Delawares from kathyinmo

[finnfur]

They are all nice. The pullets in the first & last photos look a little better than the others.

We are very happy with the meat quality of our butchered cockerels. We waited too long to butcher, so we would have a larger group. The processor complained that they were too big! They were still more frame than meat if compared to a Cornish Cross. The flavor is excellent, meat is tender. Even my husband, who has always complained about raising our own meat birds, said that these are the best.

Yes first , second and last are going to be part of bred forward flock - have one other F5 not pictured I believe and 2or 3 F4s

We fried a F4 cockerel and it was great [ that was a 33 week cull]

Well forced to by a dozen eggs yesterday at store and today one of the two EEs laid a green egg - so hopefully the egg production has started back.

 

[crazyhen]

Finnfur, I have lost my kathy rooster. When you have fertile eggs this spring can I order a dozen eggs from you to hatch???? I still have 3 hens one is almost perfect, one is a bit long in the back and one has columbian markings. I need a young roo. Sigh Adam was my gentle roo.

 

[finnfur]

Finnfur, I have lost my kathy rooster. When you have fertile eggs this spring can I order a dozen eggs from you to hatch???? I still have 3 hens one is almost perfect, one is a bit long in the back and one has columbian markings. I need a young roo. Sigh Adam was my gentle roo.

You at the top of the list. Let you know when they start producing.

All of these line of Delaware breeding cocks have been gentle - disposition of the line in general I guess.

However the young studs started sparring at about 22 weeks and it got a little more serious at cull 27 weeks - few bloody combs etc but no
massive injuries.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Yes first , second and last are going to be part of bred forward flock - have one other F5 not pictured I believe and 2or 3 F4s 

We fried a F4 cockerel and it was great [ that was a 33 week cull]

Well  forced to by a dozen eggs yesterday at store and today one of the two EEs laid a green egg - so hopefully the egg production has started back.

No eggs from the Delawares yet. Even the two F4s are holding out on me. The one is still molting, but there is no excuse for the other.

I get as few as 5 eggs in one day from my laying flock (about 100 aging hens). Yesterday it was 11 chicken eggs and one from the ducks. Thanksgiving cooks are calling wanting eggs this week. I may be selfish as I'm thinking Pumpkin Custard for our dinner. That and a 48 lb turkey should feed me and Dad.

 

[finnfur]

No eggs from the Delawares yet. Even the two F4s are holding out on me. The one is still molting, but there is no excuse for the other.

I get as few as 5 eggs in one day from my laying flock (about 100 aging hens). Yesterday it was 11 chicken eggs and one from the ducks. Thanksgiving cooks are calling wanting eggs this week. I may be selfish as I'm thinking Pumpkin Custard for our dinner. That and a 48 lb turkey should feed me and Dad.

I have one Delaware F4 hen #13 that has been laying a egg every second day thru the molt- last week it was every third day but she is back on schedule again - I will bred her forward.

Ummm! Good . Pumpkin custard.

If you and your Dad eat a 48 pound turkey I hope ya'll have walkers to get to the bathroom.
Save some for mans best friend the "Building inspector" canine. He works hard you know !

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have one Delaware F4 hen #13 that has been laying a egg every second day thru the molt- last week it was every third day but she is back on schedule again - I will bred her forward.

Ummm! Good . Pumpkin custard.

If you and your Dad eat a 48 pound turkey I hope ya'll have walkers to get to the bathroom.
Save some for mans best friend the "Building inspector" canine. He works hard you know !

Dad and I prefer dark meat. So ... there is a local family I give eggs to every week, and they are getting 1/2 of the breast. The other 1/2 of the breast is going to one of the people who has helped us find cool free things to use around the coop. Obviously we have to part out the turkey cuz it won't fit in the oven, so it is easy enough to make boneless breast roasts. A bird that size could give us about 20 total lbs of boneless breast meat in two big chunks.

Gust is amazing kitchen help. He particularly enjoys inspecting all fruit, all bacon, liver if it's handy, any cheese that might need a little QC. He flat out steals oatmeal if you aren't careful.

Here is Gust checking out the safety situation of one of my turkey broth projects. I'd made a huge batch of broth in the ginormous turkey scalding pot, which worked super slick, but then I had to figure out how to shift it into liftable containers while straining it.



Yes, my kitchen is always a big mess.

 

[finnfur]

Gust story reminds me of about 20 years ago Mom in Law came up from NC to cook for both sides of family on Thanksgiving - she loved to cook and quantity was no problem since she was a retired School chef . She made two big turkey tin foil roaster pans full of home made stuffing and put it on the pick nick table on our screened back porch to cool.
We heard a lot of yelling and went to the porch . Our big Ol Chocolate lab "Spike" had pulled the stuffing off the table ,ate one full pan and had started on the second but evidently ran out of stomach capacity. He was just laying there like a pig in slop with a big smile on his face " you mean this wasn't for us canines? "
He was saving the rest for the evening meal . Slept right there all night.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I think these Labs are the Cornish X/Broad Breasted Bronze of the dog world. Happy to hang out with their head in the bowl eating til they can't lift themselves off the floor. But very sweet.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We put the last of the Delaware project cockerels into the dorm room of the Cockerel Colony last night. First thing this morning, the littlest one ... a black DelaMutt who is about 1/2 the size of the next largest bird ... flew the coop and went back to the breeding area to be with all the females and DelaDad. I think the older birds are too big to fly now, and hope they don't get ideas. It's nice to have them separate from the females at this stage.

I'm hoping all the cockerels can get along for a little while longer before I'm ready to make decisions. Then maybe we can start inviting the Delawares over for dinner in time Christmas.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

The view out my bedroom window. I've been watching them chase each other around the bushes all day. Then they want to eat the bushes.