Australorps breed Thread

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

I agree, good looking boys and girls there. I definitely like the 2 roos heads and tails. Keep up the good work. This storm has not even hit the Jersey coast
yet I am 300 miles from there and already we have snow, rain and 50 mile an hour winds on top of the mountain.

 

[lildinkem]

Hi Bill,
really like your boys. You're getting birds that are starting to look more like my avatar than the Utility types more common there. Not knockin' them by the way! A really nice head on the bottom boy. Nice eye and how'd you get that clean face? The tail is getting fuller and rounder, which seems to be one of the main 'problems' over there. This site won't upload any pics for me at the moment, so I'll keep it brief.
Thinking of Aveca and those of you in the path of the storm at the moment. Hope it doesn't turn into the predicted monster!
Regards Geoff from Aus

Thanks Geoff!
The first boy is a clone of his daddy. The second boy is more like what one would see in the APA shows. I hope to use both for the upcoming season. I prefer the first one. He is a wide one.

 

[groche]

Yay, I can post pics again! For the history buffs, this was what was regarded as a stud, purebred Utility Australorp in around 1953. It comes from a really interesting publication from our State Dept. of Agriculture. Back then we had lots of Govt. supervised laying tests/competitions and lots of research into raising egglayers. Really informative on selective breeding for egglaying. If anyone's interested, I could post some of it. To me, this is one of its more contentious viewpoints.


Hey, Bill,
how'd you get to where you are from descendants of this boy above? Whatever you're doing, I reckon it's working!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

 

[aveca]

Ooooops posted wrong thread..

 

[lildinkem]

Yay, I can post pics again! For the history buffs, this was what was regarded as a stud, purebred Utility Australorp in around 1953. It comes from a really interesting publication from our State Dept. of Agriculture. Back then we had lots of Govt. supervised laying tests/competitions and lots of research into raising egglayers. Really informative on selective breeding for egglaying. If anyone's interested, I could post some of it. To me, this is one of its more contentious viewpoints.


Hey, Bill,
how'd you get to where you are from descendants of this boy above? Whatever you're doing, I reckon it's working!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

Geoff, he's a tuff one to get a good pic from. He likes to get right up on ya and too close many times for a decent pic.
His daddy is the one at the beginning of the year I asked one of our APA better breeders (Doug Akers) what Doug thought. And Doug said "he is an Australorp". This bird is a throw back to my crossing an Akers Buff Orpington with a Meyer hatchery Australorp/Ameraucana mix for a test of IF these Buff hens were fertile. 2 generations later after taking one of those offspring back to Black Orpingtons I had this boys daddy. The daddy is now in full molt, and once he finishes up I will get you some more pics of him.
For now I have to take pics of this fella and his brother.




Here is a pic of the original Aussie's from that one Meyer mess. They were suppose to be Jersey Giants. I would say this is more to what your calling a "utility" bred Aussie judging by this Black hen in this pic. And these Buffs were the ones from Doug I crossed as a test breeding to assure they would lay fertile eggs. They did obviously. hahaha And I destroyed the first batch of their eggs only to go out and get an Akers Buff Orp cockerel to breed and after the first 2 days I had 5 eggs which I hatched. So, I can thank Larry LEE Buffalo for getting me into Australorps as well as Orpingtons. It was all his idea of doing the test breeding. And also as a side benefit for my Black Orps I am using a distant cousin to my newly created Aussie line to better my Black Orpingtons.



This is STORK, he is the cousin I mentioned. He got his name cause I thought he was "brain dead" and he just turned out a big goofy bird. He is showing more of the Buff Orp traits from that original out cross breeding. Here in the US many are using UK or Imported Orpingtons to try to better their Orpingtons to make them more competative in showing against the Buff Orps. I figured I already had a male who was part Buff Orp, why not use him to achieve the same result.
STORK

 

[groche]

Hi Bill,
gee, I had a chuckle when I read your 'formula' for creating these birds. Didn't think you'd got 'em by selective breeding from Utility lines. The various combinations of non-rounded skull, sunken cheeks, mulberry-colored face, wrinkles and facial hair, so common in Utilities, are very difficult to get rid of without some form of outcrossing. But, who would have thought of using a Buff Orp. to produce an Aussie? Sheer genius!!! Our early commercial breeders put lots of different stuff into the Utility Aussie, but I reckon this is the first time the Aussie has had blue egg gene added. I've never come across Ameraucanas here, but I'm presuming that they carry this from Auracanas. Seriously though, you may have got lucky initially, but what you have done/do with them has a lot more to do with skillful breeding. Any issues with 'nasty' recessives popping up? Having got so close to a good head and tail, I'd be wary of intro'ing any more Utility blood, for the reasons mentioned above. Are you going for intensive inbreeding for a while to see if you can establish a line which sets the good qualities you've achieved so far?
I think it's terrific that folks are posting pics of their experiments. I find them interesting, as we're still adding bits and pieces to 'improve' our birds, but it must be even more interesting to those of you trying to get a line on where you're at with your own projects from all over the country. Opens up more opportunities for learning or even exchanging stock. I'm more a sharing sort of breeder, rather than the sort who closely guards their 'secret formulas'. Guess I'm more into the challenge of breeding good birds rather than winning prizes - not to say I won't show eventually if I manage to produce what I'm aiming for though!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

Really hope you folk survived the big blow and wet with yourselves and your birds intact!

 

[lildinkem]

Hi Bill,
gee, I had a chuckle when I read your 'formula' for creating these birds. Didn't think you'd got 'em by selective breeding from Utility lines. The various combinations of non-rounded skull, sunken cheeks, mulberry-colored face, wrinkles and facial hair, so common in Utilities, are very difficult to get rid of without some form of outcrossing. But, who would have thought of using a Buff Orp. to produce an Aussie? Sheer genius!!! Our early commercial breeders put lots of different stuff into the Utility Aussie, but I reckon this is the first time the Aussie has had blue egg gene added. I've never come across Ameraucanas here, but I'm presuming that they carry this from Auracanas. Seriously though, you may have got lucky initially, but what you have done/do with them has a lot more to do with skillful breeding. Any issues with 'nasty' recessives popping up? Having got so close to a good head and tail, I'd be wary of intro'ing any more Utility blood, for the reasons mentioned above. Are you going for intensive inbreeding for a while to see if you can establish a line which sets the good qualities you've achieved so far?
I think it's terrific that folks are posting pics of their experiments. I find them interesting, as we're still adding bits and pieces to 'improve' our birds, but it must be even more interesting to those of you trying to get a line on where you're at with your own projects from all over the country. Opens up more opportunities for learning or even exchanging stock. I'm more a sharing sort of breeder, rather than the sort who closely guards their 'secret formulas'. Guess I'm more into the challenge of breeding good birds rather than winning prizes - not to say I won't show eventually if I manage to produce what I'm aiming for though!
Cheers Geoff from Aus

Really hope you folk survived the big blow and wet with yourselves and your birds intact!

HAHAHA only in Indiana would one find such a bird!

What is funny is at the beginning of the year I had no intention of making Australorps. These "layers specials" hens (that is what Doug called them), I bought from Doug at our Indiana State Fair Poultry Show in 2011. They are from Doug's Exhibition line Australorps. So the hens I used are from some of the better quality Aussies in the USA. I was so intrigued by how Doug described my male earlier this year I felt like making a 1/2 buttt attempt in using him with these Aussie "layers Specials" just to see what may pop out. So far I have had a few with recessive defects, 2 pullets have sprigs, but I will weed them out as I continue to line breed for better and more consistant line of Aussies. These birds are such an out cross it will be several generations before I have to worry about inbreeding causing any sterility. Next season I will use the top male back to his mother, and breed the father to daughters to make 2 separate lines. I had asked a very well respected APA judge, who is also my good friend, which one of the 2 boys he liked. He too liked the top male. Both that male and his daddy are nearly identical in appearance will be a great start for a new line of Aussies here in the states.

 

[groche]

Hey Bill,
if you listen hard, you might just pick up the applause from over here. Think you're adopting a sensible approach. Really hope you can set your line. Do you have Ray Conners' book? I'm approaching serious culling time and will use Ray's and other sources' advice on selection of breeders. I'm gonna put it down step by step for myself so I don't miss anything. I'm happy to share this 'formula' with you folk if anyone's interested.
Cheers Geoff from Aus

 

[lildinkem]

Hey Bill,
if you listen hard, you might just pick up the applause from over here. Think you're adopting a sensible approach. Really hope you can set your line. Do you have Ray Conners' book? I'm approaching serious culling time and will use Ray's and other sources' advice on selection of breeders. I'm gonna put it down step by step for myself so I don't miss anything. I'm happy to share this 'formula' with you folk if anyone's interested.
Cheers Geoff from Aus

Yeah if you could post some of the book I am sure many over here could appreciate how Ray goes about his culling.
I hatched out so few this season, not too many to weed thru. Hope to make a better effort next season. Now I think I have a reliable line to work with, even though it is a total out cross, I think I can do well reproducing what I have made again and again.

 

[aveca]

ray connors book is avail through australias official australorp web site, it was 14.00 ..cant beleive how fast it got here too, plus aus.net ag resource ..