Australorps breed Thread

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Kurt, so you have any blue pullets in that BBS pen???

Stan,
The BBS pen has a Splash cock and a blue cock. a splash hen, a blue hen, and 4 black hens. Depending on what color ratios I get from the 3-8 hatch I might split them up further to darken the lace of the blues. Remember this is just a project now and changes will have to be more specific with breeding in the future. Time will tell if it is all going to hell with mixing lines, even though I picked the best of each. I am sure that you are aware that the blue,black, splash combos have some strange ratios. 50/50 here, 100 here, 50 25 and 25. So let the games begin!!!
Splash have 2 blue genes
Blues have 1 blue g and 1 black gene
Blacks have 2 black genes
Kurt

 

[CB and CG]

Hi everyone, just a quick update on my birds from last season. They are now 6 months old and about to come on to the lay. The colour of the blues are great! Nice and dark with distinct lacing.
I will post some update pictures when I get a chance if any of you are interested. The last pictures I uploaded were at 3.5 months of age. They have also shaped up really well. Really good size and type. Will be a great addition to the breeding pen this year in my humble opinion.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Gramma,
i have feathersexed mine in the past and been pretty close on the first and second day, but not after that. The cockerels should be a straight short line of feathers and the pullets should be different length feathers. After about 4 days their feathers grow so fast it is a crap shoot. With multiple chicks it still works out to be a 50/50 mix sliding one way or the other IMO.
Kurt

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

CB and CG,
Welcome back and can't wait to see your chooks.
Kurt

 

[chickisoup]

CB and CG,
Welcome back and can't wait to see your chooks.
Kurt

yes! please post pics!

 

[tigercreek]

Stan,
The BBS pen has a Splash cock and a blue cock. a splash hen, a blue hen, and 4 black hens. Depending on what color ratios I get from the 3-8 hatch I might split them up further to darken the lace of the blues. Remember this is just a project now and changes will have to be more specific with breeding in the future. Time will tell if it is all going to hell with mixing lines, even though I picked the best of each. I am sure that you are aware that the blue,black, splash combos have some strange ratios. 50/50 here, 100 here, 50 25 and 25. So let the games begin!!!
Splash have 2 blue genes
Blues have 1 blue g and 1 black gene
Blacks have 2 black genes
Kurt

I didn't know what you had in your BBS pen and you said you were hoping to get a good splash. I didn't know you had a blue hen in there. Some unasked for and maybe unwanted advice. Split them into two pens. The blue cock with the splash hen and the blue hen, and the splash cock over the 4 black hens. If the blue male is dominate over the splash cock you won't get as many offspring from the splash. By having the splash cock in the blue pen, you will greatly increase the number of splash offspring. Also you will get 100%blues from the splash cock over the black hens. That is the way I bred my blue Rocks - a splash cock over barred hens =100% blue, also because of the barring gene, they were sex linked. Looking forward to seeing the future chicks, I am a real fan of blue birds...

 

[Bens-Hens]

Hi everyone, just a quick update on my birds from last season. They are now 6 months old and about to come on to the lay. The colour of the blues are great! Nice and dark with distinct lacing.
I will post some update pictures when I get a chance if any of you are interested. The last pictures I uploaded were at 3.5 months of age. They have also shaped up really well. Really good size and type. Will be a great addition to the breeding pen this year in my humble opinion.

Hey BC, pics anytime, love seeing your birds.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Stan,
Yep, some good advise. That is why I am waiting for the 3-8 hatch to see what kind of colors I have and then I will adjust accordingly.
My contacts "downunder" have advised me that you get better and darker lacing with blue, black combos, verses the blue spl combo or the spl black combo. Stating that the blues are lighter without the dark lacing if I use the last two combos. I am definitely in the learning stage here. I will be tickled pink to just get some blues and splashes on this first run. I need some numbers to figure out which way to go! Not to mention, "whose your daddy" and keeping those records for future breedings!
Kurt

 

[CB and CG]

Ok just got some pics. I could not get good photos of the blues unfortunately but I will post them anyway. Doesn't show off their colour well but here they are. Also got photos of the blacks.

Blue Australorp Pullet 1


Blue Australorp Pullet 2 - My Favourite of the blues however not a great photo.


Black Australorp Pullet 1 - My Favourite overall


Black Australorp Pullet 2 - Worst in quality however still beautiful in my eyes. She will make a great egg layer.


Let me know what you think of them!

 

[Gramma Chick]

Gramma,
i have feathersexed mine in the past and been pretty close on the first and second day, but not after that. The cockerels should be a straight short line of feathers and the pullets should be different length feathers. After about 4 days their feathers grow so fast it is a crap shoot. With multiple chicks it still works out to be a 50/50 mix sliding one way or the other IMO.
Kurt

I dont know if you can see the feathers ...but this one baby has multi -lengths of feathers .on the wing
On the sexing thread it says it only works with ..crosses
So it does work somewhat without the crosses ?
Time will tell ...I going with a girl right now ...
It also has some yellow ...tummy / breast wing tips ..