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. Really the only way to tell if you dont see obvious signs is to get a bird that may also may be a cross and not showing the genes you suspect and breed them together and look for a percentage of the resulting offspring. In the cockerels Red should bleed through I would think. We crossed RIR...

So far 4 of 7 dels out 1 was a sticky chick I kind of helped out and is now glued to the floor. Ill have pics once they are all out and fluffed

Thanks @capayvalleychick Kim for being so generous and letting us come and visit and teach Mike about processing birds. The 2 pullets are lovely birds. Ill have pics in the next day or two. If I could have taken a boy I would but I really didnt have the isolation space to deal with a 3rd boy...

Part of the reason is Delawares are on the rare side even as hatchery birds. Most efforts with this bird are to essentially rescue the breed and bring it back to standard. Eight Acre Farm has lines descended from Witmore I believe You might have better luck getting answers at the Facebook...

I seriously doubt it. I was looking for heritage growth comparisons and found this I think you may have seen it before but seems in line with the study talked about. http://mysare.sare.org/mySARE/ProjectReport.aspx?do=viewRept&pn=FNC12-866&y=2013&t=1

@Egghead_Jr I have not seen evidence of that either. I think that the population of these birds is also quite small with no one breeding toward meat production in the terms you are talking about. Most are free range birds and I know of no person with the line that is raising in significant qty...

Thanks for that Neal also suggested a D3 dose might help

I do think its related to a specific hen but I was wondering because my other breeds with them don't seem to suffer this if there was something in the genetics that may make individual birds more susceptible. Maybe something in the specific birds ability to metabolize the calcium. Just thinking...

Has anyone noticed issues of soft/thin shell eggs with this line/breed. The birds have layer pellet feed and oyster shell. It seems that a few birds develop thin/soft shelled eggs quite quickly when the additional calcium runs out of they get a little more treats than normal. Its not all...

Looks good. Looks like good breast and leg size. Have to tell me how tender 37 weeks is. Thats long in the tooth so to speak.

Id like to know age and weight because im thinking mine are a bit on the small side but my girl in the back yard is running around with some hatchery buff Orps that were probably a few days older than her at hatch she is about the same as the smallest orp at almost 28 weeks. She just began...

Here are some more pics of the first pullet hatched from Neal's birds I think she is a bit small but she is still less than 30 weeks.

Did

My 2 girls are showing a little (just a few spots) red bleed through on their backs. Neals boy has turned fairly yellow(pale buff) in places. Neals girls also show a bit of the red bleed through. I had thought it might just be that they were dirty. Lots of red dirt. But with the comments here...

I have 2 females that have not been bred yet out there so there is still hope. Neal has a line on a couple of preservation delaware hens though he is not impressed by them so far in about any category. Could very well be the fact we are working with inferior culls. If they would just start...

Ill get some pic the next time Im at Neal's but we are having a lot of barring in this latest batch of Chicks. Its making me think that the other cockerel we had (not Kathys line) is responsible for the color pattern on the two oldest females hatches we have. We are seeing some red bleed...

Excellent.

I see what you mean about too much black. As to the bit about possible Mareks. Our issues seem to be more acute and less degenerative but since they are both cockerels we will probably cull them and have them tested, Ill talk to Neal about it. If it is Mareks then there is not much to do...

Her columbian neck pattern is very full more like a Brahama it is very pretty though. I thought that they should have more neck color most Dels seem washed out at the neck.

Here is the first Del hatched from Neal's pen she is nearly 21 weeks and looks great except for the additional spotting on the back and a little undersized at this point (id like her to be a little larger but you dont get everything)