getting to a delaware

[popcornpuppy]

I have looked up previous posts and not found the answer to my question, so I'm going to go ahead and ask.
We have RIR pulletts and Barred Rock pullets and roos. We want to know if we can breed to get Delawares from what we have.
A Delaware is a New Hampshire red hen crossed with a Barred Rock roo (according to wikipedia).

In the early 20th century, crosses of Barred Plymouth Rock roosters on New Hampshire hens was a common choice for producing broilers. Occasionally, this mating produces sports with light coloration. By breeding these white (genetically silver) sports intentionally, George Ellis of Delaware created the breed in 1940.

Has anyone crossed their own New hampshire or RIR's with the rocks to get a Delaware? How many generations of that cross breeding are needed to get the Delaware?
(I breed Golden Retrievers and have a good understanding of how genetics and traits work, so this shouldn't be over my head if any one has detailed info to offer) Thanks, and I look forward to hearing the responses!

 

[Marlinchaser]

I breed a buckeye and a barred rock, and got a couple chicks that looked like Delawares with Pea Combs, So you could cross yours and see what you get, I doubt they would breed true for 2nd/3rd.... generations, but it never hurts to try.

 

[popcornpuppy]

Marlinchaser, was the buckeye the roo or the hen? Any photos?
Anyone else done this?

 

[Sillystunt]

http://www.breedbook.org/?action=geneticscalculator&tab=CHICKEN

put the infoon colors in and see~

 

[tadkerson]

Crossing- I have made the cross but with Rhode island red

Barred rock male X new hampshire= black barred F1 chicks

Black barred F1 male X new hampshire female= all kinds of chicks- some should be barred, columbian restricted and silver like a delaware.

I had to hatch 62 eggs to get a few birds. The birds will be smutty (black in feathers) and the females will have some red on their backs. Males will have straw color in the pyle zone. You will be able to pick the chicks out very quickly they will have silver wheaten down, the rest of the chicks will be black or have reddish wheaten down.

Pick the birds with the least amount of black and red/straw and cross them. Pick a male that has the cleanest white breast and least amount of smut (black) on his back. Females tend to have less smut but more red/buff on the back. Make sure one of the birds is barred. You will have to hatch eggs until you get a barred delaware like bird.

Continue to select birds for the least amount of red and best barred columbian pattern and cross them until you get what you want.

Use the unbarred female birds to breed with also if they are clean silver. Always make sure one of the birds is barred in the cross.

Should take about 4 or 5 generations of crossing delaware like birds to get clean (no smut and no red) delawares.

Tim

 

[speckledhen]

But, Tim, would they breed true, reliably, from there on out or would you get lots of throwbacks?

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Delawares are rare but available. They do not have to be re-created. I assume you are doing this for a challenging project? Would you then distribute your final product as a Delaware?

 

[speckledhen]

Also, the type will be way off, I'd think. I sort of agree that why do it when you can get some that have bred pure for generations? Certainly, you could do any project, but you'd need lots of pens and lots of time...and loads of chick starter, LOL.

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
Better question at what point do you legitimately distribute the result as a purebred Delaware?

When what you breed consistently meets the breed standard? Including wt, and breadth and ht and color and breeds true, consistently?

How many generations after you get the coloring might that take? People breeding purebred Delawares from long held and worked purebred lines are still working hard on type. And getting a significant number of culls, much less from a line being recreated.

I'd imagine it could take a five years or a decade and more to reproduce the work already done in the breed, to the point they have it at now. In the interim selling culls to the public as purebred dels wouldn't exactly be Kosher.

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:
Wouldn't this cross normally produce barred offspring? How many black F1s might one expect?