Delawares from kathyinmo

[LeslieDJoyce]

To compare the Delaware chick with a mutt on the property of the same age ... this is the roundest chick I've ever seen, and has been since day one (though my experience with chicks is very limited!). Even in this cruddy photo you can see its legs aren't nearly as sturdy as the Delaware chicks' are. The mutts are a bit more feathered ... breeding of the mutts is the result of the hatchery birds mating randomly (but competitively!) in the big coop.

 

[capayvalleychick]

The older Delaware chicks are just over a month old ... and looking pathetic.




DelaRoo is taking an interest now. Here he is crowing about one of his chicks.

Your male looks as nice as the chick. I may be wanting to buy a male from you, if I can't breed any without barring on their backs.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Here is a photo of one of the two breeding hens. Keeping in mind I've never, ever compared a bird to the SOP before, and don't even have the vocabulary to do that properly ... and I've really only ever looked at my own hatchery flock until I got these three Kathy project Delawares through Zanna ...

I think her body shape is pretty good. Wing carriage looks about right. Sweep of chest and tail seems pretty simar to me. Compared to the SOP photo, she has smaller comb and wattles. She has more black across the top of her back. Her tail seems to have more of a fan. She seems fluffier ... messier. Of course she's never been groomed or "conditioned" whatever that means, and she is living with a rooster ... For personality, the hens are not super interested in sharing and will chase the chicks and broodies away from the good food and nests. They do not like to be handled, though the one with the injury got slightly more tolerant of our attention.

Here is the rooster again. He is not as deep in the chest, has more tail, and doesn't seem to hold his wings as high as the rooster in the SOP photo. His comb isn't as sturdy and wide toothed as the SOP, his waddles aren't as big. I think he has a bit more color than he needs. I'm not sure how much color is supposed to show along the edge of the wings. His tail for sure has some shiny greenblack feathers. The tail is messy, but I'm okay with that as my gut tells me his genetics will tend toward "wider," and that is a good direction for me to breed toward, I think. He is a very busy & bossy, but gentle bird. He is always seeking more hens. He is starting to like the chicks and almost seems to be showing them off. He went on a bit of a hunger strike when I took away the dry feed (they get fermented feed, too) but is now eating fermented feed well enough ... he feeds the chicks.

Here is a photo of all three ... with the rooster from behind so you can see the messy width of his tail. Again, I'm okay with that because I think it promises some more width in offspring. You can see how one hen is a bit bigger than the other.

 

[newmanmichael]

I weighed my older Delaware birds today. They are 8 weeks and 1 day old today. All the cockerels(4 or 5) were around 1.75lbs and 2 hens were around 1.25lbs.

Didn't take any photos... and was really just trying to get a rough estimate.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I weighed my older Delaware birds today. They are 8 weeks and 1 day old today. All the cockerels(4 or 5) were around 1.75lbs and 2 hens were around 1.25lbs.

Didn't take any photos... and was really just trying to get a rough estimate.

I should be weighing mine. But the broodies don't like me touching their chicks. Peck, peck!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

The older chicks are getting lots more feathers. The middle chicks look a mess. The youngest batch are totally adorable.

One of the older chicks:

 

[crazyhen]

The older chicks are getting lots more feathers. The middle chicks look a mess. The youngest batch are totally adorable.

One of the older chicks:

How old are they I have some too but not that large yet. Another setting under a broody with a broody date of 21st. I can barely wait.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

How old are they I have some too but not that large yet.  Another setting under a broody with a broody date of 21st.  I can barely wait.  

These were hatched on April 29, so 6 weeks old now. They really took off the past 2 weeks. I have some a week younger, and more about half this age, and they are a lot smaller.

 

[finnfur]

Just finished a hatch set of 22 eggs and had 9 clears- Ernie not doing his job- time to get the KFC sign out for display.lost 4 at late stage development [ 2 pipped]
I had better results with the old foamy bator lol
At least we have 8 new F5s

 

[capayvalleychick]

One of the older chicks:

Wow, look at that bowl shape!

Just finished a hatch set of 22 eggs and had 9 clears- Ernie not doing his job- time to get the KFC sign out for display.lost 4 at late stage development [ 2 pipped]
I had better results with the old foamy bator lol
At least we have 8 new F5s

Sorry.