Delawares from kathyinmo

[capayvalleychick]

5th Generations

It's good to see another breeder with this line. Nice topline on those birds.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

5th Generations

I agree with Kim ... the top line looks pretty decent and it is really great to know other people are still working with the line. Are you going to breed them this year?

 

[marnette]

I am hoping to breed them this year and just see what happens. I have 3 really nice hens and this good rooster.

 

[marnette]

I have a question: When you guys say they have a good top line, what exactly does that mean. I have never done any breeding before, so I am really new to a lot of the terms and descriptions people use. Thanks

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have a question: When you guys say they have a good top line, what exactly does that mean. I have never done any breeding before, so I am really new to a lot of the terms and descriptions people use. Thanks

Simply put, the top line is the shape of the top of the bird's silhouette ... in the case of Delawares it should be a continuous sweep from head to tail, the back should not be flat or very long, and the tail should be at a 40 degree angle from the back for cockerels.

The shape of the bird should look like the illustration in the Standard of Perfection published by the American Poultry Association and also follow the written description for the specific breed.

It's also nice if the color of the bird matches the illustration and description.

 

[finnfur]

This is a good illustration

The cock has a continuos sweep - the hen just gradual- this is what we are all looking for

 

[rancher hicks]

A few pips. Most are Delawares.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

A few pips. Most are Delawares.

This is SO EXCITING!!!

I hope you can post photos when they hatch, even though all little yellow puffy chicks look pretty much alike.

I moved a bunch of the pullets I know for sure I won't want to breed into the free-ranging laying coop last night. It was dramatic during the move, and a bonus was that I got to go out there at bedtime tonight and tuck the group in bed. I had to bribe them to the roosts with scratch. They were all in the shed between the coops knocking at the door of their old home. There is one super brave Delaware pullet who went right to the center of the best roost and hopped up and then refused to be bullied away.

I left 9 pullets in the breeding coop. Still too many, but I need to watch them move around for a few days before I make the final decisions. I still got 2 eggs in that coop, which is reassuring.

As soon as I get a broody or two I'll set them up to hatch.

Forgot to mention: The crew was over today pruning the chicken's orchard. We have apples, pears and plums already and want to expand the season a bit with some more variety. So the crew also staked out spots to add about 15 more fruit trees to the orchard. There is a LOT more room to expand their orchard, and this year I want to plant a bunch of native and forgotten fruits ... mulberries, pawpaw, seaberry, fig, maybe some olive, kiwi, persimmon, some citrus that grows here ... it's a good time to think about that now, though it is easier for us as our farm is a nursery that specializes in regular fruit & nut trees.

Might seem early to those of you further east? I like the fruit trees for the poultry area as they provide overhead protection from our many resident hawks, shade, forage, and climbing fun for the flock.

 

[finnfur]

This is SO EXCITING!!!

I hope you can post photos when they hatch, even though all little yellow puffy chicks look pretty much alike.

I moved a bunch of the pullets I know for sure I won't want to breed into the free-ranging laying coop last night. It was dramatic during the move, and a bonus was that I got to go out there at bedtime tonight and tuck the group in bed. I had to bribe them to the roosts with scratch. They were all in the shed between the coops knocking at the door of their old home. There is one super brave Delaware pullet who went right to the center of the best roost and hopped up and then refused to be bullied away.

I left 9 pullets in the breeding coop. Still too many, but I need to watch them move around for a few days before I make the final decisions. I still got 2 eggs in that coop, which is reassuring.

As soon as I get a broody or two I'll set them up to hatch.

Forgot to mention: The crew was over today pruning the chicken's orchard. We have apples, pears and plums already and want to expand the season a bit with some more variety. So the crew also staked out spots to add about 15 more fruit trees to the orchard. There is a LOT more room to expand their orchard, and this year I want to plant a bunch of native and forgotten fruits ... mulberries, pawpaw, seaberry, fig, maybe some olive, kiwi, persimmon, some citrus that grows here ... it's a good time to think about that now, though it is easier for us as our farm is a nursery that specializes in regular fruit & nut trees.

Might seem early to those of you further east? I like the fruit trees for the poultry area as they provide overhead protection from our many resident hawks, shade, forage, and climbing fun for the flock.

We moved the chickens into the fruit tree area one year and they dug around the base /mulch area so much I had to put fencing around each tree.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We moved the chickens into the fruit tree area one year and they dug around the base /mulch area so much I had to put fencing around each tree.

We'll probably do that until the trees get established as they start out pretty small.

The existing orchard trees are nearly as old as I am ... ancient ... and have been mostly ignored over the years. Since the chickens moved in that orchard has gotten more attention and is producing better fruit. But I don't want to plant anything that requires spray.

I've read poultry and chestnut trees are a particularly good mix for pest control, and that pawpaws and poultry are a good mix, and that chestnuts and pawpaws are a good mix ... so I want to do an area of all three. The only issue is chestnut trees can get pretty huge pretty fast, and I don't want them to shade the other fruit too much, so I'll have to pick my spot for that pretty carefully. I'm thinking the fence line for the breeding coop where we already have a double row of tall trees.