Delawares from kathyinmo

[capayvalleychick]

I've been posting about my Del's wings looking like they were missing feathers and Walt kept telling me to wait to make a decision until they had all their adult feathers. Since (I think) mine are older than all of yours, you might want to wait to make your final decision.

Yes, there should be 10 primary + 10 secondary + the axial. During the class Walt gave, he pointed out how to look for the feathers that will be growing in, on a young bird.

Many of mine seem to have 8 primaries. The one big guy I'm just hoping his feathers will fill in.

What I'm saying is wait as long as you can or until you are absolutely certain feathers are missing.

I have no idea how any of this gets passed on or where it came from. I'm sure Kathy would have known to cull for some of the stuff that seems to be popping up. Is this typical of how recessives show up?

 

[fowlman01]

I have a break in judging so I can respond 10-1-10 is correct in the wing feathers. If they are both all there the wings can look like they have problems. If you have 21 in each wing and they don't look correct you probably don't have a wing problem.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Sorry I'm on my phone. IF THEY ARE NOT ALL THERE the wings can appear to have a problem.

 

[finnfur]

I have been looking on line and in the SOP and I think what we are seeing is a combination of slipped wing and twisted feather . All the drawings in the ABA on heritage show the primaries tucked up where you do not see them . This include s the Schelling Dels [spelling]. The color seems right they are just not holding the wing correct -or can't. Its more obvious on males because the primaries are barred but predominant black and the females are white with some black but white predomination. Females also don't appear to have the problem as much .
Thats my observation but don't know the answer to correct it yet except selective breeding. To quote a master ya gotta keep kicking the can down the road .
So Zanna your just going to have to eat more chicken LOL

 

[rancher hicks]

Really nice yellow legs. They could be wider, but maybe they need to mature.

Too bad chickens didn't get wider the more they eat like we do.

I think I'll eat chicken feed and give them the house food.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Too bad chickens didn't get wider the more they eat like we do. 

I think I'll eat chicken feed and give them the house food. 

"The Babies" have suddenly started eating about twice as much this last week. We thought we'd move the foster broodies back to the laying coop so the younger birds have a better chance at the trough ... I picked up a Gold Laced Wyandotte and she is squishy she's so fat! One of the Buff Orpingtons eats food off everyone else's faces. Piggies. The hens don't need constant access to food any more than I do.

Feeding time today ... another hot day here.

 

[LindaB220]

Oh how I wish I was ready to part with spent hens. I'm sure I'm feeding way too many birds. At least the layers are free ranging.

I'm still eating last year's turkey and won't allow myself cockerel until those are gone. I *think* we can dispense with cockerels more locally, but perhaps not on exactly my schedule (and I don't want unnecessary hormonal teenagers around).

The trouble with ducks is they are so hard to pluck properly. The more I think about it, the more inclined I am to get rid of all the ducks. I have a lot of thinking to do before Monday.


Does anyone have a photo of a "good" Delaware wing all spread out? I want to know what I'm looking for before I do an inspection.

Thinking about the ducks. Have you ever tried to finish your plucking by dipping in wax and plunging in cold water? I've been thinking about getting white muscovies and this is my quandry. How much harder are they to do than chickens?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Thinking about the ducks.  Have you ever tried to finish your plucking by dipping in wax and plunging in cold water?   I've been thinking about getting white muscovies and this is my quandry.  How much harder are they to do than chickens?   

We haven't processed any ducks. We got a few male Pekins intending to eat them, but then Dad got attached so we kept them around. I think he's finally ready to part with the extra male ducks on Monday. They're probably too old now to be tender.

They have water fowl pluckers that are way more expensive than chicken pluckers.

One of the guys was telling me there is a technique with a knife for getting duck feathers off. I couldn't follow what he said ... it didn't sound like skinning, though. It sounded more like shaving. I should have asked him to show me. Hehehehe. I make great duck.

 

[Zanna]

To quote a master ya gotta keep kicking the can down the road .
So Zanna your just going to have to eat more chicken LOL

No more room in the freezer for chicken with the pork, lamb, tuna, salmon, deer, and elk. Yes we eat really well and there is just the two of us!!!

Lucky for me we have a great weekly poultry auction not too far away. Drop off Monday or Tuesday AM birds auction Tuesday 9:30 AM and check received in the mail by Friday.

Hopefully I have some to breed forward or it is pretty hard to kick the can down the road. I do miss Bob's posts

 

[Zanna]

I've been posting about my Del's wings looking like they were missing feathers and Walt kept telling me to wait to make a decision until they had all their adult feathers. Since (I think) mine are older than all of yours, you might want to wait to make your final decision.

Yes, there should be 10 primary + 10 secondary + the axial. During the class Walt gave, he pointed out how to look for the feathers that will be growing in, on a young bird.

Many of mine seem to have 8 primaries. The one big guy I'm just hoping his feathers will fill in.

What I'm saying is wait as long as you can or until you are absolutely certain feathers are missing.

I have no idea how any of this gets passed on or where it came from. I'm sure Kathy would have known to cull for some of the stuff that seems to be popping up. Is this typical of how recessives show up?

The last two feathers on the bottom of the wings of many of my young F'5 cockeral are about an inch longer than the other wing feathers and curl upwards. It looks very odd........... I have been breeding several breeds of chickens for about six years including the hidden broody mutt chicks and have never seen anything like this.