Are there any Delaware breeders out there??

[SweetieChicken234]

My wife picked up two, 5-month-old, Delaware girls from a local chicken grower last week and she is in love with them as well. Even those these birds were raised in a largish chicken farm and seldom handled; the Delaware chickens let my wife handle them all she wants with no fuss. They appear really calm and mostly stay out of the way of the other chickens. This last weekend, after once again patching up a gold laced Wyandotte that had been attacked by another, I suggested she might want to get rid of the gold laced Wyandotte's. 2 hours later a new home was found and the gold laced Wyandotte's will live out the rest of their days on an organic produce farm eating bugs and providing fertilizer. AKA living their best chicken lives. Meanwhile, my wife is off to pick up two more Delaware chickens as I type. lol

I feel her excitement. I also have 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes with my Delaware. One of my Delawares has just started laying. They are 24 weeks going into 25 weeks. They are just a lovely breed and I hope she enjoys them as much as I do. My little Delaware boy is now a big boy and he's so cute. I pick him up every day and hold him. My Wyandottes are very nice birds as well but not suitable for this state. I will need to bring them in during the hot summer days.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Have you considered having eggs or chicks shipped to you? Consult the Livestock Conservancy's breeder list and ask any that seem promising if they could ship. Another option is to search Facebook for breed specific groups. You could also check poultry shows in your area.

I have a breeder in California that I really like. She has nice big Delawares. That will be my best bet I think. After my flock thins that is my goal.

 

[goats-n-oats]

I have 3 females and 1 male from Cackle. Cackle recommended this breed as laying both jumbo eggs and reaching big size. So far they are 5 months old, they are well adjusted in the flock. The male is not as large as some of their other breeds (Brahma, Copper Marans, English Orpington). I've ordered from a lot of hatcheries, commercial and private, and Cackle always sends the hardiest, largest birds.

 

[LTAY1946]

I've sold off the bulk of my Delawares here in AL but kept enough to breed to a RIR rooster to produce red sex links. My girls are extremely sweet and a little bit crazy too. Even the rooster I keep with the few that are for replacing my pure Delawares is a bit crazy. He insists on helping me get the feed out of the metal can and into the hanging feeders. When they were 15-17 weeks old I'd turn them out to free range for a bit and some of the roosters would fly over and sit on my shoulders and watch over the hens from that vantage point. One preferred the top of my head. They sure do make good friendly hens. Murray McMurray has a large line of Delaware that they market as Delaware Broilers. I'm want to purchase a few of those to breed my existing hens to.

 

[Ponyiqandhens2]

The problem is that the hatchery birds were changed to breed more for eggs and less meat. They are still dual purpose but I think the hatchery birds have bred in more eggs and less size/weight/meat. I don't think these are the same as the breed originally was developed. I'm looking more for the birds that are like the original Delawares. The birds I have now are very friendly, docile and sweet birds. I'm looking for a good egg and meat line.. not so much a line that is pushing heavy egg production. So for example a bird that produces around 180 eggs a year is fine for me but on the flip side I would want a faster maturing and heavier bird for meat. NOT a Cornish x .. I believe that was more what the original Delawares were bred to be. At 5 weeks now my Wyandottes are far bigger and heavier than my Delawares. My Delawares are fluff and the Wyandottes are legit HEAVY. Unfortunately I believe it's too hot in Florida to raise Wyandottes so those are not an option. I'm testing just a few of them. I think my hatchery strain is maybe just a different line of Delawares bred for higher egg production.

I think a breeder with a more original Delaware line would be more what I'm seeking.

I think some might be, I got a deleware from Meyers, she turned out to be a he. They reimbursed me. I had arranged for him to leave to breed a few and then go to freezer camp. I opted to keep him. He is my second largest bird. He is gentle,smart, 9 months old and has a fairly large breast and big thighs..he weighs 9lbs last time I checked.. he looks like a real heritage bird..he has grown slowly.. but has good free range ability..but very gentle

 

[MiMito3]

I think some might be, I got a deleware from Meyers, she turned out to be a he. They reimbursed me. I had arranged for him to leave to breed a few and then go to freezer camp. I opted to keep him. He is my second largest bird. He is gentle,smart, 9 months old and has a fairly large breast and big thighs..he weighs 9lbs last time I checked.. he looks like a real heritage bird..he has grown slowly.. but has good free range ability..but very gentle

Hi I’m thinking of getting a Delaware rooster. Is yours still being a nice boy? TIA.

 

[Ponyiqandhens2]

Hi I’m thinking of getting a Delaware rooster. Is yours still being a nice boy? TIA.

Patrick is a gentle giant ,protective and here are pictures ,that's a jersey giant hen who he towers over