Delawares from kathyinmo

[crazyhen]

Hard to tell. The comb is still not very big neither are the watels. I don't see the sickle feathers. Hummm a little more time please. Sometimes i have been royally fooled.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm putting all my cull cockerels into a pen. I put this one, of Kathy's, in there. Now, I'm looking at it and wondering if it is a cockerel. Could this be a pullet? Or was my first guess correct? I need to make sure before a pen full of cockerels realize that there is a female in their midst.

I'm thinking cockerel...the size of the head and neck, the color of the comb and face, the increased coloring on the pencil feathers all make me want to say cockerel. That tail throws me a little and I can't see him from the side angle...but I'm thinking cockbird.

I could be wrong...it happens more than I like!

 

[catdaddyfro]

I'm putting all my cull cockerels into a pen. I put this one, of Kathy's, in there. Now, I'm looking at it and wondering if it is a cockerel. Could this be a pullet? Or was my first guess correct? I need to make sure before a pen full of cockerels realize that there is a female in their midst.

Kim I say it is a cockerel and too a cull if you are selecting for breed stock. Now, if you just want a nice columbian patterned rooster to look at and have in a mix flock(which I know you aren't going that route) then he is perfectly acceptable for that but not for breeding Delawares. The Delaware pattern is a hard enough of one to keep correct using correctly marked progeney. The only way I would use/keep this male is if there weren't another to be had and with all that is out there now and still being made don't use columbian marked in the breedings male or female. IMHO

Jeff

 

[capayvalleychick]

Well, at least now I don't feel so stupid, since you all aren't able to agree on it, either.

I just finished taking photos and weights on each individual. You can see them here:

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjGHuxzz

If you click on each photo, I have listed their weights and some notes. I'm still assessing them. You are welcome to make comments on them and give your opinion/thoughts.

Hmm......... I am leaning towards pullet. Mine are I think a week older than yours and I am still guessing on a few.

Debating on separating my cull cockerals as well, just haven't had the time to really go over them. Big birds but growth rate has been so slow I hate to make any decisions too soon. With the GNH I have (I believe to be originally from Kathy's line), my underdog as a youngster ended up being the biggest, most typey cockeral but it took 7 months and he was not nearly done growing/changing (unfortunately he came in with some white sickle tail feathers and was culled). My BCM are easy to weed out at 10 - 16 weeks for things like middle toe feathering, overcoloured chests, etc., as well as type. With these Dels, I definitely have some that are bigger/wider but Kathy had said that some of her birds were too big so I am going to wait before making any serious decisions. These guys are finally free-ranging better and starting to leave the feeders more so that helps in the feed bill department and they are not chasing the girls yet but are having some spats between themselves. All of the boys have nice yellow legs and none are runts so don't feel I have much to go on yet. What are you basing your preliminary culling on? Of course the colour in the one above, anything else?

I'm just starting to evaluate them, no absolutes yet. It's difficult because I have no experience with Delawares that look like this and have no idea how they are going to change as they mature. Cull cockerels go into a pen, so I can always get them back out if I change my mind. Walt is going to help me with selection, in September, but I have to narrow them down to the top ten or so.
Too big? What's that? LOL! I'd love to have that problem, for a change. Size is one of my main things that I'm looking at, but along with width and shape. I'm culling one big guy because he's too upright/lanky. I do have some paler yellow legs in some, one pullet may have greenish tone. Not sure about that, yet. Lots of barring on most of the cockerels. Should I ignore that? Some weird points on combs, but I don't think they are sprigs, just extra points. In one of the photos, you see cockerels with noticeably different head types. In my notes, both were marked wide heads. Looking at the photo, I am wondering if one is more correct than the other. I saw yellow on the wings of a couple that I thought was the start of brassiness, but realized it must be the new feathers coming in.
I'm so used to my other Dels, where there were so many defects. With those, I simply culled the defective birds and had to use what was left. With these, there are no glaring defects. I have to decide which are the best out of mostly good choices. This is new for me. I've had chickens so many years but never ones this nice.
I wish Kathy had not had such a horrible year. I would love her input. I welcome anything you all have to say, since I do sometimes have barn blindness.

 

[Beekissed]

I use the "at a glance" method for my first round of culling. After you've been around chickens so long, you can often tell more at a quick glance than you can if you sit and study on them point by point. So, I choose all those that, when I walk by them as I go about my chores, my eye is naturally drawn towards them and their pleasing silhouette. The good shape, size, stance, build, movements, etc. That gut reaction to the look of a good bird that is more instinctive than instructive.

That's first round. After you sort out those that don't catch your eye on that first glance, it gets a little tougher to sort between good, better and best and sometimes only time will help with that decision. But at least the natural culls are out of the mix and things are less confusing.

 

[capayvalleychick]

The Delaware pattern is a hard enough of one to keep correct using correctly marked progeney. The only way I would use/keep this male is if there weren't another to be had and with all that is out there now and still being made don't use columbian marked in the breedings male or female.

That's what I thought.

If you go to the link that I posted in my other post, for my photos, there is one pullet with less of columbian marked hackle feathers. I was debating about whether to keep her because- look at her tail. She's also the second highest weight for a pullet and I love her tail. It's the only/first tail to show a nice tepee shape and the color is the only one ( so far) that looks like it might be correct for a Del female. My first impulse was cull all with those markings lacking barring. Then I saw that tail and wavered. Then I weighed her and now I'm questioning what to do.

 

[Beekissed]

That's so funny! I went to your site and gave them all a first glance, found the pullet I liked best and clicked on it and found your comments...Best Pullet. I concur! I was unable to leave a comment due to not having a Yahoo account but I like your first pick of pullet. Now....to go back and decide on a cockerel....

 

[Beekissed]

And I pick B16 as my fave on cockerels....love everything about him! B11 is my second pick for cocks. G26 is my second pick on pullets, despite the green legs. She just has the body type I like and the head is feminine but not too small.

Anyhoo...it's fun to guess at these things! Now, which ones do you like for 1 and 2 spot on the favorites?

 

[Zanna]

That's so funny! I went to your site and gave them all a first glance, found the pullet I liked best and clicked on it and found your comments...Best Pullet. I concur! I was unable to leave a comment due to not having a Yahoo account but I like your first pick of pullet. Now....to go back and decide on a cockerel....

x 2 Awesome that you have done this, a great learning tool for us all to view/discuss. Would also like some input on G35, she is lovely but with the columbian markings I really don't know.

If you have time Kim, would you mind PM'ing me a quick tutorial on the flicker accts or how to get started? If not, sure I can figure it out although I still can't figure out Facebook!! You have motivated me to try to get pics/weights and do the same as you have. Not quite sure how to do that with them all free ranging, but I do have one breeder pen open, may lock them all up Fri. PM and do the photo op Sat..............

 

[Beekissed]

I like everything about G35 except her chest. I love her length of body, her top line, her tail head and set and I love her size. The coloring to me is not an issue because I don't ever plan to show, so her coloring is very beautiful. But that chest nags at me, so I dismissed her with my first glance...but she's got potential in other areas.