Question for those with Delawares

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Their combs will get REAL red before they start to lay... and just so you know... I have a bantam cross that is over a year old and never laid. She is sweet, though. I put a sebright egg in her nest to try to get her interested in laying.... guess what? She has been sitting on it for almost three weeks now.... any day she'll be a mom. lol

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Well...that's the weird thing. She said all she had were BO's, BR's and White Rocks! I think I might have to dig up her number and give her another call (this was last August). I have six altogether and five are laying, even though three of them are younger than her by six weeks! So I've seen the comb develop and turn red right before laying, which is what makes me so aware that this girl has almost NO comb development. Hmmm...you have a non-layer huh? I'm willing to give this girl some time but I sure hope she doesn't end up being a non-layer!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

She could be Rock/BO mix too maybe. I thought for a second by the short tail maybe even some EE mix down the line somewhere. She's a pretty girl whatever she is

 

[tnchickenut]

Well, a Delaware is the result of a "sport" from a barred rock/new hampshire cross. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Also, you can cross a Delaware Hen and a NH or RIR Roo and get sex-linked babies... maybe she had some of that going on. The males from this cross will be Del colored, and the females would be red.

Very odd... but I like it. Do you have a roo from them? Maybe it would breed true or you would hatch some other pattern that could give you some better insight into what you have going on.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Unfortunately, no, not any more. I did end up with 4 roos - 2 BO's and 2 BR X's but as I can't have roos in the city, I couldn't keep them. Here is a pic of one of the BR X's from his last day here:

Edited to correct typo

 

[tnchickenut]

Huh. That is only making naming the cross harder. lol. Definately has something to do with the Barred Rocks.... maybe if you cross a barred rock and a buff orp you get the hens you got. I don't know. lol There is also the chance of having some other genes hidden way back and just decided to show in these. I wonder if you would post a thread asking if anyone ever crossed a male BR with a female Buff Orp, and see how they turned out.

 

[speckledhen]

Whatever cross she is, she's a pretty hen!

 

[McSpin]

Gorgeous rooster, too bad you couldn't keep him.

 

[joletabey]

She is a really pretty hen, hope when she does lay that she does a good job for you!