Red australorp

[The Moonshiner]

What were you thinking to use to bring in the red?

 

[NatJ]

My question is how would one go about breeding the red color into australorps? What color australorps would be best to use?

Breed a black or blue Australorp to a red chicken (Rhode Island Red or similar.) The first generation chicks will be black. Breed those chicks back to a red chicken. About half the chicks will be black (cull them), the other half will be at least sort-of red. Choose the best of those, and cross them to Black Australorps again.

Then it's just a matter of repeating that pattern for as many generations as it takes to get the traits you want.

Since Australorps were originally developed from Orpingtons, you might use some variety of Orpington to bring in the red color. Red Orpingtons would be an obvious choice, but Buff Orpingtons would have at least some of the right color genes and are much more common.

I believe that that australorps could be very useful in the egg production market but are handicap because they cant be used to produce sexlink which as we all know is very much preferred.

If you want sexlinks, Black or Blue Australorp roosters could be crossed to barred or cuckoo hens. The sons would have white barring, the daughters not. (Although that does not let you produce sexlink chicks from Australorp hens, just from the roosters.)

 

[InsanePoultryFarmer]

What were you thinking to use to bring in the red?

I was thinking old timey Rhode island red or red sussex

 

[The Moonshiner]

Breed a black or blue Australorp to a red chicken (Rhode Island Red or similar.) The first generation chicks will be black. Breed those chicks back to a red chicken. About half the chicks will be black (cull them), the other half will be at least sort-of red. Choose the best of those, and cross them to Black Australorps again.

Then it's just a matter of repeating that pattern for as many generations as it takes to get the traits you want.

Since Australorps were originally developed from Orpingtons, you might use some variety of Orpington to bring in the red color. Red Orpingtons would be an obvious choice, but Buff Orpingtons would have at least some of the right color genes and are much more common.


If you want sexlinks, Black or Blue Australorp roosters could be crossed to barred or cuckoo hens. The sons would have white barring, the daughters not. (Although that does not let you produce sexlink chicks from Australorp hens, just from the roosters.)

Not exactly how I'd go about it but there's several ways i suppose so.
I don't know much about the Australorps "personalities" so idk what would carry simular.
I wouldn't use RIR, NH or such because of the yellow skin and it being recessive to white.
Buff Orpington would work. I know Orpington where used for Australorps so maybe they're similar. Buffs are same as red but with the dilute gene. Once you get to crossing you can lose that gene.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I was thinking old timey Rhode island red or red sussex

Red Sussex would be good. I hadn't thought of them. Right color and white skin.

 

[NatJ]

I wouldn't use RIR, NH or such because of the yellow skin and it being recessive to white.

Good point. I was thinking of common red breeds, and forgot about skin color.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I’m following because I love this idea!

 

[la dee da]

Have you decided if you’ll go through with this project? I was just wishing there was a red australorp myself, so I’m very interested in this.

 

[lyndon]

I am also interested in this project. I’m willing to try if no one has. I raise both Black Australorps and Buf Orpingtons. What steps do I take?