Answer to the Delaware Dilemma

[jeremy]

Quote:
Beth, it might be worth doing. Maybe someone in his family got the "chicken bug" too and kept up with the original Dels, or would at least be able to point us in the right direction to someone who wouldn't mind chatting with us about them.

 

[aveca]

been getting a cou0ple doub posts

 

[aveca]

I just highlighted what one of the origional breeders said above, they were columbian like genes but in no way columbian rocks. just a strange coincidence and shouldnt have happened at all. He makes it pretty clear they call it columbianed genes just because it is similar color but is no way columbian rock by that he says there is barring in the tail and it dilutes as it goes futher back.

 

[aveca]

Here..I will post this paragraph again and read it slowly carefully, they were columbian like but no way columbian..that was added by hatcheries to boost the bottom line.

Contrary to what has been written I recall the sports we had as silver not Colombian silvers. There was plenty of black in the wings and some in the body. Apparently the combination of the Colombian gene with barring restricted the black. The Delaware could never be considered a Colombian as seen in Colombian Rocks. In the latter the feathers of the neck and tail are really black and beautifully patterned. Some gorgeous Light Sussex are still to be seen in Europe. There is more to this question than meets the eye. The hackle and tail feathers show most barring in the barred reds I see.
A brief description of the Delaware and the White American can be found in Marble and Jeffrey, Commercial Poultry Production, 1955.


If the Delaware now exists at all is a curiosity. From the viewpoint of the fancier it was a difficult breed because the combination of barring and the Colombian genes tends to produce females with no black at all in the tail. Therefore "winners in the show ring" Delawares could only be produced by a system of double mating.


So heres a question, ow do we get a copy of this published book or paper with detail about this?
Marble and Jeffrey, Commercial Poultry Production, 1955

 

[aveca]

found it for sale on EBay..not sure what I would do wityh the rest of the book , couple people made offers on it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Poultry-Product...quarian_Collectible&hash=item5ad9335217#payId

 

[kathyinmo]

amazon.com has a few of them..... from $25. to $75.

abebooks.com has the book for $25.

here is another one, for $33. http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?b...cial+Poultry+Production,+1955&hs.x=13&hs.y=16

 

[joletabey]

It says "brief description", so I wonder if it is worth it? Maybe someone's library has it?

Vacation starts tomorrow! ( I ended up having to work today) Count me in on the project-even if you just send me chicks to raise for you!

 

[aveca]

probaby not worth it..but wonder if it could be found , a lot of places are adding new books every day to online sites maybe its out there somewhere as a reference

 

[aveca]

The way he words it...to me says an example of coumbian type, like those silkied auracanas they were never bred to silkies , it was just an anomoly...probably a very ancient one...so they call them silkied. and they are breeding true and a blue color to boot ....a very interesting accidental breed..it happened strictly by accident..she came on and said well look at these..they looked like they walked out of the eocene epoch..a bit of a strange sport of no relation to silkies except maybe a very ancient feather link in an ancient chinese chicken that evoloved out of a pheasant in prehistoric time..by the way that ancient chinese chicken lays a sky blue egg and its thought the prehistoric settlers brought that chicken with them because at a certian point in south american history that bird did not exist there.....the whole thread was as interesting as can be.. a sleeping gene or dormant gene was turned on by accident.. they almost look like an archeopterex or something and some have had wing claws..Im sort of a pain in the rear picky about buying chickens and stick to one breed and thinking about second breed..There is siomething about those birds I wouldnt mind having..
So these birds not related to sussex or columbian ,more likley sussex ancient ancestor.. thats why the barring in the tail and neck..just a happy accident and a good one..most likley no relation to either sussex or comumbian. just a slightly similar feather color pattern yet striking differences maybe an ancient ancestor re-emerged in a new color pattern and a new breed.

 

[aveca]

Quote:
I think a great egg layer is worth their weight in gold.. I have an australorp hen who laid 203 eggs last year, her eggs that I saved over a week and 1/2 to 2 weeks with a couple others we showed last year and they won the brown egg division...nice dome shape and shell quality ect...She also got 2 blue ribbons so shes got her share of faults but in the breeding pen she goes cause she has great points as well..egg laying is the hallmark of this breed...Why couldnt you start another cross breed like the sussex checkered? if there is anough interest and they are robust .