Deleware owners

[scooter147]

I am thinking about getting some Deleware chicks this year, what can you owners tell me about the breed?

 

[seriousbill]

I've had Delawares for a while now. They are great dual-purpose farm birds, or backyard flock birds. They lay really well and also, depending on strain, can work as free-range broilers. Some hatchery strains can be prone to aggression or feather-picking, but most Delawares are mellow and low-key. Mine are generally gentle and easy to handle. Oh sure, there is an occasional rare individual that isn't, and generalizing too much is tricky, but for the most part, I think Delawares are just about the ideal homestead bird because of laying ability and temperament, with broiler potential as a secondary characteristic (after all, the dual-purpose breeds have limited potential as meat birds when all is said and done).