Australorps breed Thread

[tiffrosef]

My black Australorp Darla and "her babies" she sits on the little bantam chicks still. Silly girl.

 

[Turk Raphael]

My husband grew up with chickens as livestock. I didn't. They are pets to me, to a point. Yes, they are providers of my eggs and the roosters are here to hopefully provide enough fertile eggs to sell to pay for the feed and such. I'm used to euthanasia for my pets, though, and what we have to do for our chickens out here in the sticks just looks worse, I guess. My local vet doesn't deal with chickens but I guess I can ask if he'll put them down for me. My husband will do it the old fashioned way, though.

I have euthanized a chick just after hatching, it had an exposed brain. First batch I hatched out, too. No hope for that little one. I learned a lesson, though. Snapping the neck has got to be easier than the carbon monoxide route. Will have to prep myself for that next time I hatch chicks.

My little boy is adjusting to farm life. Our kids growing up on with animals get used to the reality of life and death so much faster. You are right, about the mommy thing. We rehomed this rooster's dad due to his aggression with my husband and worried that he would also get aggressive with my kid. My kid loved the big rooster and this juvenile is his progeny. His name is "Junior." Other than the pendulous crop, there aren't other issues. Harder to explain to my son. Other than the "sick tummy" I guess. So yeah, it's the mommy thing. Not wanting to hurt my little boy's feelings over yet another animal. I have warned him somewhat that raising animals on a farm means that you sell some and some of them die. Maybe that's why he's developing an interest in growing vegetables.......

Where do you live...what area or state? I will be happy to have some chicks sent to you in the spring when Cackle resumes operations.

My family has been providing me with free chicks/chickens to a point that it's becoming annoying and I get them free. It won't hurt me to return the favor.

Turk

 

[DeesHens]

• INGREDIENTS
  
  Tuna, brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, dried egg product, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), wheat flour, fish meal, animal liver flavor, soy protein concentrate, inulin, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, added color, calcium carbonate, salt, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.
  A-4631
  
  Manufactured and guaranteed by: Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, St. Louis, MO 63164 USA
  
  Pro Plan Savor Adult Tuna & Rice Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance of adult cats.

• SAVOR® Adult
• TUNA AND RICE FORMULA

Whew!! I haven't done that in a while - intense search for something very specific. The above is the list for one of Purina's dry cat foods. I highlighted the taurine. Personally, I use 4Health Indoor Cat exclusively sold by Tractor Supply. Half the cost and every bit as good.
I can't understand why Orijen no longer lists the taurine in it's ingredients, it used to. I recall a ways back one company, (don't ask, can't remember, I'm old), recalled cat food because it did not contain enough taurine. Taurine is available in fresh red meat but is destroyed by heat and age. That is why it must be added as a supplement in cat food. Cats will sicken and can die if they don't get enough of it.

I use the cat food as the base of my inside bird's diet and the chicky kids get a bit now and then. For extra protein it is scrambled eggs, table scraps and raw meat trimmings. I have the luxury of a huge garden and over sized zucchini become awesome canoes in very short order

Thank you for adding more info for us about taurine in cat food Happy Feathers. Appreciate your effort.

I haven't raised a cat so I had no idea they needed it so desperately for their health. Interesting.

LOL Yes, indeed. Those zucchini canoes are impressive. Unfortunately our crop this year as well as last year didn't do well. Prior years had bumper crops so our hens had zucchini until late fall. They are getting some cukes this year though.

Being of great importance for cats I decided to look around to find an answer to why taurine is not listed in the Orijen cat food ingredient list. I found this (see below) on the catsite forum.
A member there said this:
Orijen is an exceptional food, some other foods may be as good, but I don't know of any that are better, in my opinion. I am not a veterinarian or nutrition expert. I'm just an informed cat owner, and I have good research skills. As far as the concern about Orijen not having any artificially added Taurine, this is what the site says:

"ORIJEN cat foods list Taurine in the Guaranteed Analysis but not in the Ingredient Panel. This is because ORIJEN is rich in fresh meats in WholePrey ratios (in which Taurine is naturally present) and therefore no supplementation is required. Compare to conventional pet food ingredients which do not contain sufficient Taurine in natural form (from meat), and must be supplemented with synthetic Taurine ingredients."

Therefore it seems clear to me that it must be also naturally present in the Orijen dog food we use with the same whole prey listed. Don't you just love finding answers.

Although sometimes they lead to more questions.

All My Best ~Dee~

 

[getaclue]

Hey Astrolarp fans I would love some input.We have a surplus of 3week old black Astrolarp chicks.I have a friends with three fabulous gentle children and they want chickens bad!Space and money is limited and i I have a rabbit hutch I can give them.I wanted to give them 3hens but the little boy is dead set on having a Rooster to protect his ladies.So my concerns are Will the roo be ok around children,will he tormented only 2 hens.I do plan on fixing them a little run and a chicken tractor to move around the yard....should I consider more hens if we do give them a roo...they have been handled daily and will follow us around the yard the roo in question seems calm now...but he is a baby.Any advise would be great.thank you

You asked, so here is my opinion. I would offer 2 - 3 pullets to begin with. This helps ensure that they can begin incorporating the cost(s) for feed, and later on for oyster shell, as well as any medications they might need, into their budget, without overwhelming it. Children have a tendency of wanting animals, but not wanting to care for them after the new wears off. As to the boy wanting the rooster, children do not always make the best decisions, or use the best judgement. As an adult, you have concerns, or you wouldn't be asking. I would suggest waiting awhile, and seeing how well they do with the pullets/hens before considering a rooster. I would tell him he needs to get lots of experience first, then you might consider a rooster next year, or the year after depending on his age. Baby roosters don't really pose much of a threat. Adult roosters, however, can pose a serious danger to small children. Heck, some roosters can pose a threat to adults.

 

[BethanyS]

I'm thinking no rooster.All three of them are afraid of our RIR roo and understand they have the ability to mess something or someone up.These kids can walk to my house and have been all about me chickens for over a year: ) I have a feeling their birds will be more like lap dogs haha it would be sad if his chicken turned into a grumpy roo.I spent some time in the pen today sizing up the ones that seemed low on the pecking order, let me hold them on their backs and Sat on my legs... NONE of the roos made the cut

I'll be a bit relieved when they have their own to play with.Lately I don't have time to let them into the yard and pet on them.I'm in the process of expanding our flock and adding a pup n goat kid to the yard so the neighbor children have not been able to see their feathered friends.He will be thrilled just having a hen to name and care for: ) thanks for the reassurance

 

[ShadyGroveFarm1]

My black Australorp Darla and "her babies" she sits on the little bantam chicks still. Silly girl.

Oh wow.... that is so adorable xD

 

[Happy Feathers]

• Quote:

This taurine thing can be a whole thread on it's own, so I won't go much farther on our BA thread. You can Google "taurine content in meat" and find tons of info and links that can't be posted here. Just know that the scientists confirm that up to 2/3 of natural taurine is lost in cooking. ​

Quote:

 

[billkaroly]

My Australorp is 21 weeks old and lately she has been acting odd. Whenever I bring treats she is aloof and will not eat so I am guessing she's at the bottom of the pecking order. Today she has spent nearly half of it in the coop on the highest perch. She has yet to come out. She's not laying yet either.

 

[ShadyGroveFarm1]

My Australorp is 21 weeks old and lately she has been acting odd. Whenever I bring treats she is aloof and will not eat so I am guessing she's at the bottom of the pecking order. Today she has spent nearly half of it in the coop on the highest perch. She has yet to come out. She's not laying yet either.

Leave the chickens alone during the establishing of the pecking order. Do not intervine unless the chickens are getting beat up or bloody.

 

[billkaroly]

I've been hand off the whole time. Just observing. Just went and checked on her and she's still there. Now the two Speckled Sussexes are in there too.