Delawares

[rjv_piper]

My bantam Delawares aren't very agressive, but they sure aren't friendly...

 

[shortcake1806]

Piper,

Where is your stock from?

 

[ginasmarans]

Thanks Tracy, I though as much. Kind of like the speckled sussex. Who would think that brownish chipmonk striped chick would turn out red?

 

[Yogiman]

I know that there are exceptions to every rule. I have 10 delaware pullets and a roo from McM Hatchery that are 12 weeks old. I'm not one to pet chickens but these chicks are exceptionally calm. They climb all over me while I am in the nursery pen with them. They are literally pests if I am trying to do something in there.

 

[scgamecock]

Yogi mine came from McMurray and they are ok birds and are really curious when I'm gathering egg's.I just thought they would have been more of a heavy breed than they are.They are fairly consistant layer's but the egg size is no where near what I thought.

 

[deeszoo]

If the aggression and picking is going on while you are brooding, try switching the color of the light you have them under. Some birds become more aggressive under a plain white light, while a red light seems to help calm them. I have used a green light and a yellow bug light, and those seemed to do well, too. But, the bright white light can cause some flocks to become irritable.

 

[speckledhen]

My chicks' parents came from McMurray, if I remember correctly. They didnt show their own aggression till they were mature. The rooster and the hen both became aggressive. I honestly think an aggressive strain was propagated and it is not a breed trait, so I will give them another chance. I'm just not getting hatchery Delawares this time.

 

[newbiecaroline]

Mine came from a canadian hatchery. I'm reading the eggs aren't as large as hoped for...if that's the case I won't bother keeping any...especially if they can still turn mean at a year old. Do you think the meat is good at least? Opinions?

 

[speckledhen]

Delawares were bred as a meat bird and were replaced in popularity by the Cornish X, is what I read. I bet they're good eating.

 

[coopist]

I've noticed on other boards/lists a lot of people searching for "big" Delawares for free-range broilers, and there are some nice meaty birds around if you look, but hatchery Dels don't usually have the body type for that and make better dual-purpose layers. Hatchery Dels also don't usually have the famous docile Del temperament either. I think, just MO, that there's a bigger difference overall in hatchery stock and heritage stock with Dels than with almost any other breed. Some might prefer one type and some the other. But, then again, hatchery strains vary widely because they're all a different "recipe," LOL, so some of them are not bad birds at all. Tracy's worked hers up nicely, and Yogiman's sound like pretty decent starter stock. Personally, I think if you find hatchery stock you like, that's great, and it won't hurt to start with them and see what you can make of them. But it makes sense to bring in some heritage blood too. Either way, it's a challenge. I had to work just to find my heritage birds and then I had to work with them for a while because the old lines were inbred, and I had trouble with faulty tails

. I've gotten them to the point now where that's not a problem anymore, but that's what you get when birds have become rare and people don't want to breed out to another line...