delaware x new hampshire

[fwschrom]

I ordered 15 Delaware x New Hamshire cross form Cackle hatchery has anyone had any experience with these? I am hoping for a superior egg layer, competitive with the other hybred breeds on egg laying.
Any personality characteristics, color when when full grow, information would be apprechiated.

I would like to give Cackle a good word also, my last batch of chicks was 47 ordered, 54 delivered, no losses, right on time. My next batch with the Delaware crosses and straight Delawares should be at the post office tommorrow morning.

All my chic's looked good no damaged feet etc. I have and will do more business with Cackle for my hatchery orders.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

When you put a Delaware roo over a New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red hen you get birds that have the Delaware color pattern. This goes back to the original lines of what was called Indian Rivers chickens. We take our heritage Delaware stock and every third generation breed back against New Hampshires to utilize that blood line. We get beautiful Delawares that have a wonderful temperament and lay large to extra large brown eggs of a medium tone. Our hens average 5 eggs a week each.
Cackle Hatchery are great people to deal with and you should end up with some great birds.

 

[fwschrom]

Do they look exactly like Delawares? This is real good news BTW, it means what I ordered the crosses and S/R Delaware order is exactly what I hoped for.
Will I be able to tell the two apart?

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

When we breed ours, we cannot tell them apart visually. Not knowing how theirs are bred it will be interesting to see what they turn out like.

 

[fwschrom]

MY chic's are three weeks old now, and yes the look exactly the same ( except I dyed the pure Deleware with a red spot on their heads so they look like punk rockers ).

My next question is is it even worth keeping them separtate? The crosses are all pullets and the pur Del's were straight run, and I have spotted a couple of roos in the pure dels.

Should I keep track of the crosses as I breed later? My plan is next year is to get some very good quality Dels at least 2 hens and a roo. I will incubate eggs from the hatchery stock I have and breed these hens to what I acquire next year.

Delware breeders please advise.

 

[SE_Gardener]

When you put a Delaware roo over a New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red hen you get birds that have the Delaware color pattern. This goes back to the original lines of what was called Indian Rivers chickens. We take our heritage Delaware stock and every third generation breed back against New Hampshires to utilize that blood line. We get beautiful Delawares that have a wonderful temperament and lay large to extra large brown eggs of a medium tone. Our hens average 5 eggs a week each.
Cackle Hatchery are great people to deal with and you should end up with some great birds.

Indian River crosses were meatbirds. Their egg laying was not a focus as they birds were butchered prior to point of lay. Of course you would need to maintain a meatbird line of Delawares and New Hampshires for the Indian River offspring to be more than just columbian colored.

 

[Newchickmom2023]

I ordered 15 Delaware x New Hamshire cross form Cackle hatchery has anyone had any experience with these? I am hoping for a superior egg layer, competitive with the other hybred breeds on egg laying.
Any personality characteristics, color when when full grow, information would be apprechiated.

I would like to give Cackle a good word also, my last batch of chicks was 47 ordered, 54 delivered, no losses, right on time. My next batch with the Delaware crosses and straight Delawares should be at the post office tommorrow morning.

All my chic's looked good no damaged feet etc. I have and will do more business with Cackle for my hatchery orders.

I realize this is a very old post. Apparently Cackle has stopped producing this variety. Anyone have ideas where I could find this bird commercially (without buying and making my own cross)?

 

[SE_Gardener]

Cackle Hatchery produces layer poultry. I've not heard they have any meatbird strains.