Delaware Breed info?

[slystr]

Can anyone give me their experience of Delawares? I want to get some because I am from Delaware now living in Texas and the thought of having more Delawareness around me is too hard to pass up. I have relatively mild winters here in Dallas. Can they take the heat? Thanks!

 

[TheBigWRanch]

I've had two Delaware roosters, and two hens. My first Delaware I got from a friend, at the time I only had one bantam rooster and they were best friends, so we named them chicken big and chicken little. He wasn't friendly, but not mean either. A raccoon ended up eating him. Then I bought 3 pullets from the store, I really wanted a rooster, but they weren't selling them. Well, one turned out to be a rooster anyway! He was the nicest chicken I had, he would follow me around, and sit in my lap to be pet. Although, I have never had a rooster that was meaner to strangers than him, he would attack everyone else who came into the barn yard! One time he wouldn't stop attacking this man, so the guy stuck his foot out to block the chicken, and he ran right into it, and broke his wing. Then he got the hugest bubble foot I have ever seen. He was pretty pitiful looking, stumbling around on one foot, and having his wing hang to the ground. So I gave him to someone that said they had the money to take him to the vet, I really missed him. The two pullets never went broody, and I don't remember ever seeing them lay an egg. I was never very impressed with the hens. Sorry, I don't know anything about how well they do in the heat.

 

[speckledhen]

Maybe my friend Kate will pop in. She has a Delaware pair. The hen did take awhile to start laying, but boy, when she did, the eggs were very dark and very large. She just got two that are about as big as goose eggs and they were NOT double yolkers! They were both very gentle, then suddenly she had to pen them up because the rooster began spurring her small daughter. That, I think, was just that particular rooster, not a Delaware trait, however. I plan to hatch some from her pair at the end of the month.

 

[helmstead]

I have a hen and a roo, as Speck said. I am not happy with my roo, but I don't really blame him. He has grown up in some chaos (I had WAY too many roos in together for a little too long) and I think that's what turned him mean. He now flogs us every time we go in the pen to feed them and collect eggs. As soon as I have a good hatch and a replacement roo, I'm afraid he's going by way of the chopping block.

The hen is sweet & friendly. They were both sweet and very quiet as youngsters. Now though, she is a VERY noisy hen and he crows non stop and LOUD. I don't mind the noise, though!

She lays jumbo eggs (altho she hasn't yet repeated the two GINORMOUS eggs from last week) and is a very regular layer.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

We've got two Delaware hens. One of them is the friendliest of all my other birds, the other is about average friendliness. They both seem to be good layers.

 

[equine chick]

My aunt has a few delawares, most are pretty friendly. They are great layers, she said they are her best layers. I have a few coming in april, they are considered part of the endangered breeds. If the hens work out i might get a roo for hatching eggs.

 

[Freebie]

Giant eggs? How well do they stand the cold? I may have to check these girls out!