Delawares??

[speckledhen]

Thanks. I like the guy in your avatar, shortcake! Here is the cockerel I'm keeping for breeding, Jake. He's very large, bigger than all the other ones I had.

And if you're getting good Delawares from Cackle, then count yourself lucky in the hatchery chick dept! Not all were like the ones I had, but it took the breeder of these asking me to do a fertility test for her (and I did hesitate, she'll tell you) to try the breed again. I'm glad I did.

 

[shortcake1806]

Thanks Cyn,

That's El Capitan. He's the best roo. Quite a gentleman, he wont eat a bite till all the hens have been called over and have gotten their share. My five year old carries him around like a puppy.

Your Jake looks like he'll grow into a nice roo. I love the look on his face in that pic. That is sooo a Delaware look.

 

[speckledhen]

Funny, Tracy, I almost named Jake "Captain". Probably your influence, LOL.

 

[shortcake1806]

Wow, I have influence. lol El Cappy got his name because of his attitude as a chick. He was the smallest and slowest to feather out but he ruled the roost from day one.

 

[speckledhen]

Hooterville, enjoy Happy and Helen. They'll be great girls for you, I'm sure.

 

[Hooterville]

Thanks for sharing your Delaware info. I'm so glad that Cackle sent me some nice examples!

I've been really pleased with the all of the chicks they sent. Out of 49 shipped, only 2 were lost during shipping and the rest seem to be thriving.

I don't know if its because I take the time to mess with them every day or not, but they all seem to be friendly and not too skittish.

Becky

 

[hoosierhen]

My 2 Delaware girls, Opal and Pearl, are the bossiest and most vocal of my hens. They seemed a little more aggressive at first, but have settled in nicely, and are packed with personality. My vicious hen is a SLW, and I have to keep her in check. She doesn't like it when I handle her coopmates, and has bitten me several times, once drawing blood. She is the smallest of all my girls.

 

[speckledhen]

Funny about their individual differences. My SLW hen is a sweetheart and so were her two sisters I lost earlier this year. Sometimes the strain they come from will have certain characteristics. The last Dels I hatched came from McMurray parentage. The parents turned aggressive when they were about a year old and all four of the chicks I had were flighty and mean. These I'm raising now are like an entirely different breed.