Answer to the Delaware Dilemma

[joletabey]

The whole feather from what I understand. Otherwise it is considered incomplete barring. And it should be black and white. However, HOW it comes out of the body is extremely important also. You want correct form first.

If you go to Ohio, I would love to meet you - keep me updated on your plans, OK? It's always nice to meet BYC people, especially Dellie owned ones.

 

[Inkheart]

Quote:
Yes i have already planned on going - i need to get a hold of the standard. I have a background in showing dogs and rabbits - so i am familiar with standards - form and function and all that good stuff!
thanks!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

I've been thinking about the "Start with what you have" idea and I had a question:

What if you have access to really quite nice Barred Rocks that are larger, rounder, and generally meatier than your Delawares? Would one outcross to go after "The Barn" that is yet to be painted be unforgivable? Would it take countless generations to lose the smut? I would be interested in seeing what more BR x Dellie crosses look like.

I suspect this is one:

He's much meatier than my birds. I wouldn't hesitate to use him on my lightest marked girls. (Not a fan of that wing set, however.)

Seems to me that a BR x Dellie cross would be a better option than a NH x Dellie cross in these circumstances. Partly because inappropriate barring is probably better than some red bleeding in, and also because it seems like it would be easier to get your hands on decent BR stock than NH stock. Or, in my case, Delaware stock!

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
I would try it. The body is the most important part and a lot of Dels seem to be skinny and shallow. This guy should start to fix that. There are also a lot of light colored Dels to put with him if his offspring are too dark. I would breed the whitest daughters with good bodies from that first mating back to him. (father to daughters) Keep in mind he has a high tail, so look for light colored females with low tails to mate to him.This could be a short route to good type and color or it could take 5 years. You never know until you try it. I don't think I would use a New Hamp back on a Del.

Walt

 

[joletabey]

That is interesting- I wonder how long it would take- Anarchy, if you do it, keep everyone posted.

Is anyone interested in getting the Delaware club going? Get an active club that does something to support this breed? Marty bought the website (or whatever it is you have to buy) but I don't know any of the members of the old site or what happened to them or what's going on. But I would love to see a good active club for this breed, and I have NO idea how to start one, especially as it might be hard to have any shows when we are scattered across the country.

 

[Inkheart]

Quote:
Tho i am a newbie - i would LOVE to help in starting a club - as these Del's have defnitely "bitten" me - hooked!

 

[fowlman01]

I have just returned from my local feed store and guess what? They have about 20 Dels for sale. I was going to buy a trio just to play with them, but they had slate legs and the females had barred tails. How common is barring in the female tails? I don't think I have seen that here. They were pretty much junk anyway, but I don't want to fight the leg color. What are people putting into these that would cause slate legs?

Walt Leoonard

 

[speckledhen]

Walt, when the females are "teens", they may have some tail barring, but it should molt out by the time they are 18 weeks old. And I mean some girls have barring to rival any male, too! I will check pics of one girl in particular I could post for you. She got nice tail black by about 16 weeks old, but first it was barred, then completely white till the dark feathers grew in

 

[speckledhen]

Here she is at 13 weeks old. Isaac in my avatar is her sire. My hen who carried the dwarf genes is her mother (sold her):

Gracie after barred feathers molted out, about 15 weeks old:

Later on, about 18 weeks:

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Quote:
Regarding the barred tail feathers in the hens, seems like it would be a common problem if you had a Roo with a properly barred tail? I thought that was why you had male lines and female lines.

Also why I'm planning on keeping my roo with the very dark tail--to see if that gets hens with the correct white laced black tail feathers.

I also have three cockerels to choose with very barred feathers that I suspect will throw hens with little tail black, or barred tails.