Epic search for real Delawares

[Acre4Me]

Good Lord. Talk about keys to the kingdom. Thank you!!!

You’re welcome! Hopefully you find just what you are looking for!

 

[Katonk]

Alright all. I need you guys to pray for us. I went through the lists, and I got 15 addresses of potential Delaware breeders. I've not heard back from the mr I was turned on by Claborn Farms but I'm not weeping over the loss. I'll be honest, incubating eggs from possibly sick birds terrifies me. My flock may be inferior but they're healthy, and they're working. They're not perfect (hence this search) but we can't afford my hopes bringing in flock death. I love what they do for me and they live good lives that end well on my table.
I can't risk them, we need them.
So. Here's my latest effort.
15 addresses. Everything in Texas and Oklahoma, pretty much my first go at a drivable distance. ive got to touch base with a buddy of mine who can help me with cultural and societal differences before I can mail these out. I'm from California and we're an odd bunch. Earnest if we're from a small town mindset, but we tend to strike people raw... and my family needs me to do this as well as I can. Pray for us, and please send up another for my pickling expertise. Mostly because I haven't got any!! I've got a dozen eggs a day and I want to be sure we have eggs even in the winter

 

[RoosterML]

@Katonk
Hi,
The main rooster in my flock is a Delaware and he has two Delaware hens he runs with in the flock.I would be more than happy to ship you some eggs in the spring if that’s when your looking to get them. Here some pictures of him and two of my Delaware hens.


Sorry one of my Turkeys was getting in the way of the pictures.
By the way Turkeys may be dumb as a rock but they are really nice to have.
Also in regards to your concern about possible sicks birds here is what I can tell you.
I had my rooster get sick last year and I had no clue why. So I brought him to UCONN ( yes home of the best women’s basketball team ever) for a necropsy. The results came back negative for AI and his illness was caused by the ingestion of mold. No other illnesses were reported. While Npip may be valuable to some personally the results of a necropsy are worth much more. I hope that helps you.

 

[Katonk]

@Katonk
Hi,
The main rooster in my flock is a Delaware and he has two Delaware hens he runs with in the flock.I would be more than happy to ship you some eggs in the spring if that’s when your looking to get them. Here some pictures of him and two of my Delaware hens.
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Sorry one of my Turkeys was getting in the way of the pictures.
By the way Turkeys may be dumb as a rock but they are really nice to have.
Also in regards to your concern about possible sicks birds here is what I can tell you.
I had my rooster get sick last year and I had no clue why. So I brought him to UCONN ( yes home of the best women’s basketball team ever) for a necropsy. The results came back negative for AI and his illness was caused by the ingestion of mold. No other illnesses were reported. While Npip may be valuable to some personally the results of a necropsy are worth much more. I hope that helps you.

I totally agree results like that are so much more valuable than a certificate. The leads I've been given are wonderful and I'm pursuing all of them because, and maybe this is my pessimistic side taking over, I feel as a stranger to folks I'd be lucky to get a hello. But you can't get a yes if you're too hung up on the possibility of a no. I'd be delighted to get some of your eggs and I'll pm in a sec for more on that, but shipping... Man that's dodgy stuff. I've been looking for folks if be willing to drive to. Now the idea of driving out your way sounds like fun, but ahhh... Well let's just say wanderlust isn't always compatible with reality. I worry. About a lot. The pics are beautiful and they look a great weight. Alright time to get on that private conversation! Hey thanks so much for dropping in with happy thoughts no matter how we roll from here, man that's downright decent of you. Thanks for sharing some of that fellow dellow love.
Seems a kinder world now. Cool man, party on.

 

[Katonk]

Hey all update! First and foremost I love you beautiful chicken people!!! Thank you for your support! I love these forms because they're full of people helping one another. It's a refreshing burst of air when you spend most your time in your own little family bubble. It's been pretty busy around here, I'm preparing for meat rabbits to help support the family responsibly just a little bit more. With fall weather mellowing out most of Texas I've been running around nonstop getting projects done in the window of fair skies and happy winds.
I hope spring finds me continuing to build towards what is important to me.
So! I'm finally getting to those notecards! I've got 15 addresses and 15 hellos I'm about to throw to the wind.
And whelp that's it
Huggles all and party on man
Pm if you wanna make a friend

 

[RoosterML]

@Katonk i have an update for you as well. I am going to cull my Delaware rooster pretty soon due to him starting to be a concern around my kids. He has attacked them a couple times already. I also don’t like the way he is aggressive with some of the hens. Not my best rooster that I have had for sure. I really wanted it to work out with him being a Delaware but it doesn’t look like that will be the case.

 

[Katonk]

@Katonk i have an update for you as well. I am going to cull my Delaware rooster pretty soon due to him starting to be a concern around my kids. He has attacked them a couple times already. I also don’t like the way he is aggressive with some of the hens. Not my best rooster that I have had for sure. I really wanted it to work out with him being a Delaware but it doesn’t look like that will be the case.

You've got to put the kids first. If you can't pen him up with his own girls and a fenced run I totally agree the best place for him is on the table. I'm sorry for the loss, that sucks man.

 

[jolenesdad]

Im going to cull my first Delaware boy, too. He isn't actually that bad for his type, but, he is TERRIFIED of me. I've tried to take the slow and easy approach since he got here at 3 weeks old, but it hasn't worked. He and the pullet he came with have never thought of me as anything but a huge scary beast. I don't have a single chicken that acts this way.

I can actually pet her on her back when she is eating now, she at least understands I am not a huge threat to her.

Anyway, I'm a little concerned as I watch him in confined spaces, like the large coop I keep them in overnight and until about 10AM, that he isn't just really submissive around me, but scared sh*tless. I think that's a recipe for disaster when I or my kid have our back turned one day.

Plus, he was SO slow growing, I really want to instead keep a couple of the faster growing cockerels I have growing out now. They are 6 and a half weeks old today, and probably as big as he was at 10-11 weeks.

Overall, I was very concerned with the temperaments of Delawares in general after raising these two and never getting through to them. However, the new delawares that I am growing out are THE MOST friendly chicks I've had.

 

[RoosterML]

@jolenesdad where did the new Delaware chicks come from?
By the way I kept the one red royal hen from Moyers. Holy cow is she a big fatty now. Friendly towards all other chickens but scared of me.

 

[jolenesdad]

@jolenesdad where did the new Delaware chicks come from?
By the way I kept the one red royal hen from Moyers. Holy cow is she a big fatty now. Friendly towards all other chickens but scared of me.

SO. IS. MINE.

she is a tank, and HAULS BUTT from me. She isn’t the most agile, of course, so it’s fairly easy to corner her and pick her up, but she would rather be on the other side of the yard unless I’ve got lots of food.

they’re from Dawnridge farm. I don’t know if you saw any of my previous posts (I feel like I’ve posted bits in this and various threads but not altogether). AnywY, the Dawnridge farm is an improved version of the Whitmore line. Supposedly.

I. Love. Them. Honestly they may be too underfoot for some people. That’s how personable they are. They are independent and assertive but not dominant and just cool. They’re not entirely consistent in size but there are some males and some females that are pretty big for a dual purpose bird. I’m taking weights of all of them tomorrow and will post in my thread. I’m trying to find any information on standard weights at certain ages for Delawares but cannot find great resources.

I have a mentor that’s an APA judge and really familiar with Delawares which is nice because there are pretty much NO photos to go by online especially really thinking about color.

anyway, long winded answer.....