Australorps breed Thread

[astarra]

Thanks for your input, Birdrain92
I'm hoping you are right on 4 pullets....

Oh and I forgot to make clear - I am in Australia (dunno if that would make any difference to the tail shape?)
We just got some fertile eggs which were guaranteed pure black Australorps, and hatched them in a bator for the girls to watch in their school holidays....never once did I imagine it would be ME that fell head over heels with them!!

So hoping their guarantee is correct.

They hatched on 27&28th September 2015

They eat grower pellets, free range - oh and eat my vege garden

It's raining ATM but will try to get some better pictures later.

Thanks again,
astarra

 

[Birdrain92]

Thanks for your input, Birdrain92
I'm hoping you are right on 4 pullets....

Oh and I forgot to make clear - I am in Australia (dunno if that would make any difference to the tail shape?)
We just got some fertile eggs which were guaranteed pure black Australorps, and hatched them in a bator for the girls to watch in their school holidays....never once did I imagine it would be ME that fell head over heels with them!!

So hoping their guarantee is correct.

They hatched on 27&28th September 2015

They eat grower pellets, free range - oh and eat my vege garden

It's raining ATM but will try to get some better pictures later.

Thanks again,
astarra

Funny it's raining here in the northwestern US too. Protein % is what I was curious on. Like 16%, 18%, 20%, 22%, etc. Because birds raised on a meat diet (food to make them used as meat birds) can sometimes effect the tail feathers.

 

[astarra]

Thanks so much for that info birdrain,
I just checked the bag and it said 20% protein.

Is this a too higher percentage for 10wk old birds?
Thanks again

 

[Gramma Chick]

Thanks so much for that info birdrain,
I just checked the bag and it said 20% protein.

Is this a too higher percentage for 10wk old birds?
Thanks again

Aussie Australorps are A little bit different than US Australorps ..if I remember right ...

 

[DesertChic]

@Birdrain92 Your Aussie flock is gorgeous! My girls are in heavy molt right now and I've been missing the beauty of those black feathers with those green shimmers and sheen. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Birdrain92]

Thanks so much for that info birdrain,
I just checked the bag and it said 20% protein.

Is this a too higher percentage for 10wk old birds?
Thanks again

Shouldn't really affect them since they're only 10 weeks old. I usually take them from 20% protein down to an 18% when they're 8 weeks old and then when they are 4 months old I move them to a 16% protein for egg laying production. Maybe their origin could affect it but I don't know if it would affect the structure. Now that I think about it I wouldn't be surprised if Australia bred them for different reasons or different ways to get where they want them to be. I've just never seen Australorps like that before and just trying to figure out why. Whenever you get pictures I can try to point out the methods I use to sex chickens. I've done poultry shows and I swear the judges favorite question is give me three ways that you know this chicken is a hen or a rooster. There's I think 7 different ways to sex chickens.

 

[Birdrain92]

@Birdrain92 Your Aussie flock is gorgeous! My girls are in heavy molt right now and I've been missing the beauty of those black feathers with those green shimmers and sheen. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you! When July or August roles around they begin to molt here in Idaho. I love how good my egg production is right now. Out of 24 pullets I'm getting about 18-20 eggs a day. Daylight hours are short here and I've yet to introduce a heat lamp for a light source to increase egg production like most people have to. It would be amazing if I got 22-24 eggs a day when spring or summer come around. I would be beyond happy, though I already am since they're doing so well.

 

[appps]

@Birdrain92Our Australorps have more of a bun tail than yours.
Here is an example from the Australorps Australia website of what a to standard bird should look like
http://www.australorps.com/18.html?frm_data1=3&frm_data1_type=large#

This is who I got mine from btw

Now that I think about it I wouldn't be surprised if Australia bred them for different reasons or different ways to get where they want them to be. I've just never seen Australorps like that before and just trying to figure out why.

The breed originated in Australia so it's probably more a matter of you guys not quite getting yours right yet ;-)

 

[Gramma Chick]

The breed originated in Australia so it's probably more a matter of you guys not quite getting yours right yet ;-)

I think they added Orpingtons to the US ones after they left Australia ...

 

[Birdrain92]

@Birdrain92 Our Australorps have more of a bun tail than yours.
Here is an example from the Australorps Australia website of what a to standard bird should look like
http://www.australorps.com/18.html?frm_data1=3&frm_data1_type=large#

This is who I got mine from btw
The breed originated in Australia so it's probably more a matter of you guys not quite getting yours right yet ;-)

Our standard they want the upright tail. Never would've thought of that to be the first thing why the same breed looks different is because of geography.