is this really a Delaware???

[pattgal]

I asked the breeder and he says they are pure breed, but this does not look anything like the pictures I get when I google delaware
I tried to explain to him what he looked like and he shut me down and just said they are pure. I never even got to tell him about the missing toes and the slate legs
also my hens look pretty good ecxept fot they have brown feathers on their backs

 

[AccentOnHakes]

My guess is that he just took some hatchery birds and sold their chicks.

 

[brahmakid11]

yes it is

 

[Lothiriel]

That's my guess too. I got a bunch of Dellies from a hatchery last year and most of the cockerels had the poor markings like your guy does. Only one had reasonably good markings. The two pullets I got had brown leakage in their feathers too.

So yes. That's a real Delaware, but not the greatest quality.

 

[TriciaHowe]

What do you mean by slate legs and missing toes? Dels don't have either of those....

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
Half of them had bluish colored legs, like an easter egger, and a couple had toes that only had half the lentgh and no toe nail to go on it

unfortunately we got hit with cocci in the spring and strangely none of the ones with the slate legs lived

 

[TriciaHowe]

Ahhhh! I gotcha now!

 

[JodyJo]

I have what some call a Delawegger....an EE roo crossed with a Delaware, he is missing a toe nail on one foot...funny

 

[TACEYPERKINS]

Hi- I would have to agree, he may be pure, but is not good quality! Sorry, thats what tends to happen when a breed is rare. You get people trying to breed for money and sell a rare breed, claiming that everything is pure. But it still isn't true to type. Go to the Delaware Poultry club you can hook up with someone who will have some pure stock. And just to let you know some of that smut and barring may go away as he matures. But odds are most of it won't. By the way Delaware are a work in progress, you will not find a perfect Delaware, you are more likely to find bad looking birds, rather then good looking birds. To get around this, go with a reputable breeder. Some one who has been breeding for a while. Before you purchase, ask where they got there stock from, how long have they had them and to see CURRENT pictures. Look at the birds and their habitat. Are they kept clean?
Also, there is a tpic on this forum that you may want to follow. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=249618

Breeds, Genetics, & Showing » Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY (this is the title of the topic)
It is a good one to follow. Always has good pictures on it and has some great people on there too. Good luck, just follow the link I gave you and find out more info on this great breed! ~ Tacey

 

[donrae]

Proves the point that purebred does not equal wellbred. We see it in dogs all the time, indiscriminate breeding that does not match anywhere near the breed standard. Same thing here.