d'anver lovers,discuss the breed and post some pics!

[draye]

Had to remove this 7 week old Delaware X pullet from the bantam pen because the only D'Anver male chick in there was targeting her and beating the snot out of her. No idea what's up with that but she couldn't defend herself at all. And it was really making me worry that all this feather pulling on her head would make her snap her own neck trying to get out of his grip.

Aubrey and JJ, this pullet was tagged as a Delaware x BR, but I swear, as she gets older, she looks more and more like my Ameraucana/Sumatra hen, Tiny. What do you think? Any chance this long legged, lean bodied, blackish combed pullet could be a DelaRock, or do you see a "DelaMatra" there?








The D'Anver kids:

Just my humble opinion, but that looks more like a Delmatra to me. You've probably been doing this longer than me but I think it looks like a rooster.

 

[speckledhen]

The Ameraucana/sumatra hen that my be her mother has a modified pea comb. This chick has a super tiny single comb and I hope it's not a male. I do think it's a pullet from the tail shape/length and the comb not being any larger than it is at 7 weeks. Usually, the Delaware X's have much larger combs by this age if they're male. BUT, if it's part Sumatra, all bets are off. Thanks for your input! Appreciate it!

 

[Backwoods Bntms]

Had to remove this 7 week old Delaware X pullet from the bantam pen because the only D'Anver male chick in there was targeting her and beating the snot out of her. No idea what's up with that but she couldn't defend herself at all. And it was really making me worry that all this feather pulling on her head would make her snap her own neck trying to get out of his grip.

Aubrey and JJ, this pullet was tagged as a Delaware x BR, but I swear, as she gets older, she looks more and more like my Ameraucana/Sumatra hen, Tiny. What do you think? Any chance this long legged, lean bodied, blackish combed pullet could be a DelaRock, or do you see a "DelaMatra" there?

I am not an expert but I would guess by the leg color, Ameraucana/Sumatra linage.

 

[speckledhen]

Noooooo!!!!!!!!! If Tiny is her mother and not one of the Rocks, should have snapped off her head at hatch, lol. That hen is a royal pain. She's been broody for 2 months, all the while with us trying to break her, her starving herself and being the wildest crazy-as-a-bat broody you ever saw, flogging and biting like a lunatic if you just look at her wrong. She's aggressive on a good day and has lethal spurs. Maybe, just maybe, I'll luck out and this pullet will have her dear old dad's temperament. If not, she gets culled.Can't have another Tiny Terrorist here. She was never meant to be reproduced.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Thought I'd post a photo of the big kids: these folks hatched the weekend of May 19th- the Blue Quail pullet at the back had to be helped out of her shell, but was healthy from the word dot (I was using one of those styrofoam incubators, and two chicks close to the edge had their membranes dry out enough to make it hard to break out).



A different angle of the Silver Quail pair and the BQ pullet:

Ah, heck, might as well include a picture of Deary, here in early April with her first egg:

 

[speckledhen]

That last little pullet is a doll. Congrats on her first egg!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

That last little pullet is a doll. Congrats on her first egg!

She is also a total spoiled pretty princess. She lived in a parrot cage in the laundry room for eight months (most of them alone, since the other Porcelain pullet died just before Christmas), only beginning to go out during the day starting in late March; I got the Tower of Solitude (which is meant to be a rooster cage, and needs a lot of fiddling to make it into a cage for layers) put up after Easter and got Cheery, the quail pullet, to keep Deary company; after two days I had to take Deary out because she'd scalped Cheery! When I moved Cheery into a chick-safe cage last week, Deary went back into the Tower of Solitude, and is now throwing temper tantrums every time I walk into the yard if I don't come see her, scritch her head, and give her a couple of freeze-dried meal-worms.

Long ago I had a friend who was a Master Falconer; one of his birds was taken from the nest too young and thought he was her mother, or possibly mate: she'd mantle, squat, and scream whenever he came near. Deary is basically the second coming of Missy the Prairie Falcon.

 

[CALI CHICK]

I have 6 d'anvers. 3 cockerels and 3 pullets. They are all about 4 months old.

This is my concern: The "cockerels" keep mating the pullets (AND THEY ARE NOT LAYING EGGS YET)!! Oh my it is like they are raping the poor, little girls. Should I separate them or is this normal?

By the way, I thought it was hilarious when one of these tiny, d'anver roosters stalked up to our big, Barred Rock hen and attempted to mate her! However, she can protect herself and taught the rascal a lesson on proper treatment of a lady. They don't bother the big girls anymore! But I don't want to see my dainty, gentle d'anver girls get hurt. What do ya'll think we should do?

 

[Backwoods Bntms]

I have 6 d'anvers. 3 cockerels and 3 pullets. They are all about 4 months old.

This is my concern: The "cockerels" keep mating the pullets (AND THEY ARE NOT LAYING EGGS YET)!! Oh my it is like they are raping the poor, little girls. Should I separate them or is this normal?

By the way, I thought it was hilarious when one of these tiny, d'anver roosters stalked up to our big, Barred Rock hen and attempted to mate her! However, she can protect herself and taught the rascal a lesson on proper treatment of a lady. They don't bother the big girls anymore! But I don't want to see my dainty, gentle d'anver girls get hurt. What do ya'll think we should do?

I prefer to raise them separate, I think the pullets develop a better attitude and personality for showing.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Aside from that though the behavior is 100% normal and they won't be hurt. 4 months is a good bit early to see this though . But they breed this way
Chickens more less forcefully breed u lime other birds and animals.