Building a Sustainable Flock--Black Australorps

[gatrapper]

Hey Y'all,

Black Australorps have always been my favorite breed. I finally decided to switch my flock over to predominantly black australorps and just ordered 25 pullets and 5 roosters. I would like to be able to breed and hatch my own birds from here on own.

I have bred and hatched my own birds before, but nothing to this level.

What exactly should I look forward as time passes to improve the flock and their genes?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've always been partial to BA's too.

First determine your goals. What are you trying to accomplish by breeding them? Are you breeding them to show? Or do you want to try to preserve the breed? Get the SOP so you know better what you should be breeding to.

Do you want to improve their egg laying? Determine what traits you'd consider an improvement and select your breeders based on that. That could be egg size, egg shell color, frequency of laying, laying in winter, continuing to lay as they get older.

Are you looking at them for meat? What traits would make them a better meat bird for you? Is it pure size? At what age do you butcher them, size at that age might be more important than how big they will eventually get. Do you prefer dark meat or white? You can select your breeders based on conformation. Do you let them forage a lot or do you buy or grow most of what they eat? If you are providing most of what they eat then feed to meat conversion rate may be fairly important to you.

Do you want them to go broody? If so, hatch eggs from a hen that goes broody and save them for your replacements. If you don't want them to go broody don't hatch eggs from a hen that went broody.

I personally select based on behaviors. If a chicken, male or female, disturbs the peace and tranquility of my flock it gets eaten. I'm convinced that some behavior is hereditary and some is learned so I don't let bad-behaving birds breed.

If a bird shows up with a physical problem don't let it breed. Crossed beaks, crooked toes, or any other deformity means they don't breed. One that is prone to injury doesn't make the grade. If one lays defective eggs it is gone.

Hopefully you get the idea. Decide what you want and breed toward those goals.

 

[gatrapper]

Thanks for the great response. My main goal would be a good looking bird with great egg production. If I have 25 hens in a coop, how do I determine the best egg layers?

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Thanks for the great response. My main goal would be a good looking bird with great egg production. If I have 25 hens in a coop, how do I determine the best egg layers?

I'm sure there could be better suggestions, but if multiple coops aren't an option, getting a camera (I like Wyze) and tag the birds with color tabs (single and double bands) make a chart indicating leg band color and track their egg laying. Long term it would be easiest to count egg laying within a single year, or you could go into Y2 with tracking before you start breeding, but that's my opinion.

 

[Sally PB]

Very much a newbie, but I'll be following this thread. Love my BAs and plan to brood some chicks next spring.

Best of luck to you, gatrapper!

 

[Mrs. K]

You really need to take records. Weigh them periodically on a regular basis, and knowing who is laying and who isn't. And you need a sharp knife. I agree, the SOP will help. Good traits are also well aligned birds, where their beaks are well aligned, where there legs and toes are in the correct position, where there wings set well on the body. You need to handle them so you can feel the breast, the legs ...feathers hide a lot of sins.

More than likely, what you should do is carefully analyze your flock, pick the top rooster and 2-4 hens, the best ones, and only breed them. Collect those eggs to hatch and eat everything else as in eggs and meat.

Mrs K

 

[gatrapper]

Where can I get a copy of the Standards of Perfection?

 

[aart]

Where can I get a copy of the Standards of Perfection?

You can buy one(google it).
Your library may have a copy if you have state wide lending program,
I was able to do that it was few editions old, but good enough for what I needed.