Answer to the Delaware Dilemma

[joletabey]

OK, after I pick myself up off the floor, let me start by telling you Kathy is a blatant liar and I hope you get her good in Shawnee.

No, wait, I like her too much to sic you on her! Please be gentle with her, its the long hours she puts in at work, honest.

I am INNOCENT, I tell you, of nothing more than calling him Mr. Bush here. I am pretty sure I put the "r" in there in the email. I better go back and check. Oh chicken poop! If I called him by the wrong name I am going to crawl in a hole.

I did ask the poster to see if they could get profile shots - I thought the color was good, too. Is that OK that the hackle markings go all the way up the neck of the hen? In the SOP it appears to stop an inch or two lower than that - is it OK as long as it isn't on the head itself? I know I sound nit picky, but as long as the example is in front of me, I might as well learn.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Did you look at the SOP Illustration? NO.......it looks OK to me. None are perfect.

w.

 

[joletabey]

Yes, I looked at the SOP illustration - that is why I asked. It is the first hen I have seen with that much hackle color and I wanted to be sure. I have the SOP open by this stupid computer at all times now.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
It is one of the more distinct female marking I have seen so far.

Your accomplice is trying to act like she had no part in this.

w.

 

[kathyinmo]

Does this look like that picture of someone in the SOP book?

 

[joletabey]

Kathy- those are the best!!!! I was busy laughing, and then the tongue came out!!!!! And on the second post- only the eyebrows!!!

Walt, yes, it is, isn't it - I got all excited when I saw it - Snowhunter is off to a good start, I think.

Kathy is not my accomplice, she is an independent criminal. Works on her own.

You will have fun in Shawnee.

 

[speckledhen]

Females with super dark hackles were one of the signs of Columbian Rock blood, it's been said. I saw on a list of what to look for when assessing the Columbian Rock influence, though I personally think they're pretty. Her hackles are definitely barred and not solid-looking, though, so could be she's just a bit heavy on the black in her hackles for some reason.

Went back and checked the list and I'm quoting from a post that probably got lost in the craziness of the Del threads:

Hackles are not the only sign of Columbian blood. Super black tail and hackle in the female, narrow body, very distinct, dark, barring in the hackle as well as the gray to blackish undercolor can indicate Columbian ancestry.

I was also told by this long time breeder(no, not seriousbill), that Delawares with smut in their fluff, moss in their back plumage, and black showing through in the shoulders of the males are also telltale signs of outcrossing to Columbian Rock at some point.

....

My mother was a RN and she put me on the john backwards as an infant and I haven't been quite right since.

w.

Walt, that comment cracked me up, LOL! You have your hands full with some of these jokers, I tell you. Do you have your bullwhip ready? They can get a bit out of hand from time to time.​

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:

....

My mother was a RN and she put me on the john backwards as an infant and I haven't been quite right since.

w.

Walt, that comment cracked me up, LOL! You have your hands full with some of these jokers, I tell you. Do you have your bullwhip ready? They can get a bit out of hand from time to time.​

It could be a sign of outcrossing, but I wonder how a narrow body would indicate columbian cross, unless you crossed it with a skinny columbian Rock.. I think that they will work even if they was an outcrossing as long as the bodies develop the way they should. It will be fun seeing how they turn out.

I have twenty years experience working with only women in an academic setting. I'm ready for anything.

Walt

 

[joletabey]

Well, I honestly didn't think she was too dark in the hackles- the SOP shows heavy, dark barred hackles on the female- she really is the first one I have seen that looked like the SOP. My only question was referring to how high up the neck they went- if there is a definite line where they should stop or if there is lots of leeway- I can't wait to see her profile shot, the roo, too.

I have a question about that smut, moss and black showing through on the shoulders - I don't have any experience, as you know, so I need to ask what might be a dumb question here - why would it only be Columbian Rock influence and not the Barred Rock - to me that smut almost looks more like ghost barring- ?????

And I have searched all over - is there anywhere where the original breeder who produced these sports wrote anything about it - what they looked like, how he worked to get them to breed true? I can never find any more history than versions of what the SOP prints. If someone has some other notes somewhere, I wish they would share.