Evaluating My Blue Australorp Cockerels

[3KillerBs]

Obviously 10 weeks is very early to start this process, but all 5 of my Blue Australorp straight runs turned out to be male and I will end up keeping only one so I'd at least like to have a good idea what to look for even though they have a great deal of growing to do.

I've read the Australian standard from the Open Poultry Standards: http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp I haven't read the US SOP for Australorps in a long time (I have a hardcopy that's still packed from moving and which is many, many decades old (I got it as a library discard about 20 years ago)).

My goal is a healthy, vigorous backyard flock rather than a show flock, but I do want them to be decent representatives of their breed so I wouldn't want to be ashamed to have someone say "That's one of 3KB's birds".

That said, does anyone see anything in particular in favor or against any of these boys at this point?

Green

Red (who might be splash rather than blue)

Black

Pink (who also might be splash)

Yellow (who *may* be a little smaller than the others -- I wasn't able to weigh them).

Any thoughts on what I should look for as they develop?

 

[Chicken poppy]

Obviously 10 weeks is very early to start this process, but all 5 of my Blue Australorp straight runs turned out to be male and I will end up keeping only one so I'd at least like to have a good idea what to look for even though they have a great deal of growing to do.

I've read the Australian standard from the Open Poultry Standards: http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp I haven't read the US SOP for Australorps in a long time (I have a hardcopy that's still packed from moving and which is many, many decades old (I got it as a library discard about 20 years ago)).

My goal is a healthy, vigorous backyard flock rather than a show flock, but I do want them to be decent representatives of their breed so I wouldn't want to be ashamed to have someone say "That's one of 3KB's birds".

That said, does anyone see anything in particular in favor or against any of these boys at this point?

Green
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Red (who might be splash rather than blue)
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Black
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Pink (who also might be splash)
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Yellow (who *may* be a little smaller than the others -- I wasn't able to weigh them).
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Any thoughts on what I should look for as they develop?

Their absolutely stunning!

 

[3KillerBs]

Their absolutely stunning!

For pure pretty at this stage I like Pink and Black -- though Black's comb might be a little wonky?

 

[-Flash-]

I don't know about breeding or anything, but I really like green!

 

[Chicken poppy]

For pure pretty at this stage I like Pink and Black -- though Black's comb might be a little wonky?

It could be, im not to sure, i do agree with you though that those do look the most pure. They all are very gorgeous and lovely looking!

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't know about breeding or anything, but I really like green!

He is a handsome bird. He's good and solid (I really wish I'd gotten weights), and has the best-developed hackles and saddles at this point so nice and early in his maturation.

I don't know about that dark shadow across his wings though.

It could be, im not to sure, i do agree with you though that those do look the most pure. They all are very gorgeous and lovely looking!

If either of them actually is splash he'll move to the head of the list for being able to breed plenty of blues. Barring any serious flaws of temperament or growth or any serious flaws of conformation that I'm too ignorant to see.

 

[Chicken poppy]

He is a handsome bird. He's good and solid (I really wish I'd gotten weights), and has the best-developed hackles and saddles at this point so nice and early in his maturation.

I don't know about that dark shadow across his wings though.



If either of them actually is splash he'll move to the head of the list for being able to breed plenty of blues. Barring any serious flaws of temperament or growth or any serious flaws of conformation that I'm too ignorant to see.

We noticed our chickens temperment fairly early on so im sure he will carry on the same temperment! Our chicken was loud from the moment he could talk in the egg, then was crowing his head off when he was a adult.

 

[3KillerBs]

We noticed our chickens temperment fairly early on so im sure he will carry on the same temperment! Our chicken was loud from the moment he could talk in the egg, then was crowing his head off when he was a adult.

Nothing sticks out in that aspect yet for any of them.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Nothing sticks out in that aspect yet for any of them.

Every chickens different of course, but they sound like their already great boys. By that age, you should notice if theres bad behavior, (or atleast i did) so their probably very sweet

 

[Sally PB]

Dang I want one.