Delawares from kathyinmo

[Zanna]

Thank you for your input Tom! With the wings some have wing feathers that just look like they are in different stages of growth or are the right length but narrow on one side or just a little stunted looking if that makes sense. I would think at this age they should be fully grown in, strange. Also, some seem to have not enough primaries (10) and too many secondaries, maybe I just don't know how to count them...... I culled all the birds who did not hold their wings correctly so I thought my 10 keepers were ok (never thought I had solved the problem!) but stretching their wings out they don't look ok! In the first pic. there are some funny looking feathers by my right thumb as you face the screen and kind of a gap between the farthest right feather and the next one.

I will look at the little cockeral this morning before his crop is full and check but I think I will still see the indent between the breast flesh. Too bad, so far he looks perfect in every other way

None of my F'5's are showing any brassiness yet and they also have been out in the sun all summer.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Any tips on counting wingfeathers? Took a good look at the wings of all ten of the cockeral F'5's that are old enough now that I should be able to tell. Some that have very good looking wings when folded up, appear to have 11 primaries, the axial and 9 secondaries. Don't know what I am doing!!! I have compared to some of my NH the same age, 10 primaries, axial and 10 secondaries, they look perfect.

Exactly how I feel. I've narrowed down the males and NONE of them have the correct number of feathers. It's very easy to count wing feathers on my Dorkings but these birds are either different or all screwed up. In addition to the odd numbers of feathers, they either look split winged or slipped wing. I'm so frustrated, I don't know what to do.

If I can get the mites off them, I may haul them to a show and just risk getting a dq.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I think what we are looking for is the silver gene, and I think it supposed to inhibit the brassiness. Correct me if I am wrong. Have you guys ever noticed a difference in the color of the chicks?

A few look a little more orange/yellow as chicks. I did not make notes of it, so don't know what, if any, effect that makes. I have seen photos on the show boards of the gray looking chicks that are desired for the silver gene. I've never seen that in these chicks.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Top pic wing looks OK - and yes that is what I am seeing - when wings folded some of the primaries hang below coverts

I agree with Tom about the first photo.

I don't know what split breast is.

I also need those rich yellow legs! I lost that in mine, somehow.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I read this article the other day. It was a trial of feeding sulfur powder to laying hens as a form of pest control.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/2470/novel-control-of-fowl-mites

"The Northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum, is the most important ectoparasite of commercial poultry in North America. Feeding sulphur to layers was successfully tested as a way to control fowl mites yet still not affect the production parameters of layers."

and

"The levels tested were: low dose, 1 pound per ton; medium dose, 3 pounds per ton and high dose, 5 pounds per ton."

and

"Dr Berry’s research found that the miticidal treatment reduced mite numbers without altering feed intake, egg production, egg weight or eggshell quality, and it did not accumulate in hens or eggs. There was no sulphur residue."

and

"There was a significant decrease in mites at the medium dose at six and seven weeks, he emphasised. The high dose also had some positive results."

and

"As a side benefit, the compound acidified hen waste and significantly reduced ammonia emissions. This fact alone has the US poultry industry interested in this research. They are looking at doing this same research in breeders."

I've heard from someone I trust (

) that sulfur powder is bee-friendly. It comes in "feed grade."

.....

I dug a little deeper as I was wondering if the sulfur would have a negative impact on two important things: healthy gut bacteria; the flavor of the eggs.

I found this podcast: http://www.poultrycast.com/poultrycast-0295-feeding-granulated-sulfur-to-control-mites

In this podcast I hear a clever avoidance of discussing the sulfur powder changing the flavor of the eggs. "It had no effect on anything we measured." But ... did they measure flavor? That's not mentioned at all, which seems an important gap to me. Though if you're not selling eating eggs, this is a non-issue.

He did directly discuss the idea of studying how, if at all, the sulfur might change the gut bacteria balance (probiotic bacteria is what he calls it) of the bird. He indicates he thinks the sulfur powder will be helpful in reducing gut pathogens like salmonella. At this point that's just a theory.

 

[finnfur]

Don't know about sulfur in feed but I mix it with DE and dust it in nests and in coop and places they wallow - never had a mite /bug
problem / Knock on wood tap tap

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

It's here!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I pretty much have decided I'm not experienced enough to cull the Delaware cockerels until they're all mature enough to compare side-by-side. I've also noted the 9 older Delaware cockerels we already have in the cockerel coop are pretty much filling the roost space, meaning I can't move the younger cockerels in there and they really need to be moved out of the breeding coop ASAP. I'd put them in the spacious cull cage, but that cage doesn't have any pasture and I have plans to start culling older hatchery hens into it very soon so I can get the cull Delaware pullets moved into the laying coop ... lots of cogs on the wheels turning in my head.

So we are discussing adding a dormitory extension to the cockerel coop.

The cockerel coop is a wooden coop built with one of our nursery pallets as the base. I had an idea for a cool "portable" coop we could move with the tractors we use for the nursery, and I had an elegant lightweight design for it with lower roof, hardware mesh and nursery plastic sides so it could have been as easy to build, bright & well ventilated as our other coops. I got vetoed and we ended up with this plywood beast of a coop that took far too long to assemble and probably isn't going anywhere very soon. I hesitate to mention the inevitability of soggy plywood ...

What I'd like to do is add a few of the modular cattle panel & t-post hoops to the tall side, cover them in plastic, and set up roosts in there. We can leave the end of the tunnel open air (that's the calm end weather-wise) and add some vents to the top of the tall existing plywood wall. That will give us better ventilation.

I've figured out I vastly prefer having the litter directly on soil ... the dorm room extension will also make that possible for the poopiest part of the coop.

 

[podgal]

I'm in Northeast Ohio looking for a pair/trio of Delawares. Does anyone have quality breeding stock they are willing to part with?

 

[finnfur]

It's here!

I got more confused when I first got mine - takes a while to get your mind wrapped around it . Read it this weekend we having a test Monday. LOL