That is very interesting! I am gonna study that. Thanks so much for the link! I sure wish I could take a poultry genetics class...... live and in person, not online!
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Answer to the Delaware Dilemma
- Thread starter joletabey
- Start date
Hey all
I happened upon a really intersting article in an old back copy of Backyard Poultry on the Del - at the end it talked about how the American Livestock Breed Conservancy has worked over the years to help american heritage breeds of livestock. They concentrated on the buckeye for a few years and tehn at the time of this article - about a year and ahalf ago were working on Java's and the Delaware. They had a survey to take with questions - trying to gather info of people with them - how many were around - people breeding to standard..etc. Their hope to help the breed back to "life" I thought i would email these people and tell them about this group on here and see what info or who responded to their request - maybe some old timers with experience and info that are not on here that could help the cause? Thoughts? Well i will send the email anyways - cant hurt .
Kathy - other than the back smut i think your girls are GORGEOUS!
I happened upon a really intersting article in an old back copy of Backyard Poultry on the Del - at the end it talked about how the American Livestock Breed Conservancy has worked over the years to help american heritage breeds of livestock. They concentrated on the buckeye for a few years and tehn at the time of this article - about a year and ahalf ago were working on Java's and the Delaware. They had a survey to take with questions - trying to gather info of people with them - how many were around - people breeding to standard..etc. Their hope to help the breed back to "life" I thought i would email these people and tell them about this group on here and see what info or who responded to their request - maybe some old timers with experience and info that are not on here that could help the cause? Thoughts? Well i will send the email anyways - cant hurt .
Kathy - other than the back smut i think your girls are GORGEOUS!
- Thread starter
- #543
PopcornKathy- it is good to see you back, I was wondering where you were. We are starting up a Delaware Club, and would LOVE to have you join us. There is an online meeting tonight, if you can make it, let me know and I will give you the addy and password; it is at 9:00 pm EST. I think your roo has great potential, and he is WAY to young to give up on him. I like his color, his comb, his legs, his tail angle looks like it will end up being good. He is a little shallow on the underline, and his wing set is a little low, but the one could change with maturity, and the other shouldn't be too hard to breed out, maybe???
Kathyinmo- keep the girl with smut, she has a GREAT body. I am fairly sure my Emma is Lizzie's daughter, and she may end up having the best hackles and tail black of any of my females. And you know what a mess Lizzie was! Plus Luke still had some smut on his back. I was hoping it would molt out this fall, but of course he died so I won't know.
I hope Oliver is all OK, and not too traumatized! Ultrasuede and Alexander got to each other through the fence, so I have to put up more hardware cloth - no permanent damage, just bloody combs - these roosters!!!
Inkheart, I saw that, too. It was pretty good.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO MAKE THE MEETING TONIGHT - It's at 9:00 pm EST, same addy, same password!
Kathyinmo- keep the girl with smut, she has a GREAT body. I am fairly sure my Emma is Lizzie's daughter, and she may end up having the best hackles and tail black of any of my females. And you know what a mess Lizzie was! Plus Luke still had some smut on his back. I was hoping it would molt out this fall, but of course he died so I won't know.
I hope Oliver is all OK, and not too traumatized! Ultrasuede and Alexander got to each other through the fence, so I have to put up more hardware cloth - no permanent damage, just bloody combs - these roosters!!!
Inkheart, I saw that, too. It was pretty good.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO MAKE THE MEETING TONIGHT - It's at 9:00 pm EST, same addy, same password!
Beth, when Isaac was living in the coop next to Suede's, I strung up that plastic 1" opening green garden fencing on the 2x4 welded wire. It's soft, unlike hardware cloth, and much cheaper. They never got hurt sparring at the fence.
I have had in the past month some interest in Dels from beginners. I myself see this breed as maybe the most difficult in our hobby right now. The question is Walt says the best strains are in the mid west or east region.
So who has the top three strains in the country.???
There is no sense for these poor souls to order from a Hatchery unless this rare hatchery owner is a rare master breeder of fowl.
My next thought is if you find Mr. Green from say Ohio has the best birds three people become partners with his blood lines then line breed the heck out of them then every two to three year swap a good typed or colored bird with each other. Then pour the breeding pressure to the sections of the bird. I dont know if say partner number one would breed for type for two year. Then breeder number two would breed for color in the neck area and some for type. Then breeder number three would breed for color in the tale and for type. Then you all go to a show like this weekend in Indiana show say ten birds then photograph or video tape all the birds make a master DVD and then work on swaping birds to help each other and go at it again for say two years. In a nut shell you are all partners to improve the breed and when working in this direction you reach your goal faster.
There may be a master breeder who is up in age who can be interviewed and this needs to be recorded on a tape for future use and a article of his statements written for all to have to read. Maybe there was articles written years ago by the person who was once considered the best one or two breeders of all time.
Next I did this in 2002 and I got six super start Rhode Island Red breeders put them in a room and turned on the video recorder and interviewed these guys hon how a beginner should go about breeding Rhode Island Reds. Then it turned into a brain stroming session. This can be done again with Dels. Just have the top breeders sit at a table turn on a tape recorder and talk about your thoughts of how it should be done. Do not say anything negative about each others comments and you will be surpized what can come from such a meeting. I think today with a chat room the same could be done but it needs to be positive with no one allowed to put negative spin in the comments of one person says. Then try to print out the chat room comments and edit it out. Its like trying to start a new college football team at a small college. It takes time to get young kids to come to your school but if you recruit what is left from the big schools and you coach them up you can have a winning program.
Who where the best breeders of Dels years ago. Does anyone know? Did they write any articles? If they are in the mid west area I would think I Dick Horstsman or Tim Bowles have judged them or even breed them and they can give you some good tips on how it can be done or should be done.
In my search of knowledge for Rhode Island Reds I read ever article going back to 1912 to the present I could find and I interviewed ten master breeders twenty years ago by phone or in person befor the died. Just some thoughts on how we did it with Rhode Island Reds and you may try to do it with Dels. The standard may tell you how they should look but the standard does not tell you how to breed them. In some colors you will be surprized what you have to have to get what you want. This is why in these hard to breed color patterns the general public give up and that is why they are so rare. Love to hear who the top judges and or breeders are on this breed. I wonder if anyone ever inteviewed Henery K. Miller about this breed when he was a live. He was one of the last great string men from Penn area. I bet he could help you today if he was alive. bob
So who has the top three strains in the country.???
There is no sense for these poor souls to order from a Hatchery unless this rare hatchery owner is a rare master breeder of fowl.
My next thought is if you find Mr. Green from say Ohio has the best birds three people become partners with his blood lines then line breed the heck out of them then every two to three year swap a good typed or colored bird with each other. Then pour the breeding pressure to the sections of the bird. I dont know if say partner number one would breed for type for two year. Then breeder number two would breed for color in the neck area and some for type. Then breeder number three would breed for color in the tale and for type. Then you all go to a show like this weekend in Indiana show say ten birds then photograph or video tape all the birds make a master DVD and then work on swaping birds to help each other and go at it again for say two years. In a nut shell you are all partners to improve the breed and when working in this direction you reach your goal faster.
There may be a master breeder who is up in age who can be interviewed and this needs to be recorded on a tape for future use and a article of his statements written for all to have to read. Maybe there was articles written years ago by the person who was once considered the best one or two breeders of all time.
Next I did this in 2002 and I got six super start Rhode Island Red breeders put them in a room and turned on the video recorder and interviewed these guys hon how a beginner should go about breeding Rhode Island Reds. Then it turned into a brain stroming session. This can be done again with Dels. Just have the top breeders sit at a table turn on a tape recorder and talk about your thoughts of how it should be done. Do not say anything negative about each others comments and you will be surpized what can come from such a meeting. I think today with a chat room the same could be done but it needs to be positive with no one allowed to put negative spin in the comments of one person says. Then try to print out the chat room comments and edit it out. Its like trying to start a new college football team at a small college. It takes time to get young kids to come to your school but if you recruit what is left from the big schools and you coach them up you can have a winning program.
Who where the best breeders of Dels years ago. Does anyone know? Did they write any articles? If they are in the mid west area I would think I Dick Horstsman or Tim Bowles have judged them or even breed them and they can give you some good tips on how it can be done or should be done.
In my search of knowledge for Rhode Island Reds I read ever article going back to 1912 to the present I could find and I interviewed ten master breeders twenty years ago by phone or in person befor the died. Just some thoughts on how we did it with Rhode Island Reds and you may try to do it with Dels. The standard may tell you how they should look but the standard does not tell you how to breed them. In some colors you will be surprized what you have to have to get what you want. This is why in these hard to breed color patterns the general public give up and that is why they are so rare. Love to hear who the top judges and or breeders are on this breed. I wonder if anyone ever inteviewed Henery K. Miller about this breed when he was a live. He was one of the last great string men from Penn area. I bet he could help you today if he was alive. bob
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- Thread starter
- #546
Bob, believe me, this is what we want to do if only we can find those breeders- I went through the APA yearbook - two mentions of Delawares in ads. No Master Breeders. We were pointed to a breeder in the Midwest, and I may get chicks from him this spring, but the woman he got his from quit breeding. I hope to track down people at Ohio, but other than begging anyone who knows breeders to let us know, it gets hard. I can't come up with anyone beyond the good people here or on the yahoo group, googling except for the people I already know about - basically Whitmore Farms, Sandhill and Bill Braden. Very few people on the yahoo Delaware group have ever responded to emails. If you hear of anyone, let us know!
Cynthia- that is a great idea-thank you! It will blend in nicely, too. Luke and Ultrasuede got along so well, I wasn't even thinking about Alexander wanting to challenge Ultrasuede!
Cynthia- that is a great idea-thank you! It will blend in nicely, too. Luke and Ultrasuede got along so well, I wasn't even thinking about Alexander wanting to challenge Ultrasuede!
Quote:
This is a way to do it and usually results in a darker smut free color.
Walt
This is a way to do it and usually results in a darker smut free color.
Walt
I think this breed and the New Hampshires are two breeds that are in the corner. Such a shame as in New Hampshires thousands use to walk the land. I have some eggs of good new hamps coming to me this spring. I cant beleive I am doing this after bad mouthing them for 20 years but maybe if I help get these birds going if you guys need some good new hamps to cross onto barreds you got some stock. Also, I can do more good then fooling with Dominuqes who have more breeders right now then New Hamps. It makes me said to see this happens. I can be great full that I have almost 200 members fooling around with Plymouth Rocks right now. Hang in there you will get them up it takes time. Looking for old articles on how to breed them may still be out there will just have to keep our eyes open. I got a feeling they are in old poultry books that where published years ago. bob
Well, that other possible cockerel that I posted a few days ago has really started coming into his own in, literally, a matter of days. I decided he's just too nice to eat, so I've decided to give up one of my hens with him and try to tempt another local fancier to get into the breed. I think the pairing I have in mind will result in much better marked birds than my keepers, (I'm selecting first for type and growth) so if I can find someone serious it should be a good collaboration.
- Jul 24, 2010
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I have been look for purebred delaware local here, but no luck.
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