Murry McMurray, Delawares, and meat bird quality

[mhschafer]

We ordered Delawares straight run from Cackle Hatchery last spring. We just had the cockerels processed (at 6 months). I'm pretty sure they'll need long, slow cooking since they're so old--but they reached a nice size. We had intended to process earlier, but life got in the way. The hens are nice and appear to be laying well. I am liking this breed. The roosters were not aggressive. If you want to try somewhere other than hatchery stock for your Delawares, I think I would look at Whitmore Farm. They say on their website they are working on breeding their Delawares for a meaty carcass, capable of being ready at 12 weeks, while still emphasizing good laying and large eggs They are much more expensive than the hatcheries, but for your project it sounds like you would get the potential for a bigger carcass with them than with a hatchery. Also, I've heard Sandhill Preservation is a good source for heritage chickens, and they have Delawares. I only have personal experience with my Cackle Hatchery Delawares. If I could afford Whitmore Farm birds and was going to try to seriously breed, that is where I would try.

 

[ijon]

Check out Eight Acres Farm on the internet. This is a a lady in Florida that has nice Delawares.

 

[HawktreeFarm]

Mc Murray's Delawares seem to be more of laying strain, got 31 and have notreally seen the fast growth (for a heritage breed) that this breed was known for. At 15 weeks mine don't seem to be particularly big and many don't have the greatest meat bird proportions. But keeping the hens and the biggest rooster, and then planning to get a second group of them from Sandhill in the spring, hopefully between two flocks we can get a good meat strain going.

Our Cuckoo Marans seemed to grow as fast if not faster then these Delawares. Another note, the hens are friendly enough but these birds are bitey! I don't deal with them without thick pants, high boots, and gloves they've drawn blood enough times that I'm not sure if I'd call them docile either.

 

[HawktreeFarm]

A picture of a few of the birds.

I will say this; they are motivated foragers. The breed would do good in a pasture based setting I feel.

Like I said we plan on getting a second strain hopefully from Sandhill next spring. I feel that this breed has potential for heritage meat production. And they are much nicer to look at then the Cornish X.

We're going to keep the hens and the biggest rooster out of this bunch; nine birds in total. I might of come off a little harsh on the breed in my last post, but I do like them. It might be a little work to get them back to the qualities that made the Delaware the most common broiler on the east coast pre Cornish X.

 

[HawktreeFarm]

Sorry for the crooked pictures, hard yo do with a half broken phone lol.

 

[LindaB220]

A picture of a few of the birds.

I will say this; they are motivated foragers. The breed would do good in a pasture based setting I feel.

Like I said we plan on getting a second strain hopefully from Sandhill next spring. I feel that this breed has potential for heritage meat production. And they are much nicer to look at then the Cornish X.

We're going to keep the hens and the biggest rooster out of this bunch; nine birds in total. I might of come off a little harsh on the breed in my last post, but I do like them. It might be a little work to get them back to the qualities that made the Delaware the most common broiler on the east coast pre Cornish X.

Hi, I just found this site. First,

Love the Sandhill people. Good folks. They also have a ton of different breeds. They strive for production and size so their Delawares are really good. I plan to order some this year along with the Marraduna Basque Hens. They are great for heat. I'm in Louisiana and it's humid and hot at least 8 months a year.

 

[LindaB220]

Hello

I just joined BYC, and I'm looking forward to hopefully raising a group of Delawares as a meat bird project through 4-H. I will also be promoting the breed at shows and breeding the best of my flock, while the rest will be butchered. I was wondering, are Murray McMurray's Delawares true to the breed? Are they at least of moderate/average quality? I just need a group of average or better birds to start out with. I want to make sure that they won't give me really poorly conformed birds that don't grow well. Also, is another hatchery better than McMurray when it comes to Delawares? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hey, Moondazzle,

Great to have you here. Save some money and get the best available if you plan on showing. Hatchery birds are small and flighty. I ordered 6 Delaware chicks from Meyer. And for some reason 4 of the 6 died the first week. The white plymouth rocks and Golden Comets lived and thrived. But I will order from a breeder next time. I ordered White Rocks from a local buddy of BYC. He had the best birds in the land. Why? Because the breeder he had gotten them from had raised the strain for over 20 years. Always picking the best of each batch to breed. If you go to a hatchery and raise several generations of them, always picking the best, you will spend a fortune and time on feed, supplies and effort. Check the Delaware threads and see who is raising them and in spring maybe you can buy some chicks through them. Look on the Buy, sell page. Good luck.

 

[1zooman12]

Hello Moon Dazzle,
I recently obtained a trio of the most gorgeous Delawares I have ever seen. Large robust teenagers just starting to lay eggs. I got them from a fellow (lady) chicken nut in the Capay Valley of northern California. They are descendants of the greatly improved birds developed by Kathy Mo who I understand is no longer working with them. I plan to breed them in great numbers in the spring if you can wait that long. My idea is to collect as many of the best looking eggs from them and to have them hatched and reared by foster hens; mostly Silkies to be exact. In my 66 years of experience these are among the best of mothers in the chicken world despite their small size. Therefore, the reason for employing a bevy of them, to make up for their small size. You are invited to call me at 209-327-2068 to chat about the project. That offer goes to anybody else who is interested in the revival of the Delaware breed.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman

 

[SpringPeeper]

I have not ordered Delawares from Murray McMurray, but I ordered a few other breeds from them for myself and some family members this year. I have been extremely disappointed in the quality and vigor of the birds, even for hatchery birds. Not only do they fall far short of my breeder birds, they fall far short of my birds from two other hatcheries. As a kid my parents loved M Mc and were failtful customers. After the birds I got this year, I don't think I will ever give them another shot.

 

[Beer can]

Check out Eight Acres Farm on the internet. This is a a lady in Florida that has nice Delawares.

She says her roo is 12lbs!

Im going with Sand Hill for Delawares come springtime, only because I also am getting white Jersey Giants and cant find any anywheres from a breeder.