Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[fowlman01]

I agree. I think,... I have to find reference for this,... I think,... if you are getting brassiness in your eb (Brown) based Columbian Rocks, it's because there is not a correct balance in the hue of the underfluff and it is affecting the top color of the plumage. As catdaddyfro said, there is no autosomal red or eb in WR.
Best,
Karen

Like my Leghorns, there are plenty of WR's with dominant white that will not be affected by sun or corn. Yellow corn will change a Leghorns white earlobes yellow...along with making their legs a brighter yellow, so corn is doing something to color...just not to dominant white birds. Yellow corn can also cause purple barring in some black birds.

Walt

 

[ocap]

Anybody got words of wisdom on breeding australorps. I am two generations removed from hatchery birds with them. Seems most bird don't look like the standard I see in pics on the web. So many look real show type, which look orp, or Wyandotte to me. kick it. Who has good ones...... Start where you are ............ Whith what ya got. Right?

I purchased Australorps from two sources, last April and another bunch in June. The April 8th hatch was from Mr. Duane Urch in Minnesota and his chicks turned out great, very impressed with size. The June 3rd hatch was from a hatchery and looked similar to, but 80% the size of the Urch birds, I kept pullets from both hatch dates and would still buy from Urch, I can still see the difference. Is that difference caused by time of year (hatch date) or breeder? I would have to breed from both flocks and hatch on the same date, that is now impossible, all hatchery cockerels are in the freezer. Friends that come over and see the Australorp cockerels always comment, they have never seen chickens that large.

This is my first year with "breeder" chickens, I will never go back!

 

[Darkangael]

Sorry to hear you had to cull your bird Teachick

 

[hellbender]

I purchased Australorps from two sources, last April and another bunch in June. The April 8th hatch was from Mr. Duane Urch in Minnesota and his chicks turned out great, very impressed with size. The June 3rd hatch was from a hatchery and looked similar to, but 80% the size of the Urch birds, I kept pullets from both hatch dates and would still buy from Urch, I can still see the difference. Is that difference caused by time of year (hatch date) or breeder? I would have to breed from both flocks and hatch on the same date, that is now impossible, all hatchery cockerels are in the freezer. Friends that come over and see the Australorp cockerels always comment, they have never seen chickens that large.

This is my first year with "breeder" chickens, I will never go back!

ocap...As posted before, my birds (Australorps and NN) sprang from 'hatchery stock', more than 60 years ago. My son will be home soon to deal with my ineptitude with this d###ed camera and he will take pictures of some of our cocks of both breeds.

They still are not show birds but they are 'breeder stock' now and many will be surprised at the size of our adult birds, both cocks and hens.

I posted a few miserable pics of some of our 6 month old stock and even they show to be very large for their age. Even though I have only recently decided to breed to the SOP (with one breed), I realize that size is not the primary reason to breed with the SOP in mind. My birds are almost all WELL over the size demanded by the standards.

From what I have garnered, that's because SOME judges put up size over adherance to said standard...JMHO

 

[ocap]

ocap...As posted before, my birds (Australorps and NN) sprang from 'hatchery stock', more than 60 years ago. My son will be home soon to deal with my ineptitude with this d###ed camera and he will take pictures of some of our cocks of both breeds.

They still are not show birds but they are 'breeder stock' now and many will be surprised at the size of our adult birds, both cocks and hens.

I posted a few miserable pics of some of our 6 month old stock and even they show to be very large for their age. Even though I have only recently decided to breed to the SOP (with one breed), I realize that size is not the primary reason to breed with the SOP in mind. My birds are almost all WELL over the size demanded by the standards.

From what I have garnered, that's because SOME judges put up size over adherance to said standard...JMHO

hellbender....I am 64 years old and just starting out

 

[hellbender]

hellbender....I am 64 years old and just starting out

LOL...I too am 64 and in a way, also just starting out. The prospect of working with SOP birds with my son has rejuvenated me and I'm almost giddy with the prospect of having him back home.

I meant no disrespect with the post, only to say that size seems to matter for perhaps the wrong reasons. I wish you good luck with your project!

RON

 

[fowlman01]

LOL...I too am 64 and in a way, also just starting out. The prospect of working with SOP birds with my son has rejuvenated me and I'm almost giddy with the prospect of having him back home.

I meant no disrespect with the post, only to say that size seems to matter for perhaps the wrong reasons. I wish you good luck with your project!

RON

I'm more than a decade older than you two kids. Australorps should be: Cock 8.5 lbs hen: 6.5 lbs. Unless you weigh them you will not know where you are in size/weight.

Walt

 

[Bluetick340]

Other tips, Walt? What is your opinion on types? If you do a image search you see all types. Very few look like the ones in my 1929 I think standard.

 

[Bluetick340]

Kind of like a image search for reds or rocks. Same faults. Tails and types. I guess kind of like others if it is black is is a australorp, and if is orange it's a red, and if it has some degree of barring, well it's "bard rock" lol. That's a craigslist quote.

 

[Vamvakas]

I guess I am a baby cause I am only 22 always grown up with chickens and started to get really into them few year ago... Hopefully when I reach your guys age I'll be a master breeder/judge. *And then I wake up*