Australorps breed Thread

[CarolynF]

Now this is where some smoke may rise again and hopefully not start any fires because this is only a question. I have studied both Black Australorp standards, American and Australian and come to find that there is some leeway in the Australian Standard as to the amount of points on the comb.
Why do the standards differ and who made the call to limit points on one single comb breed and not another breed with the same comb?

I look forward to your reply
Respectfully
Chet Hupp
Hupp farm

Very interesting question. I look forward to learning from this. -Carolyn

 

[semillion2]

 

[nova022]

I just want to warn people do not order Chickens through the mail. I ordered three and they where dead upon arrival. I wanted to replace my Australorp that died from egg impaction. But I will wait until next Spring to get a Australorp. Miss my black fuzzy butt chicken, she was so friendly. Ps- Never order Chicks through the mail.

I am sorry that you had a bad experience. It is heart breaking to lose your babies in transit, but I have ordered chicks through the mail and they arrived happy and healthy, with the exception of one chick on my last order. Having read the many posts about people who have lost chicks in the incubator and even under a broody, I don't think there is any method that there is not the possiblity of some loss.

My post office is very good about calling when the chicks arrive and I call them during the expected arrival range just in case they have a glitch in the system.

 

[CarolynF]

Hi All,

Two quick questions, they're general questions but I'm interested in the answers as they relate to my Aussie hen specifically, ok? She's been laying for a little more than 1 year. I don't know her breeding, she may be a mix but looks like a hatchery aussie.

1. She's never had a heavy molt, is that typical? She loses a few feathers occasionally, I find 3 or 4 once in a while, but nothing like my BC Maran last spring when it looked like a feather bomb had exploded.

2. Today she had an egg with a tissue-paper shell that broke in the coop. It's the second time in about a month.
They have oyster shell available all the time, and I feed layer pellets. Normally her shells are just fine, nice and firm.
Can this issue be related to her molting - or not molting? Is this common for an aussie?
I'm not seeing any signs of mites, worms, etc. I keep their coop and run very clean, it's sand and I scoop poop daily.
They're outside all day in a fenced off area under the apply tree.
No vegetation other than what I supply from the garden, but plenty of room to run and scratch.

Thanks for your input and any ideas you might offer!
Carolyn

 

[ronott1]

Hi All,

Two quick questions, they're general questions but I'm interested in the answers as they relate to my Aussie hen specifically, ok? She's been laying for a little more than 1 year. I don't know her breeding, she may be a mix but looks like a hatchery aussie.

1. She's never had a heavy molt, is that typical? She loses a few feathers occasionally, I find 3 or 4 once in a while, but nothing like my BC Maran last spring when it looked like a feather bomb had exploded.

2. Today she had an egg with a tissue-paper shell that broke in the coop. It's the second time in about a month.
They have oyster shell available all the time, and I feed layer pellets. Normally her shells are just fine, nice and firm.
Can this issue be related to her molting - or not molting? Is this common for an aussie?
I'm not seeing any signs of mites, worms, etc. I keep their coop and run very clean, it's sand and I scoop poop daily.
They're outside all day in a fenced off area under the apply tree.
No vegetation other than what I supply from the garden, but plenty of room to run and scratch.

Thanks for your input and any ideas you might offer!
Carolyn

Mine are 1.5 years old and do not had a heavy molt. The worst is missing tail feathers. They seem to grow the new feathers as fast as they lose them.

The eggs will get weird like that at the start of a new egg laying cycle.

For worms, you do not have to see them. You can take a manure sample to a vet for a float test. It should cost less than $10.00.

 

[fowlman01]

Howdy Walt, I have waited for the smoke to clear so as I could ask you a question about combs and the emphasis on the amount of points on a single comb.
In the SOP the Black Australorp is required to have 5 points. So I cull intensely for that amount but in doing so , there have been some outstanding birds with all the required traits needed for show quality birds. In some instances I cannot bring myself to cull them as they are too nice to eat, so I'm looking for more room in the runs to breed them to birds with less points to try and average out 5 pointers as chicks.
In the American Class, there are several breeds with a single comb that also are required to have a 5 point comb, all except the Jersey Giant which is required 6 points.
If this particular breed has a single comb as many other breeds do, why is it the exception to the rule?
I understand that more than the required amounts of points are not a disqualification, but points counted off at a poultry exhibit show, which can mean the difference between a grand champion of show or not.
Now this is where some smoke may rise again and hopefully not start any fires because this is only a question. I have studied both Black Australorp standards, American and Australian and come to find that there is some leeway in the Australian Standard as to the amount of points on the comb.
Why do the standards differ and who made the call to limit points on one single comb breed and not another breed with the same comb?

I look forward to your reply
Respectfully
Chet Hupp
Hupp farm

On BYC the number of points on a comb becomes a big deal .......In a show they are not a big deal and you can have Best of Show with a bird that has extra points (I have more than once or twice) ......as long as it is superior in other ways. Extra points are a 1/2 point deduction for each over or under the specified amount. The body of the bird carries the most points. I don't pay attention to the amount of points early on unless there are so many that the comb looks like a saw blade. I have an Australian Standard here and I don't see any real differences in that and the APA SOP. I'm not sure why people think there is....maybre I'm missing something. I have ordered a British Standard to check that as well.

I have no idea why the Jersey Giant requires 6 points, but that is the way the Standard was written in 1922. The breeds used to create the JG have 5 points except the Brahma which has a pea comb. there may be an answer in some of the books of that time.

If you can enter a bird that has 90 points or so, you will be hard to beat., so you can see that extra points on a comb are not a big deal.

Walt

 

[aveca]

the cockeral i showed last year to english champion had 6 points.
t
he cockeral i showed this year had 5 points, but just wasnt the beefy specimin that last years was, plus a little younger than i like..he was bv bb all of that, just didnt have that umph to kick over to champion row...

 

[CarolynF]

Hi All,

Two quick questions, they're general questions but I'm interested in the answers as they relate to my Aussie hen specifically, ok? She's been laying for a little more than 1 year. I don't know her breeding, she may be a mix but looks like a hatchery aussie.

1. She's never had a heavy molt, is that typical? She loses a few feathers occasionally, I find 3 or 4 once in a while, but nothing like my BC Maran last spring when it looked like a feather bomb had exploded.

2. Today she had an egg with a tissue-paper shell that broke in the coop. It's the second time in about a month.
They have oyster shell available all the time, and I feed layer pellets. Normally her shells are just fine, nice and firm.
Can this issue be related to her molting - or not molting? Is this common for an aussie?
I'm not seeing any signs of mites, worms, etc. I keep their coop and run very clean, it's sand and I scoop poop daily.
They're outside all day in a fenced off area under the apply tree.
No vegetation other than what I supply from the garden, but plenty of room to run and scratch.

Thanks for your input and any ideas you might offer!
Carolyn

Mine are 1.5 years old and do not had a heavy molt. The worst is missing tail feathers. They seem to grow the new feathers as fast as they lose them.

The eggs will get weird like that at the start of a new egg laying cycle.

For worms, you do not have to see them. You can take a manure sample to a vet for a float test. It should cost less than $10.00.

Hi Ron,

What triggers a NEW Egg Laying Cycle, i.e., how do I know when she's starting one?


Anyone Else have any idea?


Thanks again.
Carolyn

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Time laying and Season. At the end the color of the egg gets lighter. They will often take some time off from laying(not necessarily) and then you can get soft shelled eggs but the quickly get back to normal with darker eggs.

 

[nova022]

Pictures of my 10 week old Australorp Matilda


, She is a joy!