Delawares from kathyinmo

Pics

Here is REX again , at the feeder . growing but wing feathers are curling up - He will need to fly upside down to get lift LOL
Can be seen better if you click on picture .
Its the only one with that wing feather condition . It hold wing up closer together at top . See previous post
on REX
 
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Tom, I don't know about Rex. I think you have to wait and see how he ends up. Chicks do so much changing as they grow.
Bee, you have a wonderful place for chicks to grow, so green and lush. I'm seeing voracious appetites here, also. Last night, when I closed the coop, I finally took these chicks out of their stock tank brooder and let them join the rest of the growing youngsters in the main coop. The larger, older, chicks were pecking the newbies away from their food, but they kept coming back for more. No injuries this morning, so it must have just been establishing pecking order. I opened the coop for the day in the morning. A couple of the young Dels ventured out, but quickly returned to the coop. They seemed to enjoy having the entire coop to themselves all day while the others ranged.
I fed all the livestock & did chores at sunset, returning to find that all the young Delawares had decided that was the time to try free ranging outside. Chicks running around everywhere! My dog, Bailey, was watching them and giving them the stern look that usually tells the chickens it's time to go in the coop. I told him, "Bailey, those are babies." He looked chagrined, since he was hoping to nudge them in the right direction and he knows that he's not allowed to touch anything I call a baby. So, he watched me try to lure them in with food. Then he watched as they followed me right back out again. I could tell by his expression that he was sure that he could do a better job of it. I finally resorted to picking them all up and carrying them back inside the coop. Bailey was so happy that there was one older cockerel that was still out, so he could go over and direct him home for the night.
They are so funny looking right now, bare spots & tufts of feathers. Not the cutest things to photograph, but I might take some shots of them, tomorrow.
 
TALE OF THE SCALE;
OK its 5 weeks and thats our wing tag day- when we tag them we weigh them - the KIMNIM line is my BLUE tag line.
I have another line from two breeders [ not hatchery ] that are 5 weeks older . These are my RED tag line. All were weighed at 5 weeks. Same feed and schedule for both.
11 RED line averaged 9.29 ounces [ there are only 4 pullets in RED line ]
14 BLUE line averaged 11.57 ounces [ there are approx 7 pullets in this line and one WR that is below the average]
Thats a whopping 24% better weight gain


Just moved them from brooder pen to 10x10 pen . We can not free range in the enet till they get 10 weeks . they are to small body wise and can slip thru the netting. At this rate however the BLUE line may be ready in 8 weeks LOL
I'm impressed. The RED line is a more social group . Blue a little skittish.
 
Sorry this isn't a reply. But I can't figure out how to post this without replying. Does anyone know if there is a safe spray for the yard and house for flies. I've bought several different things to hang guaranteed to work and haven't caught anything. I also have a problem with my 2-3 year old chickens. Some have very runny poop and others have firm. They all get the same food and water. I feed purina pellets mixed with omega 3 pellets. They get mealworms, scratch and few other treats. I put vitamins in the water. I don't know what else to do. Anyone with suggestions.
 
Mrstomcat
You might check the thread BEEKISSED has going on fermented feed - lots of good advise there .
Can't help much with the flies my chickens take care of most of them but I do remember a thread about something
they were sprinkling down in pen and eliminated the fly problem - try a search.
 
Been definitely seeing some green feet that had been mentioned previously. At first I thought they were all on pullets but spied some on a few cockerels also. I don't mind green feet but how do you get green feet from genetics mixing NH and BR? I don't know too much about this whole breeder thing but it does make me a little curious. Not that it matters one whit to me...chickens don't lay according to feet color.
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The oldsters have won back the feeder and are schooling the youngin's as to their place in the world. All are thriving and foraging well and I'm very impressed with their growth and hardy vigor. I'll be placing them a roost soon as they are able to fly up very high already. It will keep them cooler in the hot summer nights to be up and out of the bedding.
 
Been definitely seeing some green feet that had been mentioned previously. At first I thought they were all on pullets but spied some on a few cockerels also. I don't mind green feet but how do you get green feet from genetics mixing NH and BR? I don't know too much about this whole breeder thing but it does make me a little curious. Not that it matters one whit to me...chickens don't lay according to feet color.
big_smile.png


The oldsters have won back the feeder and are schooling the youngin's as to their place in the world. All are thriving and foraging well and I'm very impressed with their growth and hardy vigor. I'll be placing them a roost soon as they are able to fly up very high already. It will keep them cooler in the hot summer nights to be up and out of the bedding.
Bee
I agree if your raising just for eggs/meat green feet don't mean a hoot . But if you trying to raise to SOP it means a lot. Its a negative on a show bird. According to Mathaces post on green legs I posted on this thread earlier its not hard to breed out and you can keep a hen that has green legs to test your Cock to determine if he has the green leg genetics.
I'm like you and don't know very much about the genetic combinations . But I'm learning slowly LOL
I think you have done a great job in testing this line for hardiness.
It says good things about the line.
 
Oh, they are definitely hardy...I can attest to that!!!
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Tough as cobs, those little boogers! Foraging constantly, good survival instincts, already making good use of the surrounding woods for the hot parts of the day. Growing like weeds and getting good color in the feathers.

I probably will sort these birds according to feathering, size, conformation and coloring and keep the best~or most SOP, I guess one would call it~and cull/eat or sell the rest. No one around these parts even knows what a Delaware chicken IS...mostly the market here is for silkies and bantam breeds. Most folks in the country don't have chickens and only the suburbanites are buying and selling. Those that do have chickens in the country aren't too concerned with heritage line breeding...they mostly keep production breeds from the hatcheries.
 
One of the little pullets has a vent gleet type issue, normal poops but leaks this milky white stinky liquid. Spent two weeks daily washing/drying, spraying vetericyn on then Nu-Stock and kept her in the brooder with a buddy. Not resolved so little tyke is back with the others outside in the main coop (for about a week), problem continues and I am no longer treating. I don't think I have very many pullets so I would hate to cull but have not had much luck with one or two incidences where I have had this issue in the past years. The birds with gleet never grew to full potential and I had to eventually cull. Any ideas, thoughts?? I am thinking cull sooner rather than later............ I have given them all ACV in their water from day one.

I also have two others that just do not seem to be growing. Healthy and running around and eating with the others but just really small in comparison. The rest are getting huge!!!
 
I don't mind green feet but how do you get green feet from genetics mixing NH and BR?
According to Mathaces post on green legs I posted on this thread earlier its not hard to breed out and you can keep a hen that has green legs to test your Cock to determine if he has the green leg genetics.

I do appreciate you posting that info, and will use it if necessary. I'm still wondering how it's showing up in the first place and why, after Kathy was so good about selecting against it?

No one around these parts even knows what a Delaware chicken IS...mostly the market here is for silkies and bantam breeds. Most folks in the country don't have chickens and only the suburbanites are buying and selling. Those that do have chickens in the country aren't too concerned with heritage line breeding...they mostly keep production breeds from the hatcheries.

Here in NorCal, there are some farmers who have a keen interest in Delawares. They raise pastured poultry, don't like CornishX and aren't happy with the Freedom Rangers, either. One of them was over here and thought my rooster (from another breeder) was big. He's tall, but lacks much of a breast. I think these type of farmers are going to be excited when they see what these new Dels, bred to standard, look like. I've also had several requests for exhibition Delawares from 4H families. So there is some demand for standard bred Delawares.
 

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