Australorps breed Thread

[MeanV2]

that is a big problem in US australorp..too many points..something that needs to be fixed over time..Bob whitney has it pretty much under control he gets between 4 and 8 LOL...I will be going up to his farm in oct so will get some close up pics..it just takes a while to work it out..

I have 11 cockerels out of Gilbert chicks and the most points I have is 6. There are several with 4 and a few with even 3!

Dan

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Good advice Stan,
I have been considering it for a while. I have 5 different coops and dog kennels along with grow up pens and about 6 separate brooders. I just did a major culling and selling so I am down to about 24 birds. I still have the Duane Urch, Tigercreek, and Hupp Farm lines separated.
Kurt

 

[aveca]

I have 11 cockerels out of Gilbert chicks and the most points I have is 6. There are several with 4 and a few with even 3!

Dan

awsome! keepers!

 

[fowlmouthgirls]

My girls are 6 weeks now, hopin the one with the bigger comb is still an Alice not an Alex!

 

[Dianne88]

Pics of my 6 week old Australorp, hope shes a she, what do you guys think??

 

[tigercreek]

She's a cutie. Very feminine....... stan

Pics of my 6 week old Australorp, hope shes a she, what do you guys think??

 

[RoseMarie1]

I love my Australorps! They were ultra friendly chicks and are very nice as they have gotten older. They are a bit wild as they live with guineas and they are bossy to my Brahmas, but protective of my new Australorp x marans.

His tail feathers have grown out quite a bit since then.

This is Doc, our free ranging roo, who plucks his tail feathers....

Hoping to hatch some chicks out soon.....

Have you done any research on this? It might be that he's needing some sort of nutrient he's not getting?

 

[RossAussie]

G'day,

I noticed that a few people had issues with Mareks Disease and I tried to post a pdf file here, but the BYC system wont allow me to add it, so I've posted some excerpts from one of my presentation at a Seminar that I did in 2010.

The original paper has many various photographs and is 8 pages, so if someone knows how to add a pdf file here, I'm happy to email it off.

I'm sorry it's so long and is boring to some folks, but this will give you an idea of what I do here. I appreciate that some of the procedures listed are from Australian suppliers, but I'm sure you can adapt the practices using compatible USA products.

Most of the inoculations we use are from the Fort Dodge Company in the USA.

Kind regards,

Ross
​

Do I really need to Protect my Chicks by Vaccination?​

This is a question often asked and depending upon whom you talk to, is certain to be met with variable views. There are those that believe selective breeding for resistance is the answer and others that see no other option other than to vaccinate. I personally vaccinate all of my chickens from day one. Why waste all that time and energy in having chicks fall over from disease when you can eliminate it?

In the first 14 weeks of life we vaccinate/treat for the following issues.

1. Mareks Disease 2. CRD 3. Coccidiosis 4. IB 5. ILT 6. Fowl Pox 7. Parasites

Mareks Disease:

It is my opinion that every chicken should be vaccinated for Mareks disease as this is very
common and can be attributed to so much loss in poultry breeding. Mareks comes in several
forms and is almost certain to affect your young flock at sometime. Many older breeders who
were against vaccination, report years of being Mareks free only to have their flock nearly wiped
out in a season of Mareks. There has been a large shift in attitude amongst breeders, with
almost all top breeders now vaccinating against Mareks.
The Mareks vaccine comes in 1000 unit dosages which does represent a problem for the smaller
breeder with many people now opting to share dosages with fellow fanciers.

CRD - Chronic Respiratory Disease:

CRD is one of the most common respiratory diseases occurring in poultry in Australia. The disease occurs when birds infected with Mycoplasma gallisepticum are stressed. The subsequent invasion by secondary bacteria causes the major damage to the bird. We use a simple CRD formula which is infused with essential vitamins. We administer this in the chicks drinking water for the first three days of life and then again on the 21st day of life. CRD-Vitamin induced water is mixed and introduced to their drinking water for one day every two months of their life.


Coccidiosis:

As mentioned previously, Coccidiosis is one of the more common and costly diseases in poultry. The death rate can be quite high, both in chicks and in adults. It is characterised by droopiness, paleness in comb, diarrhoea, and occasional blood in the chick’s droppings. All chicks on out farm are treated for Coccidiosis at 7 days of age. We use “Baycox” by Bayer Animal Health.

IB - Infectious Bronchitis:

IB is an acute and highly contagious respiratory disease of chickens. The disease is characterised by respiratory signs including gasping, coughing, sneezing, tracheal rattles, and nasal discharge. In young chickens, severe respiratory distress may occur. In layers, respiratory distress, decrease in egg production, and loss of internal egg quality and egg shell quality are reported. Some strains of the virus cause severe kidney damage and may be associated with high mortality.

ILT - Infectious Laryngotrachetis:

ILT is a highly contagious viral respiratory infection of chickens and the disease is notifiable in most states in Australia. A number of other bird species such as turkeys, ducks, geese and quail can be carriers of the virus.
Recovered birds are long-term carriers. Mortality and morbidity rates vary but mortality in young birds can be as high as 80%. The disease can cause a severe drop in egg production in laying flocks. Symptoms include watery eyes, wheezy and gasping breathing, watery discharge from nostrils, sneezing and coughing of mucous and blood.
ILT presents a biosecurity issue for breeders who exhibit at shows. Some birds at shows may have been vaccinated for ILT (Infectious Laryngotracheitis), many others haven’t. ILT is becoming more prevalent and is a major issue, but as breeders we must be vigilant at all times with our biosecurity.

Fowl Pox:

Fowl Pox still remains a very common problem with poultry particularly in high mosquito areas. Some breeders have managed to breed resistance into their flocks and others reporting no further problems for many years after an initial outbreak. It certainly seems to come in cycles and it would be advisable to vaccinate if you are in mosquito prone areas. Vaccination is via an injection through the under webbing of the wing.

Prevention of Disease:

For prevention of Mareks, IB, ILT and Fowl Pox strains we use and recommend the ‘Poulvac’ range which was previously marketed by Fort Dodge USA and now by Pfizer Animal Health and is available through their recognised agents and veterinarians in Australia.

Internal Parasite Infections:

At 12 weeks of age we orally administer 1.5 - 2 mls of a lamb drench called ‘First Drench’ by Virbac. During their lifetime this is alternated on a bi-monthly period with ‘Nilverm’ wormer by Coopers Animal Health. This combination has been successful for us in the management of internal parasite control.

External Parasite Infections:

We use an unconventional method by using ‘Bugmaster Insecticide’ by Bayer. It is sprayed liberally in the pens and all fowls are externally drenched monthly in Summer and bi-monthly in Winter. It is diluted at 2 mls per 10 litres of water and is mixed with 2 capfuls of a wettening agent called ‘Wettasoil’ Clear (not the seaweed mix) by Amgrow.

Summary:

It should be noted that good biosecurity practices go a long way to disease control in your flock but some things just cannot be avoided. There is one thing for sure. The costs associated with vaccination far outweighs the potential losses from disease.

If your failure rate seems inconsistent, examine your personal poultry management skills to see if you can adopt better practices.​

 

[aveca]

excellent Ross..if you ever get around to writing a book..please make sure that info is included..a must have schedule..very important....not boring but very valuable..poultry keeping and bee keeping is not like 50 years ago..today some protective measures are needed..ironically some of the strains of australorp we have here have a natural b factor in blood ..immune to mereks..not showroom pretty but maybe that is a valuable feature..

kurt aand dan..just waiting to hear back from australian club about books , price ect..probably off for the weekend..

 

[MeanV2]

Kind of a Dreary day but I am gonna try to get out and take a couple pics of some of my Gilbert BA's

Dan