Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[VeggieGoneEggie]

Donna is now 1.5-weeks-old. Too early to tell if she's a pullet vs. a roo based on the feathers coming in?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Sometimes I can tell by combs super early (by two to 3 weeks), but it's more of a comparative thing. Then by stance/body type. Then by how/when the tail is forming (females get tails in some of their youth frathetings, while males have silly tails until after their last youth molt) ... Feather color can sometimes be an indication, in my line the females trend toward cleaner coloring (less random black barring on their backs).

 

[VeggieGoneEggie]

Sometimes I can tell by combs super early (by two to 3 weeks), but it's more of a comparative thing. Then by stance/body type. Then by how/when the tail is forming (females get tails in some of their youth frathetings, while males have silly tails until after their last youth molt) ... Feather color can sometimes be an indication, in my line the females trend toward cleaner coloring (less random black barring on their backs).

Thanks, this is helpful!

She's a couple days shy of two weeks, and her comb appears pretty non-existent at this point. Not much of a tail yet.

She's got some black barring at the upper base of her wings ("shoulders"?) - is that where the black barring will be on the back, or is it supposed to be in between the two shoulders?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

The coloring of juvenile feathers and adult feathers aren't necessarily the same in Delawares. In general, the juvenile males in my line will have more black or gray barring scattered around their bodies than the females, but not always ... and in my line males feather more slowly than the females. This expresses differently with the feathers in each part of the body, so to detail that would take a lot of words.

Females in my line do get proper-looking tail feathers first ... at about 10-12 weeks or so the bird starts to look like a small adult ... but they will still have juvenile feathers which the pullet will molt and regrow, and the way those feathers look may change quite a bit with each regrowth, both in color and structure.

But typically if I see early tail feathers (instead of just fluffy curly silly baby feathers) I presume female ... especially if the tail feathers are a more solid black.

I believe chicks molt and regrow their feathers like 7 times before they get their first full set of adult feathers. The last juvenile molt starts at about 17 weeks, and can take several weeks to resolve. In my line, the males don't really get serious tails until after that ... and tail angle can change drastically several weeks or months later as the bird fills out and becomes hormonal. Females look pretty "finished" earlier. But by that time you'll know sex anyway ...

And each line can be very different!

 

[caychris]

The coloring of juvenile feathers and adult feathers aren't necessarily the same in Delawares. In general, the juvenile males in my line will have more black or gray barring scattered around their bodies than the females, but not always ... and in my line males feather more slowly than the females. This expresses differently with the feathers in each part of the body, so to detail that would take a lot of words.

Females in my line do get proper-looking tail feathers first ... at about 10-12 weeks or so the bird starts to look like a small adult ... but they will still have juvenile feathers which the pullet will molt and regrow, and the way those feathers look may change quite a bit with each regrowth, both in color and structure.

But typically if I see early tail feathers (instead of just fluffy curly silly baby feathers) I presume female ... especially if the tail feathers are a more solid black.

I believe chicks molt and regrow their feathers like 7 times before they get their first full set of adult feathers. The last juvenile molt starts at about 17 weeks, and can take several weeks to resolve. In my line, the males don't really get serious tails until after that ... and tail angle can change drastically several weeks or months later as the bird fills out and becomes hormonal. Females look pretty "finished" earlier. But by that time you'll know sex anyway ...

And each line can be very different!

I would have to agree here even though I have birds from several lines. Early on behavior and stance can be an indicator but because of the inquisitive nature of the Dels females can often exhibit early male behaviors. I have had the same experience about the feathering so far on the 33 chicks Im raising this year. comb and wattles are harder to judge because sometimes the females can pop up early too.

 

[finnfur]

Yep - the gals seem to finish faster and the guys struggle with the unfinished puberty look.

 

[VeggieGoneEggie]

Donna, my dellie, at 3 weeks. The fuzzy yellow is turning more and more into white feathers! She is my second friendliest/calmest chick. I am loving Delawares!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

This sweet thing got a nice note on her card at the poultry show today. Our youth partner is doing great with the Delawares.

 

[PorchChickens]

Hey Delaware people! Wanted to share my first hatch with you.

Della Reese is a good mom. She had been dying to sit on a clutch for months and I couldn't take it anymore. They're even cuter when they're homegrown!

 

[Maeschak]

CUTE!