Australorps Breeding for SOP and Exhibition Thread

[waynec1955]

The tail is to be set at 40 degrees off the back, If you cull out all squirrel tailed birds and keep the flat backs for breeding, you can obtain the tail that is required by the standard.
It takes time and determination to develop the traits you want in your flock but you must cull, cull, cull.
Yes it is sad if your an animal lover like myself, it never is something you look forward to especially if you have made the mistake of giving a cull candidate a name.
We dispatch them and put them in the freezer for later after the meat sits in the fridge to cure for 3 days.
The pay off is a great chemical free meal that cant be beat from any grocery store meat department.
The other pay off is the quality of your flock after a few years, because that's what it takes, a few years.

Breeding Orpingtons back into your flock is not breeding for pure breed Australorps. All you are doing is putting back traits that were bred out of them to be an Australorp.
When I see them at shows, it ticks me off because someone wants larger birds and thinks that is the correct trend to follow, when in fact it is cheating those who raise Heritage pure breed Australorps and spend the years of development to achieve the correct size and weight per the SOP.

I have read the Australian Standard and there is very little difference in either one, other than the APA SOP being a bit too critical on only a couple items that I can see.
That is my opinion and just like a cranium, everybody has one.

I'm new to Australorps, and this is just the kind of post I'm looking for. Thanks for the info.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Chet,
Glad you are back, let's have some pics.
Kurt

 

[huppfarm]

Thanks Kurt !
I have popped in time to time to see what folks were saying and showing but didn't seem the need to chime in. There are more and more folks with knowledge now a days vs. when we first started talking about our favorite breeds. So I like to sit back and see what info is being shared.
Many of the topics were about the same items, but from different folks and different times and typing the same info repeating over and over is sometimes tiring as I don't type well with arthritis, so its very time consuming for me.

Sounds like you had something happen to you ? Was it a bike wreck?

 

[getaclue]

My first group of chicks is now 6 weeks old. I have been feeding them Manna Pro Chick Starter. At what age should I begin changing them over to showbird feed?

 

[ronott1]

My first group of chicks is now 6 weeks old. I have been feeding them Manna Pro Chick Starter. At what age should I begin changing them over to showbird feed?

Post Pictures of them!

 

[getaclue]

Here are the pics. The sheen is green, but the camera is showing it as sort of blue. Don't shoot the photographer. LOL.

 

[getaclue]

Good thing there is very little feed in there, and they don't scratch it and get it all over their flock mates, or all over their faces. LOL! Yeah, right!

 

[ronott1]

Here are the pics. The sheen is green, but the camera is showing it as sort of blue. Don't shoot the photographer. LOL.

They look very nice so far. They are 6 weeks old? They have a lot of growing and changing before they are full grown.

For those that breed and show Australorps, what would you cull for at this age? Leg color? What else.

edited to add: I think the leg color looks good from what I see on yours. I am just getting a list of early faults to look for.

 

[getaclue]

Deformities, any that are seriously lacking in growth, or development. Yes, my little rooster has an extra point in his comb, so does his dad, and I will NOT cull for that alone. I can tell you this though. In the beginning, I tried keeping track of which hen laid which egg. It's not necessary. There is enough difference, I can look at them, and tell you who the hen was that they came from.

 

[ronott1]

Deformities, any that are seriously lacking in growth, or development. Yes, my little rooster has an extra point in his comb, so does his dad, and I will NOT cull for that alone. I can tell you this though. In the beginning, I tried keeping track of which hen laid which egg. It's not necessary. There is enough difference, I can look at them, and tell you who the hen was that they came from.

You ave very correct. The comb fault is not much of an issue really. It is not much in the way of point loss on a champion Cock Bird.

The hen gives a lot to the Chicks and is very important for getting good conformation.

Will you be showing your Australorps?