Black Australorp hybrid project

holm25

Jr Chicken Wrangler
9 Years
Apr 6, 2014
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Last spring I started a project to find an amazing hybrid. All I had was a simple hatchery Welsummer roo and a flock of 60 hatchery layers to choose hens from. I was looking for a bird that was large enough to be used as a broiler but could also lay a large quantity of eggs each year.

So I started with a 2 Easter eggers, 1 New hampshire red, 1 Buff orpington, 1 Buff Brahma, 2 Barred Rocks and finally the biggest old Black Australorp hen I had.

Once I had the hens I thought I wanted put the roo in with them. I waited to set eggs for a few weeks and eventually only 2 or 3 of the original hens were still with the roo. I removed hens who didn't lay alot, weren't good foragers and ones that didn't lay large eggs.

The middle of March I set 5 eggs under a broody and she hatched 5 of 6 eggs. She hatched 4 Easter egger crosses and 1 Black Australorp cross.

The chicks and the broody foraged for almost all their food except for a little bit of scratch I would throw to them. The reason I made them forage for their food was so I could see who would thrive and who would struggle a bit. All the chicks did OK but the Australorp cross did amazing!!

Over the weeks I watched very close over the chicks to see who I would keep to keep my project going.

Since the broody hatched those chicks I had hatched many other batches of chicks and never liksd the other hybrids like I did the Australorp crosses.

Last fall we butchered all the roos I hatched except for the Australorp hybrid. All the roos dressed out at about 5-6 pounds and they were all around 15-20 weeks.

So these two together...

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Made this guy...

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I hope to cross hom over some big Brahmas I have to get pea combs so I dont have a big chance of frost bite. Will post as soon as I set eggs.


Is anyone making some kind of Australorp hybrid please share pics and your goals for your hybrids if you have some!!
 
I found pics of the batch of chicks he came from. Also added some of how they aged and butcher day. There were roos from different batches that day too.

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@hellbender you do Black Australorp crosses don't you?? Could u possibly share some pics and info??
 
Sounds like a neat cross!! Good luck and share plenty of pics when they hatch!!
 
Okay, so my sister and I didn't breed these two, we bought them from someone local, but she told us they were Australrop and Amerucana crosses. So they look like black Australorps but with peacombs and muffs. They lay large green eggs. We are very happy with them.

Right now they are almost a year old as we got them back in March 2014.

As chicks


Lu



White-face (as she had a whiter face than Lu)

As hens we can't tell the difference, they look the same, but here are two pictures anyway:


Yeah, we need better pictures now that they are older. Anyway, they are good hens. They aren't winter layers (not like the RIR) and they aren't overly friendly but they'll approach us and they aren't aggressive. Definitely top hens though.
 
They r beautiful!! I set some eggs from my hens and there is a few EE eggs! I hope my Aussie cross roo is dad to a few and my splash cochin is dad to some. I have 20 eggs in the incubator and all but two look like they have development!!
 
Very interesting thread.
I'll be watching.
I'm doing my own cross breeding but making Naked Necks in custom colors. Been thinking about adding Black Australorps for a solid black project.

Keep updating your progress. Folks may not be posting but thru are definitely are watching.

Here's one of my projects:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...a-mottled-naked-neck-thread/300#post_16824946.

Heres the other one: I stated in there that I'd probably be giving up on it, but I'm not quite ready to quit on it yet.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/939680/green-egger-naked-neck-thread/240#post_16793345
 
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Draye I have read a few of your threads before. I have kinda stopped with this project. I am going to start breeding Buckeyes. I love these birds but I cant breed to a standard or show them.
 

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