Delawares from kathyinmo

[finnfur]

Congrats!!!

Thanks- This line has got to be mighty tough to survive me hatching LOL - so I credit the line -

 

[desertmarcy]

Has anybody else noticed this line to be slow feathering? I understand the Delaware breed to be fast feathering, but of course all bets are off with this recreation. I just took some 2-week old chicks to the outside brooder along with Black Copper Marans chicks of the same age and there was a big difference in the feathering. I only have two pullets I've hatched from and don't see any differences between the two so far.

 

[Zanna]

Has anybody else noticed this line to be slow feathering? I understand the Delaware breed to be fast feathering, but of course all bets are off with this recreation. I just took some 2-week old chicks to the outside brooder along with Black Copper Marans chicks of the same age and there was a big difference in the feathering. I only have two pullets I've hatched from and don't see any differences between the two so far.

Yes, I was hoping these F5's would feather faster than the f'4's but no such luck. Other than the three sets I have with broodies, I took an 8 week older out of the brooder and put him with the main coop last week, his siblings 9 weeks old now and still not fully feathered went out yesterday. I have 3 other batches with broodies, they are not feathering faster either, maybe even slower. Here are some pics taken this morning:

The fastest one to feather from my first hatch, 9 weeks old:

His siblings that went out yesterday, 9 weeks old:


I hatched but broody raised, 3 weeks old:



I hatched, broody raised, 5 weeks old:



Others far more knowledgeable than myself have told me that the barring gene is responsible for the slow feathering and also for the greenish legs I have been seeing. We want crisp barring so it should ultimately be a good thing and the greenish legs should go away as the birds get older. I will say that every one of mine hatched with very yellow legs (but that must be from the egg yolk) and have been turning greenish at 1 - 2 weeks old (not all but a good majority of them).

I do not like having to keep chicks in the brooder with heat provided for so long. My NH and BCM are almost always ready to go out at 4 weeks old. I will be utilizing broodies as much as possible with these Dels.

 

[desertmarcy]

Yes, I was hoping these F5's would feather faster than the f'4's but no such luck. Other than the three sets I have with broodies, I took an 8 week older out of the brooder and put him with the main coop last week, his siblings 9 weeks old now and still not fully feathered went out yesterday. I have 3 other batches with broodies, they are not feathering faster either, maybe even slower. Here are some pics taken this morning:

The fastest one to feather from my first hatch, 9 weeks old:

His siblings that went out yesterday, 9 weeks old:


I hatched but broody raised, 3 weeks old:



I hatched, broody raised, 5 weeks old:



Others far more knowledgeable than myself have told me that the barring gene is responsible for the slow feathering and also for the greenish legs I have been seeing. We want crisp barring so it should ultimately be a good thing and the greenish legs should go away as the birds get older. I will say that every one of mine hatched with very yellow legs (but that must be from the egg yolk) and have been turning greenish at 1 - 2 weeks old (not all but a good majority of them).

I do not like having to keep chicks in the brooder with heat provided for so long. My NH and BCM are almost always ready to go out at 4 weeks old. I will be utilizing broodies as much as possible with these Dels.

Those are what mine are looking like as well. The greenish legs will go away? Because I was going to cull ones that had it. They all had yellow legs at hatch. In my climate, I can get away with putting them outside without heat much earlier. I have an outside pen with a wooden box in it with a heat lamp. They can go in there if they need to, but if the temps are in the 80's, I turn it off during the day and only turn it on at night. That is if I remember to unplug it

and there is always the risk I will forget to plug it back it (long extension cord going to that pen), but there are enough of them in there, they can huddle to stay warm. I don't blame you for not wanting to use the extra heat. We have photovoltaic panels and generate 80% of our own electricity. I should have a zero bill this time of year, but with 2 incubators, 1 hatcher, numerous 150 watt and a couple 250 watt heat bulbs going 24/7---well let's just say my electric bill is not zero.

 

[Zanna]

Those are what mine are looking like as well. The greenish legs will go away? Because I was going to cull ones that had it. They all had yellow legs at hatch. In my climate, I can get away with putting them outside without heat much earlier. I have an outside pen with a wooden box in it with a heat lamp. They can go in there if they need to, but if the temps are in the 80's, I turn it off during the day and only turn it on at night. That is if I remember to unplug it

and there is always the risk I will forget to plug it back it (long extension cord going to that pen), but there are enough of them in there, they can huddle to stay warm. I don't blame you for not wanting to use the extra heat. We have photovoltaic panels and generate 80% of our own electricity. I should have a zero bill this time of year, but with 2 incubators, 1 hatcher, numerous 150 watt and a couple 250 watt heat bulbs going 24/7---well let's just say my electric bill is not zero.

If you go to showbirdbid.com, go to the forum, the genetics section and read the Green Leg Delawares thread that I started you can see the conversation about it. I can't seem to get it to cut/paste here. I culled the green leg F'4's except for one pullet I quite liked. The greenish tinge did eventually go away. Her legs are not the nice bright yellow I would like to see but they dont' really look green anymore. I have been using her in the breeding pen.

We have lived on the farm I work at for 28 years for very cheap rent and no utility bills at all. My nature is just to be thrifty/conserverative so having them in the brooder for so long just bugs me. I use ecoglows so the economy is pretty good anyways. My employers/farm owners are getting elderly and the sad day will come when we must leave here. We purchased a 6 acre property close to where we live now with an earth sheltered house on it a couple of years ago. Went right to work on the house, got it liveable and it has been rented ever since. We have been clearing land/ blackberries/poison oak since we purchased it and will be putting in Solar in the next couple of months to generate our own power as well. It was a property that required a lot of vision but we bought it for $100,000 on an online auction (of all things, definitely not in my nature!!!) and it will be our home when the time comes.

 

[finnfur]

Nice baskets. Is that your custom incubator? Do the chicks hop out of those baskets?

Tonight I found two in bottom of Bator where water pan is but I had already put them in a mesh short file basket but it has a recess in front for handle and they must of jumped out of that - or they jumped out of the white tubs and I didn't count when I transferred - Have them all in taller mesh wire basket now.
They are feisty LOL

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

If you go to showbirdbid.com, go to the forum, the genetics section and read the Green Leg Delawares thread that I started you can see the conversation about it. I can't seem to get it to cut/paste here. I culled the green leg F'4's except for one pullet I quite liked. The greenish tinge did eventually go away. Her legs are not the nice bright yellow I would like to see but they dont' really look green anymore. I have been using her in the breeding pen.

We have lived on the farm I work at for 28 years for very cheap rent and no utility bills at all. My nature is just to be thrifty/conserverative so having them in the brooder for so long just bugs me. I use ecoglows so the economy is pretty good anyways. My employers/farm owners are getting elderly and the sad day will come when we must leave here. We purchased a 6 acre property close to where we live now with an earth sheltered house on it a couple of years ago. Went right to work on the house, got it liveable and it has been rented ever since. We have been clearing land/ blackberries/poison oak since we purchased it and will be putting in Solar in the next couple of months to generate our own power as well. It was a property that required a lot of vision but we bought it for $100,000 on an online auction (of all things, definitely not in my nature!!!) and it will be our home when the time comes.

Your set-up is super sweet, but that property sounds amazing! I'd love to have solar power.

I like having broodies take care of the chicks as much as possible. We found that big clutch of free-ranging mutt chicks within a few days of the first broody-hatched Delawares. The Freedom Mutts are growing SO fast! Of course that is expected considering they are from hatchery stock ...

Should have a couple more clutches hatching this week sometime ... if my math is right. The foster hen took that first batch out into the grass for the first time today. She might feel less conspicuous when there are more chicks running around.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Has anybody else noticed this line to be slow feathering? I understand the Delaware breed to be fast feathering, but of course all bets are off with this recreation. I just took some 2-week old chicks to the outside brooder along with Black Copper Marans chicks of the same age and there was a big difference in the feathering. I only have two pullets I've hatched from and don't see any differences between the two so far.

Yes, I was hoping these F5's would feather faster than the f'4's but no such luck. Other than the three sets I have with broodies, I took an 8 week older out of the brooder and put him with the main coop last week, his siblings 9 weeks old now and still not fully feathered went out yesterday.
The fastest one to feather from my first hatch, 9 weeks old:



I hatched, broody raised, 5 weeks old:

I am seeing a range in feathering, but I have quite a few that feathered out faster than the F4s. They are feathering just as fast, or faster than the Dorkings hatched at the same time.
In the first hatch, at 4 weeks of age, 6 were completely feathered, 8 were mostly feathered and 2 were slow to feather. This seems to be the norm in each hatch.
Here's a pullet from the first hatch at 8 weeks:

 

[capayvalleychick]

@kathyinmo I have a question for you, since I'm not familiar with the broody behavior of your line.

I have my first Delaware BROODY!!!!

She just started sticking in the nest box, this week, so has only been there a few days. She growls at me when I touch her. She and two other hens are isolated in a coop because I was going to give them a break between sires. They were last with a male on 4/22, so I'm not sure if the 3 eggs under her are fertile.

I have chicks hatching in an incubator right now. My question is - do you think that she would accept the chicks if I stick them under her?

Do your broodies ever accept chicks put under them or do they need to hatch out their own? Or does it depend on the individual hen (as it does for my Dorking hens).

Thanks!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We've got more DelChickies hatching today! Yay! I will try to get counts and photos up soon ... though, really, they all tend to look the same ... yellow puffs with big behinds and serious foreheads.

ETA: Just ran out for another look ... Broodies are still looking totally innocent. "Chicks? What chicks? I don't see any chicks." This stage always drives me nuts.

The hen with the older chicks is snuggled right up against the end of the broody box ... as close as possible to the hatching nests. The older chicks are as curious as I am about the hatch.