Delawares from kathyinmo

[rancher hicks]

How loud are Dels? We rent and live in the "city" (its residential but on the indian reservation). Our neighbors have chickens and a rooster who crows a couple times a day. But I'd kinda like to be the secret chicken keeper for a while.

My Dels are pretty quiet unless something upsets them. If you have hens make sure to have plenty of nest boxes. They argue over them. They're a friendly breed though I don't pick them up a lot. Rooster don't cross forever and ever. Though a barking dog is more annoying.

Easter eggers are another nice breed and Marans are too.

I don't think any breed is completely quiet. I do have a light Sussex gal and she's pretty good too.

 

[finnfur]

Hi. I've been spending way too much time watching my Bonham Delawares in the brooder.

Something I've noticed is that a few of them have no black on their primary feathers coming in while others are showing definite barring. Also a few seem to have a bit of a ruddiness in the down.

I'll try to get some good photographs today to post.

I'm thinking I should mark one or the other so I can track them through their growth.

IMO to early to tell anything on the barring - you may need a light or dark to breed forward - so thats a wait and see.
Ruddiness and brassiness is not something you want to carry forward. Ernie has some and he's on next cull list if I can find a #2 replacement.
To bad he really has nice type.
looking forward to pics

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We had a little rain here, and the cockerel I've been calling BigBrassy is looking whiter than before. I think I'll keep him around to see how he molts out next year -- I'm curious to know if he'll get darker. In the second funny photo you can compare his color to the color of the bird shaking behind him. You can see BigBrassy has less black in his saddle feathers, but the other bird is a more silvery/blue version of white while BigBrassy is more creamy white. BigBrassy's comb is kind of a mess, and I do wish he'd hold both his wings and his tail a little higher.

 

[finnfur]

We had a little rain here, and the cockerel I've been calling BigBrassy is looking whiter than before. I think I'll keep him around to see how he molts out next year -- I'm curious to know if he'll get darker. In the second funny photo you can compare his color to the color of the bird shaking behind him. You can see BigBrassy has less black in his saddle feathers, but the other bird is a more silvery/blue version of white while BigBrassy is more creamy white. BigBrassy's comb is kind of a mess, and I do wish he'd hold both his wings and his tail a little higher.

Eirnie is brassy and lightened after the molt but became even darker later after more sun exposure . Its hereditary but is compounded by sunlight.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

This is me saying, "I want chicks already!"

I'm not feeling my most patient at the moment. It is gloriously beautiful here, and I'm getting all excited about hatching season.

 

[rancher hicks]

I have chicks and expect more next week if all goes well.

I had an incident in the coop I think that cost one of my two roosters his life. I found him this afternoon dead up against the wall. I think they're, the roosters are feeling randy as the spring gets under way.

I have no doubt some of the new ten are roosters so if all goes well there will be another. I would have replaced one of the two anyhow, but raising them to adulthood takes time and money.

Such is life.

 

[finnfur]

This is me saying, "I want chicks already!"

I'm not feeling my most patient at the moment. It is gloriously beautiful here, and I'm getting all excited about hatching season.

Gee ! Everybody is doing selfies now a days. Its the national craze.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

The local show poultry association is having a youth event in a couple months, and I've decided to donate a trio of the 2014 Delawares to the fundraising raffle for the event. It will be my first poultry event. It's supposed to be educational, so I'm also supposed to put together a little flyer on the Delawares to share with people.

I'll be sending this male. He has decent color for my flock, but a kinda funky comb and tail. I haven't decided which females yet ... Probably some of the ones in the breeding pen. Those are the ones with the most correct color, though their tails aren't quite right.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have chicks and expect more next week if all goes well. 

I had an incident in the coop I think that cost one of my two roosters his life.  I found him this afternoon dead up against the wall.  I think they're, the roosters are feeling randy as the spring gets under way. 

I have no doubt some of the new ten are roosters so if all goes well there will be another. I would have replaced one of the two anyhow, but raising them to adulthood takes time and money.

Such is life. 

That's awful. Were you at all able to tell what killed him?

 

[capayvalleychick]

This is me saying, "I want chicks already!"

I'm not feeling my most patient at the moment. It is gloriously beautiful here, and I'm getting all excited about hatching season.

LOL I know the feeling.