|
|
|
Australorps & Black Stars
|
|
|
|
|
|
Egg Shell Color: Brown.
Use: Generally a very good egg producer with a fairly meaty body of intermediate size.
Origin: The Australorp was developed in Australia from Black Orpington stock. It is smaller than the Orpington with a trimmer appearance.
Characteristics: Australorps have intense beetle-green sheen on the black birds, dark eyes, deep bodies and are very active. They are one of the best dual-purpose fowls, having gained attention in the 1930s and '40s by being one side of the successful AustaWhite cross. This cross of Australorp x White Leghorn became the successor to purebred breeds on many Midwestern farms. Broodiness was a problem with the cross and some markets discounted the tinted eggs they laid. Therefore, it soon fell victim to the inbred hybrid crosses of "Hyline" and "DeKalb." Australorps are good egg producers and hold the world's record for egg production with one hen having laid 364 eggs in 365 days under official Australian trapnest testing.
|
|
This is what our Australorps should look like as adults.
Image: Watt Publishing, 122 S. Wesley Ave., Mt. Morris, IL 61054 USA
|
|
|
|
Egg Shell Color: Brown.
Use: A very good egg producer.
Origin: The Black Stars have been designed for the commercial producer by Bovans a Dutch breeding company, now part of Hendrix.
Characteristics: A "sex-link" chicken is one, which at time of hatch, can be sexed by its color. BLACK STAR: A large wonderful brown egg layer that will weigh a little over 5 lbs, easy to raise, and has a good feed conversion ratio. The females are black with gold hackle and breast feathers and are egg laying machines. The males are black with white barring.
|
|
This is what our Black Stars should look like as adults.
Image: Murray McMurray Hatchery
|
|
|
|
April 24, 2004 we brought home 3 Australorps and 4 Black Stars. The Australorps were just 1 week old and the Black Stars were 2-3 weeks old.
|
|
|
|
|
Lucy keeps a watchful eye on this year's new batch of babies.
|
|
|
|
A couple weeks later the chicks enjoyed their first day outside.
|
|
Late May, we put the babies outside. They have their own fenced area in the chicken "play yard". They can get out and co-mingle with the older hens, but mostly stay to themselves and run away from the hens to avoid pecking.
It's May 26th - they are now 5-7 weeks old.
|
|
|
|
|
