Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[speckledhen]

Kathy certainly deserves credit for her perseverance and dedication to creating a new, better line of Delawares. It was a massive undertaking, with hundreds of cull chicks and very few keepers, several generations till they looked like a Delaware again. Always gave Kathy props for being tenacious, lol!

If the breed is going to make any kind of comeback, that was sorely needed.

Just to clarify, I never said they don't deserve to make a comeback-I just that I don't believe it will be back to the "glory days" of the Delaware that we were all hoping when I was raising up groups of chicks out of Holtman lines (which include Meier and McDaniel as well as other bloodlines) and trying to get others interested in the breed again. Prove me wrong, guys!

 

[crazyhen]

Good Morning Cyn,
I, like you hope they come back too, they are beautiful. They are an active, loveable breed. They lay lg. brown eggs which I cherish. Everyone who see's them wants to know what they are. I have two. Other than the pinched tails they are nice. Gloria Jean

 

[finnfur]

Kathy certainly deserves credit for her perseverance and dedication to creating a new, better line of Delawares. It was a massive undertaking, with hundreds of cull chicks and very few keepers, several generations till they looked like a Delaware again. Always gave Kathy props for being tenacious, lol!

If the breed is going to make any kind of comeback, that was sorely needed.

Just to clarify, I never said they don't deserve to make a comeback-I just that I don't believe it will be back to the "glory days" of the Delaware that we were all hoping when I was raising up groups of chicks out of Holtman lines (which include Meier and McDaniel as well as other bloodlines) and trying to get others interested in the breed again. Prove me wrong, guys!

Well I agree they will never be back to the glory days because the meat industry will never
re-adopt them . However they will become more popular with the backyard and heritage groups .
It will take awhile and it will take breeders like kathyinmo to do it. I am sure there are others out there too.
Well back to page 215 - I am making progress slow but sure.
Tom

 

[wekiva bird]

Well i'm waiting for kathyinmo, Delawares also. She doing a great job.

 

[GhostRider65]

I have to agree with everyone Kathy's birds are some of the best I have seen while looking .for over a uear now..so I will also wait, for some of her culls even.....LOL even they are better than my current 3, I love my Rooster tho he ain't perfect, he is of good size body weight and color except for the bleed through yellowing, which did diminish after molt, but still visible close up. he is the sweetest guy though, good to his girls and a good protector. I will keep him till his time on earth is over. . though if I get a nicer rooster he will be retired with a few older hens that I will never butcher........ my babies, LOL
So chime in here sometime KathyinMO........... I sure would like to know exactly what you did to start with, a PM would be great with idea's since I have decided to undertake the task of re-creating a flock from scratch as well....... no matter if takes me the rest of my life, I have not much else to do anyway, and love a good stewing or roasting bird, could live on chicken, and if culls are to be at least they will not go to waste. we will eat them and so will all my neighbors if need be............... LOL .........Kim, welcome newby, finnfur....... this is a great group with lots of great idea's, you will love them............... later all

 

[finnfur]

Here are my roos at 13 weeks old ...

Roo # 1

Roo # 2

Roo # 3

Roo # 4

Roo # 5

Roo # 6

Well I'm still back reading page 275 from Feb 2010 - but the suspense is killing me - Which one turned out best if any ? I picked #2
Tom

 

[desertmarcy]

True Delaware fans will probably say this is blasphemy, but I use my Delawares just for hatching red sexlinked chicks. I was going to keep a Delaware cockerel, but he turned out to be nasty. I got these birds from hatching eggs that are undoubtedly hatchery stock. I don't think their disposition is as nice as most people on this thread say they should be. Anyway---I have a question, not sure if this is the right place to ask, but--lacking a Delaware rooster to hatch more Delaware chicks to replace my hens as they age, I was wondering---since these Delaware hens are on the small side, and I have the Good Shepard Barred Rocks which are huge--IF I bred a Barred Rock cockerel to the Delaware hen, would the resulting female offspring carry the necessary silver gene to use them for red sexlinks? If so, that would save me having to 1) order new Delawares or 2) keep a Delaware rooster around that I wouldn't need to use very often, not very cost effective to feed.

Perhaps if no one knows the answer to this, they could refer me to someone who would know? Thanks, I enjoy reading all your Delaware posts and especially the photos Kathy posts, even though I'm not breeding pure Delawares right now. I like them, just no room for another breed.

 

[GhostRider65]

I bred my Hansom to my BR hen got beautiful chicks all barred, male and female so not sure but they were huge, and my hens lay very well.... but ya could try the sexlink info thread they know alot about genetics on that thread.. and someone should have an answer for you..Kim

 

[finnfur]

Desertmarcy
Your answer may be here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/661657/can-a-barred-rock-rooster-have-an-unbarred-offspring

 

[Jake Levi]

Re: comeback, I think that they will be sought after by those who want a good solid homestead breed that also looks good. On those pics, whatever happened to #2 Rooster?

There are enough sources now for Delawares that I am sure anyone who wants to breed them can find stock to work with.