Australorps breed Thread

[DeesHens]

Hello CQ. Congrats! At 4 weeks it is difficult isn't it to tell. Looks like you did a good job picking according to your statement reflecting your choice process. If body language is an indication via a few pics I'd say you scored two pullets. Two more weeks and you should know for sure. Enjoyed your pics very much. All the best to you and your BA's. Have fun! ~Dee~

 

[Cockle-Dood]

My 3 pullets were taken by dogs today guess im gonna wait to hatch amd get some of chets or snake alley's eggs and start with that.

9 of my 14 were lost today. Sad day but will continue to lurk and stay up to date on this breed

 

[lildinkem]

From the size of the Langshans at the APA Shows I attend I would think you will need to be culling for too big an Aussie. For a while here in the USA our judges were seemingly going with the huge Australorps from a fella "Bruce Sherman" out on the west coast. From what I seen at our Ohio Natls 3 years ago his style of Aussies were bigger then most of our Exhibition Orps. Now judges around here in the Midwest are now picking the Aussies that are closer to the 8 lbs range rather then the 14 lbs an up size. Good luck with your experiment. Please post pics when you get some.
have fun!
Bill

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Cockle,
Sorry for your loss, but first on the list for chicken keeping is security. I fight with bears, coons, opossums, foxes, hawks, eagles and stray dogs and cats. I have found that anchor fence dog kennels attached to my coops are the way to go. Even that needs a wire roof or tin. Supervised foraging in the late afternoon is the way my birds have survived. That way I don't have to hunt for eggs either. Chicken wire is useless, hardware cloth is better. Good anchor fencing seems to be the best.
Kurt

 

[luluann]

I let some of mine roam. I have dogs from people down the road come up. They bite and if I catch them in my yard they will be gone. I try not to do anything that I wouldn't want to happen to my dog but she's in a fence and when she gets out they make it a point to call the law. They killed one of my dog a while back. He did not bite he just loved everyone. The law will tell you here to just shoot it. The shelter will tell you " if you can get close enough to it catch it and we will come get it", yeah that will work but how am I to not get bit in the process. My birds stay in the back yard fence with my dog. Now I will shoot it only if it comes on my yard growling and trying to bite. We have the right to defend out livestock and property. I have 2 stray cats that have came here and no one has a live trap. That's the only way I will get rid of it.

 

[ronott1]

The Egg form Hupp hatched! I have 7 little BAs





The seventh was still hatching when I took these pictures. Two of them are blue.

 

[MeanV2]

Cockle,
Sorry for your loss, but first on the list for chicken keeping is security. I fight with bears, coons, opossums, foxes, hawks, eagles and stray dogs and cats. I have found that anchor fence dog kennels attached to my coops are the way to go. Even that needs a wire roof or tin. Supervised foraging in the late afternoon is the way my birds have survived. That way I don't have to hunt for eggs either. Chicken wire is useless, hardware cloth is better. Good anchor fencing seems to be the best.
Kurt

Kurt,
I feel for you! Glad I don't have to deal with Bears. That has been my priority to build predator proof coops & runs. All I have to deal with here are Hawks, Coyotes, Possum, Skunk, Coons, Stray Dogs, Fox, Bobcats, Weasel, & Mink. Humm? Did I miss anything? You are right chicken wire is only good for keeping chickens apart! Maybe

Once I get mine they too will only free range in the afternoons under my & Remingtons supervision.

Dan

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Ron.
They are looking good. I am glad you got at least 2 blues. I don't know what you ordered from Chet, but talk to him to see if the blacks that hatched are carrying the blue gene because you do not want to mix them with your pure blacks. If you do it would be like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get!

 

[ronott1]

Ron.
They are looking good. I am glad you got at least 2 blues. I don't know what you ordered from Chet, but talk to him to see if the blacks that hatched are carrying the blue gene because you do not want to mix them with your pure blacks. If you do it would be like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get!

Thank You!

I will keep them separate.

 

[cubakid]

From the size of the Langshans at the APA Shows I attend I would think you will need to be culling for too big an Aussie.  For a while here in the USA our judges were seemingly going with the huge Australorps from a fella "Bruce Sherman" out on the west coast.  From what I seen at our Ohio Natls 3 years ago his style of Aussies were bigger then most of our Exhibition Orps.  Now judges around here in the Midwest are now picking the Aussies that are closer to the 8 lbs range rather then the 14 lbs an up size.  Good luck with your experiment.  Please post pics when you get some.
have fun!
Bill

The Sherman birds are a fine line of Aussies. That is what the bird above is. They are most certainly not as big as you think. They are about 9 lbs each. That's a little overweight, but a true Orpington, like those of Jim Sallee, way oversize the Sherman birds. I see the Sherman birds at every show out here in CA and compete with em too. I have 25 chicks from Gary Rossman who according to several judges outside of CA, are the best. I'm sure he could be beaten from time to time but this is what I heard. I also have a couple birds from the judge Bob Gilbert. They are nice birds as well, and I have two males in the breeding pen from them.

I am trying my hardest to breed closer to the standards. The drawbacks are fertility, fluffy thighs and shorter legs than I'd like.

Ross, breeding to Langshans in the US would be a kick in the but. They have feathered legs and crazy tails. And like Bill said, they are enormous.