Australorps breed Thread

[groche]

I love it! Even the ol crotchety seasoned breeder starts to soften with age,,,,and I thought it was just us ladies, er woman, who got sentimental with our birds. Shhhhh geoff,,, your secret is safe with all of us on the BA thread....he he he.

Thank you all for accepting and putting up with all us newbies who know absolutely nothing!

MB

MB,
you'll have noticed that we're mostly nice to each other on here and don't describe others as "crotchety". How did you find out anyway?? Aussie spies, my family, perhaps?

Hope this little guy shows I'm kiddin'! Got a worse 'sooky-secret' than that. Recently lost, among others, my 2 little d'Uccle roos and girl to a vixen and pups, who ambushed them 2 hrs. after daylight, within 5 minutes of me letting them out, while I was 15 m. away. 3 roos and I never heard a sound! Knew I was fond of those 3 little guys, but didn't realise the emotional impact. I really loved 'em. Bawled my eyes out intermittantly for days and cursed all foxes to hell, loudly and often. Still really miss 'me dookles'. The funniest, friendliest chooks I've ever owned. Sorry BA's! Nearly gave up on breeding chooks yet again, but figured that I owed something to the remaining chicks they died trying to protect. Whoops, brings another tear to the eye!
Cheers Geoff

 

[WVDan44]

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[WVDan44]

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[WVDan44]

don't know what happened here! suddenly screen went dark and when it came back, post was posted...3 times. so sorry.

Groce, to continue, I didn't know you had such a fox problem in your country. I am of course more familiar with the English countryside and their larger fox that take lambs for food.

 

[Melabella]

MB,
you'll have noticed that we're mostly nice to each other on here and don't describe others as "crotchety". How did you find out anyway?? Aussie spies, my family, perhaps?

Hope this little guy shows I'm kiddin'! Got a worse 'sooky-secret' than that. Recently lost, among others, my 2 little d'Uccle roos and girl to a vixen and pups, who ambushed them 2 hrs. after daylight, within 5 minutes of me letting them out, while I was 15 m. away. 3 roos and I never heard a sound! Knew I was fond of those 3 little guys, but didn't realise the emotional impact. I really loved 'em. Bawled my eyes out intermittantly for days and cursed all foxes to hell, loudly and often. Still really miss 'me dookles'. The funniest, friendliest chooks I've ever owned. Sorry BA's! Nearly gave up on breeding chooks yet again, but figured that I owed something to the remaining chicks they died trying to protect. Whoops, brings another tear to the eye!
Cheers Geoff

Oh Heck Geoff,, you had me for a few seconds there, I actually thought you took me seriously! Phew!

I love this latest post. I am sorry for your loss of your d'Uccle roo and girl. My father is gone now, and I feel awful my children never got to know him, your sons and wife are lucky to have you Geoff, I can tell.

I know this is looming out there in the future for me, predator loss, and dread the day I lose one, or more. I KNOW there is a huge fox den in the 5 acre property right next to mine. I have seen one opening of the den on my ride out with my horses. When I first got Jackson, I would walk him the 300 ft out to it, and have him mark right outside of it. I even did what I read one should do, had all three of my sons pee into jar, and poured it liberally all around and even a bit down it. (I hope you all aren't laughing at me out there in BA world) I am not sure why he hasn't come to check out the girls, could Jack just be enough of a deterrent? One day a few weeks ago, I went to this particular neighbors house to give them a fresh dozen eggs, ( they are weekenders who come up from NYC to enjoy the quiet of Upstate NY), and while I was talking to the woman of the house, I saw him, the fox, heading away from my property, from his den hole (not the urine drop hole) on the other side of their property. He was HUGE, and I would call him beautiful if he wasn't my biggest fear for my girls.
As I said, 6 months in to owning chickens, I am surprised that I haven't lost one yet.

I have a question for all you experienced Roo keepers here pertaining to my Columbian Wyandotte Roo Duke.

So in constantly assessing Duke and trying to learn here, read what qualities a good roo is about, I am always watching. I imagine the most important thing a roo can do for his flock is of course, keeping watch and protection. In this respect, Duke seems to be quite proficient, he is always on the lookout. On another front, I have noticed as Duke climbs aboard his ladies, he is using biting their necks seemingly to help in him getting them to submit, and also for balance. I notice a few times that some feathers come along with it, and a few of the girls have started this bare spot thing to the right of their combs, starting down their necks. One of my BA's Dahlia (Is that not just a great name for a BA, as in Black Dahlia?) has really been getting a horrible bares spot, that in this weather, has been very cracked and red, and dry. I have been worried that blood would come, and then we'd have a real problem.
Here is not the greatest picture but it's the best I could do holding her and the camera at the same time.

I was able to get her away from Duke yesterday, and cleaned it up a bit, then covered the entire area with some NuStock.


I really tried to massage it on to the bare, dry cracked skin. I now noticed smaller similar spots starting on two other girls.

Question being, do all roosters do this kind of stuff when mounting hens. I remember discussion on another thread about a roo that does damage to his hens being a culpable offense. I have learned a lot since discovering that I had a missexed roo from my hatchery order, and now see a lot of the good points to having a roo, but in trying to figure out if Duke is indeed one I want to have around, if this keeps happening, should it be something I don't want to have around the girls? Is mating something he will get more proficient at, and eventually stop doing this?

Any thoughts and replies are greatly appreciated!

MB

 

[Lobzi]

Hi Robin,
no, green sheen is not unique to BA's. Langshans, a component of the original BA, also have it and it is in our SOP for a number of breeds with black bits. eg. Here, Light Sussex 'black bits' are supposed to have green sheen. Purple is a perplexing no-no in BA's but is quite common here, especially in Utility BA's. It gets too technical for me, but apparently it's actually caused by too much green sheen in the breeding pen - too much green changes the angle of light refraction so we start to see purple. Some breeders recommend intro'ing a duller black female to your line to avoid the problem. In certain light most birds show a tinge of purple. Blue Australorps are becoming more common here, but I couldn't comment on "blue sheen" as I've not come across it.
Cheers Geoff from Aus

Thanks Geoff. Ive got some birds I acquired without knowing what is in them and have been trying to figure it out over the 4 years that I have owned them. I was told that one of my original roos was at least part Australorp. Now, one of his offspring, though frizzled, looks an awful lot like some of the Australorp pics I have viewed. Also, many of my offspring hens look to be such. I do notice the sheen in some of them but not all. I also notice the different color of sheen and that got me wondering if it might be a clue as to the genes in my flock.
Thanks again for the info.

 

[ronott1]

Hi again folks,
Roller Derby,eh, Lisa? More than capable of dealing with anything some nasty rooster, human or chook, could throw at you then! As you love your girl, I'd hate for you to go out tomorrow morning and 'see' her as a crossbred. I doubt anyone could tell her Australorp 'purity' from the pic. She's not a pure BA, but this doesn't make her not a 'lorp.She could be a show standard Blue Australorp in Australia! Or she could be a cross between Black and Blue. It gets a little confusing then, as the blue was created by adding a breed not in the original Australorp recipe. Is this mix then a 'crossbreed? I dunno!
Back to my attempts to 'speak' American. Ron, how have you found the soaked alfalfa chaff? It's still working well for me as a green pick substitute. I've found that about a wet handfull per day is enough for around 6 birds, so it works out pretty cheap.
Just a brief comment on night time predator deterence. Applicable only to BA's. Use with other breeds at own risk! My birds thesedays are in as predator-proof pens and runs as I can devise. I've lost no penned birds, but any daytime freeranging stray that misses curfew for some reason, is foxfood that same night. Or was, until I installed some "Foxlights". I'm not spruiking this product, but the only stray left out since installing them was still there next morning. They're basically a kind of battery-operated, multi-colored lazer, that flashes in different ways intermittantly. Anyone whose interested can google it as "Foxlight predator deterrent". As they're around $80 each and you need a few to cover all possible entry directions, I've added the cheapscate version. Bunnings-type places sell cheap solar, 'Christmassy', strings of small, multi-colored, flashing lights. As only the little panel needs to be in the light, you can surround a pen in any way you like with the actual lights. Once again, making no claims, but not losing chooks at night anymore! The daytime, now that's a problem I've not nearly solved!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

My BAs eat about anything but they do not go after the re hydrated Alfalfa. It is probably because I give them something green every day. This morning I gave them half a bag of Turnip Greens. Gotta love Walmart. We are having a false Spring her in CA. Lows will be in the 40s with highs getting to the low 60s(Fahrenheit).

It does amaze me how many things they will eat though. Someone with another breed said theirs would not eat carrots or even carrot pulp left from juicing. Not a problem for mine.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Attila,
Welcome to the BA thread.
Groche is right about the green sheen coming from the original cross of the Langshan. Too much green can also be a problem with BA's, that is why breeders sometimes use a hen with less green sheen. Alot of birds have the green sheen in their black coloring, but that does not make them part Australorp. As far as the purple or blue with lacing goes it is from a cross that I have seen in the past. If a BA is crossed with a BR, RIR, or SLW you will see all kinds of purple and blue coming out, genetically don't ask me why, but that is what I have seen. Purple or blue sheen in a BA is no good and not SOP as far as breeding goes. The biggest problem with breeding these off colors is you will never know what you will get. It is a mystery and some like a mystery!
Kurt

 

[ronott1]

Attila,
Welcome to the BA thread.
Groche is right about the green sheen coming from the original cross of the Langshan. Too much green can also be a problem with BA's, that is why breeders sometimes use a hen with less green sheen. Alot of birds have the green sheen in their black coloring, but that does not make them part Australorp. As far as the purple or blue with lacing goes it is from a cross that I have seen in the past. If a BA is crossed with a BR, RIR, or SLW you will see all kinds of purple and blue coming out, genetically don't ask me why, but that is what I have seen. Purple or blue sheen in a BA is no good and not SOP as far as breeding goes. The biggest problem with breeding these off colors is you will never know what you will get. It is a mystery and some like a mystery!
Kurt

The green sheen comes from an oil gland. It is the reflection of the oil on the feathers when light hits them. I am pretty sure purple is ok in Langshans. Geoff posted that it has to do with the amount of oil coming out.

If you see Purple on yours and even a hint of feathers on the feet, they could be Langshan crosses.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Ron,
You are right about they will probably eat just about anything. I have noticed with my birds that something new might not be gobbled up right away, but they usually come around. However, with fresh meat all bets are off. They are for sure descended from dinosuars.