Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Barred Rocker]

They better not be! LOL I bought them as pullets from a hatchery. I can't have roos where I live so I had to pay more to get 4 pullets shipped to me.

Unfortunately DelDels may be right. I'm not seeing the distinct dark ends on the tail feathers that females usually have instead of the barring that the males have. Although it may still be too soon to tell. I had 2 pullets that I swore were roos until they were nearly 3 months old. Also hatchery chicks might feather out a little different, some hatchery delawares aren't exactly pure.

 

[tigercreek]

At six weeks, a pullet should not have very obvious wattles and they should not have red/pink combs. Also, the legs look pretty thick, a cockerel characteristic. That being said, with Dels, all the rules are flexable, and when you are dealing with hatchery stock, you can multiply that times 4. .......stan

 

[Gerry2011]

Hey Stan, I grew up on Anna Maria Island back in the dark ages. Graduated from Manatee High in '62. Been in Arkansas for nearly 40 years. Things have certainly changed since then. ...both there and here.

 

[speckledhen]

My first impression was also male on your two, however, they can sometimes fool you. This 3 week old Delaware is most definitely a cockerel--finally, he's getting the barring between the shoulders and in the tail and already has pink comb and wattles. That means I'll be rehoming him soon, though I would have even if he'd been a pullet. He comes from Holtman stock, out of my Isaac with my best hen, Ellie:





He isn't brown in the tail--that is red GA dirt from the dustbath. In this pic, you can see the markings starting between the shoulders and in the hackles now.

 

[tigercreek]

Hey Stan, I grew up on Anna Maria Island back in the dark ages. Graduated from Manatee High in '62. Been in Arkansas for nearly 40 years. Things have certainly changed since then. ...both there and here.

I love that island!! We lived there for 10 years or so. Had a small apartment complex near the public beach. Chickens not allowed though, just snowbirds. ........

 

[Gerry2011]

I love that island!! We lived there for 10 years or so. Had a small apartment complex near the public beach. Chickens not allowed though, just snowbirds. ........

Yeah and lots of those!!!

 

[tweetysvoice]

My first impression was also male on your two, however, they can sometimes fool you. This 3 week old Delaware is most definitely a cockerel--finally, he's getting the barring between the shoulders and in the tail and already has pink comb and wattles. That means I'll be rehoming him soon, though I would have even if he'd been a pullet. He comes from Holtman stock, out of my Isaac with my best hen, Ellie:

Mine definitely don't have wattles like that one! hehe. I'm not worried at all if they aren't "pure bred" stock. I mostly got them because they were recommended by a good friend for their personalities and durability to Kansas weather - I'm not breeding them, just wanted some eggs. I'm pretty sure that they are pullets, must just be the hatchery stock. They are the lowest on the totem pole in regard to pecking order. My BR is first, then the BO, then the "twins" as I like to call them. Delawares are really beautiful birds though.

 

[speckledhen]

I find that Delawares are not bossy in a flock at all. That doesn't mean that they're at the bottom of the pecking order-just means they aren't showy about it. They don't start fights, but trust me, they're fully capable of finishing them, LOL. They're quite interesting in the way they interact in my flock, minding their own business, but not taking much guff off the others.

 

[cubalaya]

every time i let my delaware rooster free range with his hens, he tries to fight with my penned cubalaya cocks. while he is 2 to 3 pounds bigger than them, he seems to get all the damage.

question: can a delaware pullet have barred tail feathers? in a perfect tee pee?

 

[speckledhen]

every time i let my delaware rooster free range with his hens, he tries to fight with my penned cubalaya cocks. while he is 2 to 3 pounds bigger than them, he seems to get all the damage.

question: can a delaware pullet have barred tail feathers? in a perfect tee pee?

Yes, in fact, many Delaware pullets have barring in the tail until they get to around 13 weeks old. I had one with perfect barring at that age, then she molted them all out, had a white tail, then got her really nice tail black.

This was a pullet around that age: