought up several times..your input is very helpful to a lot of people ...I have a lot of green sheen here or flat black..I feed scrambled eggs to recovering birds from molt which contain sulfer ..

had one cockeral that developed a few purple barring on sholders after a predetor attack..he was depressed as his pullet was killed wouldnt eat for a 2 week period but recovered after wounds healed and gave him some new freinds....I know they call it stress barring ..there were three feathers that emerged after that attack with the barring..

 

[ocap]

Question?
Is the broody gene carried in the hen or rooster?

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

so my 3 hatchery BA's are about 3 weeks old and starting to really feather out nicely. Im just curious, as these are hatchery stock, what "flaws" should i expect to see in them? I am wanting to get seom breeding stock, and possibly show down the line but dont have any experience with this breed and am wanting to start training my eye.

im familiar with pinched tail being a predominate flaw in most hatchery stock of barred rocks, is this something that BA's are prone to as well? Just trying to kinda get an idea of what is right/wrong/standard/non-standard of this breed on a breeder/hatchery stand point.


PS. im not trying to "ruffle and feathers" or anything, just want some input from those with experience!

Bank tellers are not given counterfeit money to study. They are given the real money. So when they spot a counterfeit they know it. If you want to show the Australorp "down the road" you should start with the best stock you can find. Then when you see one that looks off Standard, you will know it.

 

[bonnylass79]

my ausies are gaining such personalities. one of my 3 will come right up and inspect my hand when i change their water while the rest go cower in the corner like im a beast or something. he (i call them all he so that i can play the odds with me being wrong, lol) will even let me pet him on occasion! loving this breed and cant wait to see what they turn into...still planning on getting some quality stock in the future but these 3 i have now are great!

Mine think anything white must be bread. They tried to snatch gauze from the vet one time. lol

 

[RossAussie]

Hi Ross,
think I posted this earlier, but interested in your thoughts. Comes from an old book called "The International Poultry Book". "To secure more colour in the plumage of Black 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 mash. Done in late summer to mid autumn(fall)".
Cheers Geoff

G’day Geoff,
I’ve read in many of my old books and publications about a few old poultrymen giving their fowls sulphur. They did this because Sulphur appears to turn green when moist. My late mother was always against giving Sulphur to the fowls as she always felt it wasn’t the best additive to give internally to any living thing. It does have its positive uses in some gardening conditions, and some external wounds.

Sulphur can cause irritations of the eyes and the throat with animals, when the uptake takes place through inhalation of sulphur in the gaseous phase, therefore I wouldn’t be adding it to water or feed. The damaging effects of sulphur with animals are mostly brain damage, through malfunctioning of the hypothalamus, and damage to the nervous system.

I have read many veterinary books regarding laboratory tests with test animals and they have indicated that sulphur can cause serious vascular damage in veins of the brains, the heart and the kidneys. These tests have also indicated that certain forms of sulphur can cause foetal damage to the eggs and congenital effects.

Therefore I will stick to my natural methods, even though Sulphur is a natural mined substance, of Corn Oil and the edible oils used in the enhancement of coats of show cattle and horses.

Regards

Ross

 

[bruceha2000]

I got way behind so I'm not even going to try to read through all I've missed. But I thought I'd pop in and post a couple of pics of eggs my B.A.s laid Tuesday.

Just to make Zorra's egg look even more massive than it is, I added a Cubalaya egg

Zorra's average, brought up a bit by the occasional huge egg, is about 65 grams. Mostly she lays 62 to 64 grams.

Zorra - BA - 90 grams, Peep - Cubalaya - 38 grams, Echo - BA - 56 grams - about her usual size.





Bruce

 

[RossAussie]

Question?
Is the broody gene carried in the hen or rooster?

G'day,
I have no idea about the gene carrier, but when I get a broody hen and I want her off the brood I place them in a large hanging parrot cage, out of any harsh weather, and make it as uncomfortable for them as possible. They soon go off the brood.

Regards,

Ross

 

[RossAussie]

Bank tellers are not given counterfeit money to study. They are given the real money. So when they spot a counterfeit they know it. If you want to show the Australorp "down the road" you should start with the best stock you can find. Then when you see one that looks off Standard, you will know it.

G’day,

That advice above is excellent. There's an old saying quoted by many old farmers and that is, "It costs exactly the same to feed good quality stock as it does average and poor quality stock, so start with the best quality initially to avoid disappointments later down the track.”

If your dream is to show good quality Australorps, or any breed for that matter, take your time and go to poultry shows even if it’s a long distance away. Seek the top breeders and exhibitors, save up that little extra money, and buy their fowls that they are showing or breeding with. That way you’ll get an immediate start to possibly good bloodlines.
I know you’ll say it costs more initially, but buying chickens from hatcheries who are there just to make a profit is, in my eyes, just a waste of money if you want good show stock.

The secret to buying the top stock is time and research. Also buying cheap culls is simply a waste of money as many have faults. I’ve always said when people select my fowls, “Long after the price is forgotten the quality still remains.”

Regards,

Ross

 

[groche]

G’day Geoff,
I’ve read in many of my old books and publications about a few old poultrymen giving their fowls sulphur. They did this because Sulphur appears to turn green when moist. My late mother was always against giving Sulphur to the fowls as she always felt it wasn’t the best additive to give internally to any living thing. It does have its positive uses in some gardening conditions, and some external wounds.

Sulphur can cause irritations of the eyes and the throat with animals, when the uptake takes place through inhalation of sulphur in the gaseous phase, therefore I wouldn’t be adding it to water or feed. The damaging effects of sulphur with animals are mostly brain damage, through malfunctioning of the hypothalamus, and damage to the nervous system.

I have read many veterinary books regarding laboratory tests with test animals and they have indicated that sulphur can cause serious vascular damage in veins of the brains, the heart and the kidneys. These tests have also indicated that certain forms of sulphur can cause foetal damage to the eggs and congenital effects.

Therefore I will stick to my natural methods, even though Sulphur is a natural mined substance, of Corn Oil and the edible oils used in the enhancement of coats of show cattle and horses.

Regards

Ross

Thanks Ross,
thought it sounded a bit dicey. After your advice I certainly won't be feeding sulphur.
Cheers Geoff