Australorps breed Thread

[Matt1616]

I can't speak for the Brahma's either but my Australorps are very docile and friendly. They are also great layers and they are out of top show lines so I guess the old theory that show lines don't lay well is not true for this breed.

 

[tigercreek]

Quote:
Not a lot of talk on here about lines Matt. Where did you get your birds? Mine are out of Bruce Sherman's line in California, and Superior Farms. I have no idea whose line Superior Farms had, but they were supposed to only have aquired the best. Anyone know what line they had?? ......stan

 

[cubalaya]

in this breed i dont see a lot of difference between show and hatchery. i am sure most of mine are hatchery but they are docile, lay good, and are pretty good sized.

 

[Matt1616]

Tigercreek, mine are from Kirk Keene's line. I would assume that Australorps would be like most every other breed in that the show bred lines would be of much higher quality than hatchery lines.

 

[tigercreek]

Quote:
As always, it depends on the hatchery line? Cubalaya has a point I think. I have seen some pretty good looking hatchery Australorps, some bad ones too, but generally the Australorp hatchery stock seems to be of a higher quality than other breeds? Maybe just what I have come across. Matt, are you going to come over to the Sunshine Classic in Lake City? Should not be to far of a drive. ......stan

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Just look at my avatar and my signature line and you know what my favorite breed is, BLACK AUSTRALORPS!!!

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Quote:
Either is a good choice, in my opinion. I had bantam Brahmas (light, dark, and buff) previously, and they were just as friendly and mellow as my Australorps. Both breeds were easily trained to hop up on my lap to eat scratch. Willingness to follow me around depends on how hungry they are

Willingness to be handled varies from bird to bird, but I didn't handle them as chicks as much as I could have.

 

[cubakid]

Australorps should differ alot from hatchery birds to breeder birds. the thing is there are people that sell birds online that are doing it for fun and dont breed for standards. Eveyone should read the Standard of Perfection when it comes to breeding a breed. Most hatchery birds have a squirrel tail or a pinched tail. One reason there are so few good lines of Australorps is because they are more expesive than the hatcheris. Here is a picture off the breed page for Australorps, notice the severe squirrel tail that is above 45 degrees, it is atleast double that.
Here
Here is a SQ bird from the Sherman Line.

I no longer have this bird but he was an excellent bird.

People here dont know what lines there are or think that there are no lines because they arnt mentioned here. That because IDEAL, McMurray, or Privett are the only breeders people talk about... given i have heard Sherman or Superior(dont know who they are). But what about Twisted Feather Farms(Terry Britt), Bob Gilbet in Illinoise, and others. Many have no idea who these people are, thats because people dont reaserch or dont research hard enough to find them.

 

[huppfarm]

As a 4-H poultry project leader, our project kids choose a variety of different breeds to put in the fair as exhibits and use for showmanship, which means handling the birds and showing each part of a chicken as the kids are holding them. Parents always ask which birds are the calmest and easiest to handle and raise, we tell them that the more you handle, pet and talk to the birds the more they will respond in a positive manner. So the breed of the bird really makes no difference, it all depends on you the owner and how you treat your birds. Move slowly, talk softly and have some tasty treats on hand and the birds will be happy to have you as their favorite human!

 

[willowbranchfarm]

I think Jet is a crossed breed cause he is getting a lot of brown in his feathers. More then he had in the pictures I posted a while back.