How are Delawares?

[litl red hen]

I have one Delaware. Received her as a day old May 2009 along with 10 other babies. I had 4 other grown birds. Irronically, the Delaware appears to be the dominant bird now. Every time I enter the coop, even soon after they have turned in, she always hops down to come and see what I am doing. I do not think she is a mean bird, but she definently rules the roost out there. She appears friendly--always comes near me to see what I am doing. They do have large eggs and she seems to be a regular layer.

 

[speckledhen]

I had four that hatched from hatchery stock owned by a friend. Nasty critters, aggressive, flighty, etc. Sold them all, then was talked into doing a fertillty test for a breeder who promised me that hers would not be like the others and they are awesome.

One word of warning about Delawares. They need activity and don't do confinement very well. My hens start pecking on my rooster's comb and wattles and yesterday, they almost pulled it off his head. They've been confined for two weeks due to heavy snowfall. They are best as free-rangers, at least every couple days, they need to get out and roam, IMO. They are very intelligent and the chicks are just different from the get-go. They're fearless!

They are fabulous layers of extra large to jumbo eggs. One of mine lays a very dark peachy-pink tan egg. My rooster is awesome. He is calm and easygoing and very good at protecting the ladies.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I got two Delaware chicks from Cindiloohoo over in rural West Tennessee, not far from the Mississippi border.


They are great birds. Big birds, mind you -- the biggest hens in my henhouse. I had an easy time merging the two into the larger group of older hens when they hit 16 weeks old. Usually it is difficult to merge just two pullets into a larger, more established adult group. But in the case of these two Delawares, they were ready to merge in the moment I let them. And maybe because they were so large, or maybe it was just their personality, but the older adults accepted them readily too. I just wish all of my pullet mergers went off as well at that merger did.


I am not as happy with their eggs as some of my other hens, but that is probably because I was able to get some really GREAT egg laying hens through a high end dairy and egg farmer who services the most affluent of suburban Memphis customers. Her customers have money and are quite demanding, and she keeps them happy by getting the absolute best egg layers and then feeding them exceptionally well. At any rate, through her, I was able to get laying hens of exceptional quality -- and as great as these two Delawares are, their eggs just do not stack up to the exceptional quality of the production reds and blue wheaten Ameraucanas that I got from this organic dairy/poultry farmer.


Still, the Delaware's eggs ARE high quality...