Australorps breed Thread

[groche]

Hi Ben,
don't have much experience with blues, but I've posted numbers of times re red appearing in blacks, so it may have come from the black/BA side of the blue mix. It seems the 'right red' to have come from the black side. It only seems to turn up in boys, usually in the hackle, so your placement is unusual. However, I must agree that it usually becomes more pronounced rather than moulting out.
Hey, Dan, hope you didn't think I meant "fun" at your expense, just that you seem to get our strange sense of humor.
Cheers Geoff

 

[bonnylass79]

Just caught up with this post and it's an issue that's interested me as I've bred a few cockerels with some red in the hackles. You may recall me mentioning in an early post that the green sheen on the original Cook Orp. was obtained by breeding from cocks with a little red in the hackle. Many breeders of breeds with black on them requiring a green sheen suggest the same thing. George Norman, breeder of Supreme Australorp of Show at our 2013 National titles, says " I prefer to introduce every 3-4 years a male  that .... may have some red in his hackle feathers and perhaps saddle." His champion birds by the way are all descended from Ray Connor blood and Ray was a mentor.
Cheers  Geoff 

That's very interesting. I've seen some red pop up in a couple of my cockerels, so I wonder if this could be why. I've also read that red and white feathers in colored breeds could be a sign of iron or copper deficiencies.

 

[hellbender]

Hey there hellbender. Something I wanted to share with you. I think you might get a kick out of it. I tried your hold and squeeze method.
Peppa was acting up again running up behind me to peck the back of my legs.
So I picked her up and held her tight against my side for awhile squeezing but not too hard so as not to hurt her.
Later when I went to hang up my coat I saw something white toward the backside of my coat. What the?
OMG! It was Peppa poo!
I don't think I will use your method again.

~Dee~

You might have squeezed a bit too hard. It's an art...You squeeze just enough to make the cockerel a bit uncomfortable and carry him around a while...The object is NOT to give the bird a hearnia or frighten him to the point where he looses control of his bodily functions..

 

[ronott1]

Hey there hellbender. Something I wanted to share with you. I think you might get a kick out of it. I tried your hold and squeeze method.
Peppa was acting up again running up behind me to peck the back of my legs.
So I picked her up and held her tight against my side for awhile squeezing but not too hard so as not to hurt her.
Later when I went to hang up my coat I saw something white toward the backside of my coat. What the?
OMG! It was Peppa poo!
I don't think I will use your method again.

~Dee~

Peppa is more likely thinking there is food on your leg. Some of my pullets will peck at one of my freckles sometimes. It is not likely to be aggression.

Sorry she made mess on your coat!

 

[cubakid]

Hi Ben,
           don't have much experience with blues, but I've posted numbers of times re red appearing in blacks, so it may have come from the black/BA side of the blue mix. It seems the 'right red' to have come from the black side. It only seems to turn up in boys, usually in the hackle, so your placement is unusual. However, I must agree that it usually becomes more pronounced rather than moulting out.
Hey, Dan, hope you didn't think I meant "fun" at your expense, just that you seem to get our strange sense of humor.
Cheers  Geoff

I've heard that the best blues carry silver and the best blacks(for sheen) carry gold(red). And crossing the two will result in blacks losing sheen, and blues getting 'rusty'. I experienced it after making the mistake with Sumatras.
Zach

 

[DeesHens]

Quote: An art indeed. However I hardly squeezed so I think maybe she was just loaded and ready to fire.

Anyway, yesterday I pushed her down when she pecked me and Betsy Barr Rock (lead hen) pecked her three times. Today she didn't peck me but gave me the "stink eye". It must be a process. Like how kids keep testing you to see how far they can go.

Also she has always acted a bit like a cockerel so I think unlike Bella she likes to stand her ground more often. Often she stretches up like one when she decides to strike so when I see that behavior I distract her. Well, enough said.

Don't want to bore everyone to tears. LOL ~Dee~

 

[DeesHens]

Quote: Thanks Ron. No problem. Threw my work coat in the washer and it came out good as new.
We found it hilarious as a matter of fact. My DH insisted I tell Hellbender what happened as he thought it was worth a good chuckle.

I wear clean shiny black nylon snow pants to keep my own chicken legs warm.

Would what you told me apply do you imagine? ~Dee~

 

[ronott1]

Thanks Ron. No problem. Threw my work coat in the washer and it came out good as new.
We found it hilarious as a matter of fact. My DH insisted I tell Hellbender what happened as he thought it was worth a good chuckle.

I wear clean shiny black nylon snow pants to keep my own chicken legs warm.

Would what you told me apply do you imagine? ~Dee~

It was very funny!

 

[hellbender]

An art indeed. However I hardly squeezed so I think maybe she was just loaded and ready to fire.

Anyway, yesterday I pushed her down when she pecked me and Betsy Barr Rock (lead hen) pecked her three times. Today she didn't peck me but gave me the "stink eye". It must be a process. Like how kids keep testing you to see how far they can go.

Also she has always acted a bit like a cockerel so I think unlike Bella she likes to stand her ground more often. Often she stretches up like one when she decides to strike so when I see that behavior I distract her. Well, enough said.

Don't want to bore everyone to tears. LOL ~Dee~

What can I say...I'm an 'artiste' I suppose. Some of us have it and some don't.

Seriously, 9 times out of 10, this works for me...perhaps the fact that they are maturing and getting out of that 'macho' nonsense might be a mitigating factor as well. What's more, I have LOTS of cockerels and at that age, they are starting to try out their Kung Fu moves on each other. I do generally cull over 100 cockerels each year but rarely for being overly aggressive to me.

Now to another matter...If I have a cockerel that thinks he 'superman' and if I also see lots of potential in him, I will over-look all but attempted murder because I do equate mild hostility with virility. Some poor souls are spending lots of money on 'avian virility boosters' and that is sad but I don't have that problem. If anything, I think my young cockerels are sometimes giving me the lustful eye but I don't ever have young children here nor do I have women around the birds at all so I can afford to have 'cocky' birds but I fully understand why others can not brook the situation.

EDIT:It just dawned on me...you're talking about a savage hen! That's a whole 'nother ball game and that requires a different kind of squeeze...I'll read from my booklet.."place thumb and two or three fingers firmly around the hen's neck...." just kidding. Honestly, I've never has a hen peck at me unless she was trying to brood or just curious about an article of clothing...something along that line.

 

[jdoane]

So today my australorp pullet jumped on one of my other pullets backs and grabbed the feathers on the back of her head. Do some pullets do that? Is she just figuring out pecking order or is she a really late bloomer. She is 24 weeks old. Pretty small comb.