Answer to the Delaware Dilemma

[kathyinmo]

I am looking for a picture of Jacob front view, but this is the only one I am finding.

He is not quite as broad as Oliver and Alexander.

Here is one .... not such a good shot, but a front view ....

 

[mama24]

How old is he? He looks like he's the same size and shape as my 8 month old rooster. Who, I just noticed yesterday in the sun, has 1 green feather in his tail!

Oh well. I'm packing them in the car today to go see the guy we got them from to see if he'll refund me, considering we've had them 1 week today and they're all sick! 1 seems seriously sick, the nicest hen, the only one that fits the breed description perfectly.

8 mos old, already big and round, perfect comb. Oh well. I really only wanted them for eggs, but if I owned a heritage breed that was threatened, I would feel obligated to breed the nicer ones to help the breed. Maybe I'll just stick with hatchery layers for now!

 

[speckledhen]

That makes me feel good, seeing that my Isaac is Jacob's sire and pretty much identical in most ways. Walt, you mentioned the comb following the head properly. Here is my Isaac, Jacob's dad. What do you think of the way his comb is set on his head? This is just an enlargement of my avatar. Sorry, one of his nitpicking women basically ate the top off one of his points, but they used to be great points

There is also something about carriage, not wing, but the total package, that the only word I can find for it is "regal". Isaac has that. The boy can really strike a pose! It's something I'm missing in many of the other Delaware roosters I see.

Another issue that is interesting is that when Isaac was much younger, his tail set was what I think you look for in a rooster, like here in his post at a mere 15 weeks old, in something similar to the SOP pose. Of course, he was till developing the tail. As he got older and grew a couple more tail feathers, the tail set was higher that in the pic below. Does that always happen? or was it just him? It's like he just pulls it up as poses or something, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

Just for fun, I'm posting my culls from the group Isaac came from. One was culled for temperament, sadly, the largest boy. Ike was next in size. This is that boy who turned aggressive. His color and comb weren't the best, but he was huge--he's the one in the front in this pic:

This was another cull, who was left in the final three. Compared to Isaac and the other boy, he was very leggy and just didn't have the look about the head that I wanted and his chest wasn't as deep and rounded as Isaac's. Wasn't really thrilled with his tail, either:

This was one culled for a way too light tail and smaller size before the final three were chosen:

 

[joletabey]

And I have a question - say you have an excellent roo and his brother is good, but not as good. Would that brother still have genes worth passing on, even if he doesn't show the excellent traits himself?

In the horse world, we say "it's in the genes" and good traits can skip generations. Do people take a chance on that in the chicken world, or do you always strictly choose by what you see?

 

[speckledhen]

The thing is that it takes genes from two parents, so what one lacks, the other may make up for, as in the case of Isaac's good comb and Kira's bad one. I guess the brothers would share genetics, yes, and the lesser one may still produce kids better than himself, when combined with the right hen. That said, you pick the best of the best for breeding, or at least, the best of what you have, barring really bad traits, and you still have to hatch and hatch and let them grow out and cull for type, etc. A true show quality bird is certainly not guaranteed even with the best genes on both sides of the equation.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
In chickens the breeding IS in the genes, but always use the bird with the best conformation. If you are trying to correct a fault, use the one with an exaggerated quality that might correct that fault. ((high tail in a male, use a low tailed female etc etc). After a while you will have enough experience to pick the correct matings. This will not come easy and there are never any guarantee's that what you do will work. It is trial and error for conformation. You raise a lot and cull with a heavy hand when you have start to have a flock with decent conformation. With color there are formulas that can help..but only if you know what color genes your birds really carry. Getting good Dels or any other breed is a lifetime project. You can get great Dels, but keeping them great is still a lot of hard work.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
He has an almost perfect comb. Just one point too many and it is a small point. Some males have an attitude that gives them that bearing. Not all males have it. All of my Shamo's have it, but it is because they are game birds and have been bread for that attitude. It seems to be confidence.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
He could stand to be wider.

w.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
I agree. Two Best of Shows rarely produce like birds, and in fact might produce something that looks like another male jumped the fence and mated with the female. The other thing I have noted is that you can have a male and female that produce very good birds one year and the next year they produce culls. I have never understood that. There is also what is known as a pre-potent male that will produce good birds from any female it mates with. I have had a couple of those and they are amazing! Don't count on that happening though.

w.