How many are breeding for Blue Australorps here in America?

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

5 week old blue K with his EE buddy.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Chet,
2 week old Rattlesnake Ridge BBS Australorps.

 

[huppfarm]

Chet,
2 week old Rattlesnake Ridge BBS Australorps.

Kurt, they are lookin good and healthy, good job!.........we had a incubator catastrophe............went to candle last night and only 2 out of 24 were fertile, so we dumped the whole batch and put in the eggs that were going to be shipped, back into our bator to see what the problem is or if its a fertility problem..................always something!!!

 

[tnmommy]

I have my BBS Orpingtons in the brooder. As I understand this, each generation of older BBS Aussie/Orp crosses needs to be removed from the breeding pool, until the Orpington traits are bred out, correct?

 

[huppfarm]

I have my BBS Orpingtons in the brooder. As I understand this, each generation of older BBS Aussie/Orp crosses needs to be removed from the breeding pool, until the Orpington traits are bred out, correct?

You are correct and should take 5 generations to complete, be patient! only use the black Australorps when you breed to the blues.........cull out the black chicks and only use the blue for the next generation of breeders.........try to line breed or bring in new lines, keep away from inbreeding to prevent loss of size and defects.
Good luck!

 

[tnmommy]

Would spiral breeding be sufficient or should I bring in a totally new line once the rooster needs to be replaced?

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Chet,
Glad to hear they arrived intact. Let me know how they make out.
Kurt

 

[tnmommy]

I seem to have hit the rooster lottery. My chicks are about 6 weeks old and I have two strong cockerel suspects and a third that is not as clear. That leaves me with 2 probable pullets. I have hatching eggs from an exhibition line of black Australorps coming in January. I was so hoping to have lots of blue pullets and a couple of strong exhibition quality black Australorp roosters. The fellow I have now is very good but has red leakage on his feathers and I'm using him for utility hatching eggs only to pay for feed.

But three roosters is more than I'll need and I'm still not sure about a 4th chick, so I may have a blue cockerel available in the near future. Seller claims they were from the Taylor farms line; I'm treating them the same as my blue Orpington/Australorp cross chickens for several generations, though. Stay tuned.

 

[tnmommy]

Rooster lottery?:

Still not sure about this chick but those wattles are telling


Holding out hope, legs are "dainty"



Now this fellow, in the center, forget about it. That is testosterone and pretty sure he is one of my black Australorp/ blue Orpington crosses. Big boy. Dwarfs the splash Isbar to his right, same age.

 

[PDPercherons]

Not intentionally and to the level many of you have planned, however I'm raising up some blue Andi/Austra crosses which I'm hoping give me the hens characteristics. He's a big bodied roo so I'm doubting I'll lose any size or width.