Here are my Delaware chicks from week 1 to week 9 ( updated weekly )

[EweSheep]

Like fine wine, gotta age them!

Same for my Wellies, gotta age them before picking the best for breeding and showing.

 

[TNpoultrybreeder]

Quote:
In my limited experience a lot of the color on the backs goes away with age.

Hi TimG
I like the pictures you have of your Delaware chicks on the Delaware Yahoo.com site they are very nice looking Delawares. Your Delaware chicks are a few weeks older than mine. I look at them and it gives me an idea of what mine will look like.

TNpoultrybreeder

 

[TNpoultrybreeder]

Quote:
Hi walkswithdogs
You are right and I am thinking of using leg bands to keep track of which one is which. I have some males with more markings than others which ones did better for you the ones with more or less markings? I have 10 males and hope to be able to keep 3 and cull out at 7 by the time they are one year old.

TNpoultrybreeder

 

[TNpoultrybreeder]

Quote:
Hi JoAnn
I would love to see pictures of your Delaware chicks. Yes you are right they love to eat clover. I had to add on to there outside run.

TNpoultrybreeder

 

[walkswithdog]

The ones with the fewest markings/smut turned out poorest over all out of 12, I culled hard early against leg color, keeping only yellow legged males. And culled harder still for size. Kept one pale legged male to watch him grow he's huge but a cull.

While for show type situations you could wait and see how one grows out over a year. For a specifically dual purpose flock I want to see as much growth early as I can get. Some of my smaller rocks did grow into the larger birds but that doesn't work at all if you're looking for meat while it's still sort of tender...

So I pushed hard against those with slow or low weight or narrow breasts because that's what is important at this point. What that stupid comb looks like I'll fix later. Though many breeders said avoid sprigs like the plague so I have done. I know from work here that size is actually elusive so I start there, and that tail color is tough to get once you don't have it, so there.

The rest I can work with over time while they're still utilitarian for food and breeding.

 

[Sissy]

Tn.breeder.
great looking flock.

 

[TNpoultrybreeder]

Quote:
Hi Sissy
Thank you and watch the weather , it looks like it may be a bad night for TN.

TNpoultrybreeder

 

[TNpoultrybreeder]

Quote:
I have culled three so far and they were runts , all smaller than the rest. I agree with you that size is the most important point. I think your Delaware chicks tail feathers will change for the better in the next molt. The black in some areas in the Delaware breed seem to lighten after there first molt.

TNpoultrybreeder

 

[TimG]

Quote:
In my limited experience a lot of the color on the backs goes away with age.

Hi TimG
I like the pictures you have of your Delaware chicks on the Delaware Yahoo.com site they are very nice looking Delawares. Your Delaware chicks are a few weeks older than mine. I look at them and it gives me an idea of what mine will look like.

Thanks, but I think they are rather skinny, not shaped quite right. I also have pictures of them on one of my BYC pages.

 

[TNpoultrybreeder]

Quote:
Hi TimG
I like the pictures you have of your Delaware chicks on the Delaware Yahoo.com site they are very nice looking Delawares. Your Delaware chicks are a few weeks older than mine. I look at them and it gives me an idea of what mine will look like.

Thanks, but I think they are rather skinny, not shaped quite right. I also have pictures of them on one of my BYC pages.

Hi TimG
Your Delaware males has better leg coloring than mine ( very yellow ). I hope that my chicks leg coloring keeps getting more yellow. In the last few week thay seem to be more yellow. The Delaware hen on bottom look very nice to me ( large body ).

TNpoultrybreeder