Breeding Delawares to the Standard of Perfection

[LeslieDJoyce]

Regarding the yellow legs.....For years I had issues with pale legs in my yellow legged breeds. I was feeding a Game Bird and could not range them on grass. I switched to Southern States Rock n Rooster last year, and it has made a world of difference. It has Marigold extract. I start them off with SS Start n Grow mixed with Meat Bird Maker. The Meat Bird has marigold, the Starter does not, but has the animal protein the MBM lacks.

Some people say corn helps, too. I buy a corn-free feed (it's wheat based and has fish protein), and don't always have great pasture as things get really dead here in summer, but the cockerel legs are nice and yellow at the moment. I see a huge difference in yolk color when the pastures are up and green.

Cockerel leg photo taken this week ...



The cockerels don't have access to great pasture in their colony yet. The hens' legs got a lot paler at the end of last summer.

I'll have to ask my feed mixer if she adds anything for pigments. We add a smidge of hay pellets to the fermented feed.

 

[finnfur]

I have not dressed out any. I don't have a problem with it and have done some in the past, it is just a time thing, as well as a freezer space issue. We raise our own pork, as well as having a big garden and lots of venison and fish. When I do process, I find it easier to do a bunch at a time because the set up and clean up is half the work. I actually have people buying my cull cockerels for meat. The earliest I have live weighed was a 13 week old that felt particularly heavy and he was spot on 5lbs. So he would have been a nice fryer.

If its well filled out thats a nice bird for 13 weeks

Regarding the yellow legs.....For years I had issues with pale legs in my yellow legged breeds. I was feeding a Game Bird and could not range them on grass. I switched to Southern States Rock n Rooster last year, and it has made a world of difference. It has Marigold extract. I start them off with SS Start n Grow mixed with Meat Bird Maker. The Meat Bird has marigold, the Starter does not, but has the animal protein the MBM lacks.

I have been using the RnR pellets for about three years - Entire flock-seems to be working well but was going to try and save a little money on feed so found some lower priced layer pellets to mix with RnR about 50/50 mix- well guess what the chickens are smarter than me and picked out the low grade and dropped it on the floor and still ate the RnR- So instead of saving I got some high priced litter- Back to all RnR with FF and Calf mana pro added

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have been using the RnR pellets for about three years - Entire flock-seems to be working well but was going to try and save a little money on feed so found some lower priced layer pellets to mix with RnR about 50/50 mix- well guess what the chickens are smarter than me and picked out the low grade and dropped it on the floor and still ate the RnR- So instead of saving I got some high priced litter- Back to all RnR with FF and Calf mana pro added

I really want to try the calf mana finishing treatment for some of the cockerels some time. But I can't risk it cuz I know someone would get confused and feed it to the laying flock and ruin the "no soy" thing we've got going with the eggs.

 

[caychris]

Ive been staring at pics all morning of Barred Rocks and Barred Hollands and I'm trying to see the differences. I think the Hollands are a bit smaller. I know that the Hollands lay white eggs. I know the hollands are rare so its not likely that you would get them passed off as a Rock but could someone pass off a Rock as a Holland easily?

I was only wondering because of the Rocks relationship to the Del and the Hollands were popular back in the day. Ill ask in a couple other threads too.

 

[finnfur]

I really want to try the calf mana finishing treatment for some of the cockerels some time. But I can't risk it cuz I know someone would get confused and feed it to the laying flock and ruin the "no soy" thing we've got going with the eggs.

I don't know - its hard to confuse it as its medium red pellets- I would think it would be easy to keep separate -

 

[MsKay]

Cpartist...thank you so much for sharing all of that with us. I am a newbie to Delawares but I love the idea of preserving this Heritage breed and I can't wait to get my new chicks!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I don't know - its hard to confuse it as its medium red pellets- I would think it would be easy to keep separate -

Considering "someone" couldn't reliably tell crumbles from pellets, even when I was standing RIGHT THERE, POINTING, I have to keep it super simple around here.

 

[ijon]

Well today I thinned my flock nine more chickens. I now have almost all Delawares from Eight Acre Farm. Feed is to high not to concentrate on your favorite breed.

 

[finnfur]

Well today I thinned my flock nine more chickens. I now have almost all Delawares from Eight Acre Farm. Feed is to high not to concentrate on your favorite breed.

You got that right !

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

You got that right !

x 2 ... laying flock needs thinning BIG TIME if I'm going to have room to breed and hatch this spring.