Delawares are the fastest feathering breed??? Check out my RIR!!

[kryptoniteqhs]

My Delawares didnt even feather out this fast. This baby is 18 days old today and has been this way for a day or two. What do you think? Do your RIRs feather out this fast?

 

[shelleyb1969]

Cute little fella! My Delawares were feathered out like that at the same age...I'll try to dig up some pics and post them. I haven't raised any RIRs...yet! I'll be getting those this spring. I can also add that my Delawares were totally feathered out around 4 weeks and I moved them outside for the winter. They're 7 weeks old now and simply look like a small version of their parents. Be sure and keep a photo journal of your little RIR...there's always someone looking for pics of youngsters.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

my dellies are 5 weeks now and have been fully feathered for a while. Whats the temp like there? How are they doing outside?

 

[speckledhen]

I find my RIRs, BRs and Dels all feather out very fast.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

o ok....well next question is (yea i know its early-but just for fun): cockerel or pullet? I did the string test on him 3 times while he was in the egg and out and he came out a roo. The only thing so far that looks rooish to me is his long neck and very up right body (hard for me to put into words). You know how roos have the cocky look to them most of the time, well he has the same look, but with out the cockiness yet. lol (boy im bad at this) Hes only a day older than the other 2 and hes HUGE! Has always been way bigger than the other two and they havent caught up yet. Hes 19 days old today.

Also if anyone knows of an easier way to describe what I just tried to explain to you let me know lol

 

[speckledhen]

Check the thickness of the legs compared to the others. My RIR boys always had much thicker legs.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Last week the temps were in the LOW single digits, nighttime temps below zero...so I did put heat lamps on my youngsters. The temps are supposed to get into the 20s this week for daytime, teens at night, so I'm gradually "weaning" them back down to lower wattage heat lamps. It's been so bitterly cold here that I just felt more at ease knowing they had a heat source since they're still so young. I just don't think a 7 week old chick, of ANY breed, is ready to be thrown out into cold like this!

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

very true.....im too scared to put heat lamps in the coop....always have been and then yesterday settled it. I had a heat lamp clipped on to the side of the brooder and one or more of the chicks jumped on it and knocked it into the shavings and they caught on fire! Luckily we caught it in time and nobody was hurt.

 

[walkswithdog]

Half my rocks feathered that fast, about half didn't. Can't wait for dels to compare. But it's snowing and it's very hard to consider broody babies when it's like that out there.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

no its not....do you have basement?? hehe if not a bedroom??