Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[NestingHillsSC]

weight request- Has anyone ever taken the weights of their Del's at 8 and 16 weeks, cocks and pullets?

Mine are 17 weeks. I can only say that when dressed one of the cockerels weighted 3 3/4lbs.

 

[finnfur]

weight request- Has anyone ever taken the weights of their Del's at 8 and 16 weeks, cocks and pullets?

I have about 5 weeks and 18 weeks on my Red tag line - and 5 weeks on my Blue tag [ Kathy line] - I am late on the 18 week and will be a 19 week weigh this week.
That may be too far off for your needs ?

 

[catdaddyfro]

HAHAHA. You did. LOL

And I thank you.

Out of the 7 I have left, have around 2 that are pretty light. Won't use them for breeding this year but the ones that have nice hackle coloring. Very hard to find pics of what a really good Delaware hen is suppose to look that. Find a lot of picture on roosters.

Thought about getting a good breeder GNH cockerel and a few good breeder Barred-Rock hens and seeing what I can get out of them in form of Delawares. I know that's what Kathy does.

The combo of NH x BRs equal BSLs.

For the start of a Delaware project (which I will remind you is two or more generations of breeding away from getting a Del patterned bird) is a BR male x NH hens= all barred progeny. Then you bred those F1 x F1= a multitude of colors and patterns you may get a few Del pattern males (depends on #s hatched) and the slimmest chance(1 in 200?) of getting a silver columbian female(which still may not even be breeder quality) that you would cross one of the F2 Del patterned males over it then on to F3s and they may or may not even still be of good Delaware patterns birds yet. It's a long row to hoe(this takes three breeding seasons to this point) so I'd just get on a waiting list of those who already have F3 and get some F4 from them. IMO

Not in anyway trying to discourage you but a shortcut to save a few years and much much feed LOL

 

[NestingHillsSC]

The combo of NH x BRs equal BSLs.

For the start of a Delaware project (which I will remind you is two or more generations of breeding away from getting a Del patterned bird) is a BR male x NH hens= all barred progeny. Then you bred those F1 x F1= a multitude of colors and patterns you may get a few Del pattern males (depends on #s hatched) and the slimmest chance(1 in 200?) of getting a silver columbian female(which still may not even be breeder quality) that you would cross one of the F2 Del patterned males over it then on to F3s and they may or may not even still be of good Delaware patterns birds yet. It's a long row to hoe(this takes three breeding seasons to this point) so I'd just get on a waiting list of those who already have F3 and get some F4 from them. IMO

Not in anyway trying to discourage you but a shortcut to save a few years and much much feed LOL

HAHAHA. Very true. Was just a thought. LOL. I have enough on my plate with these Delawares and my HRIR I got from Ron this year. Still would LOVE to get some of KathyMO Delawares. Not to cross them with the ones I have from Paul, but just to have another line to see the difference in them.

 

[naillikwj82]

Thanks for the weight info, but yes any defined age with weight would be appreciated. The results could be plotted. Thanks again.

 

[speckledhen]

Just a comment on weight: you can have good weight, yet still have bad type. JMHO. I've seen some Delawares in recent months that are actually over the weight standards for the Delaware. Over is just as bad as under, unless you are not technically breeding to the standard, but simply trying to develop a meat bird. Bigger is not always better, though I see the trend to the giant versions of some birds; seemed to me that some at shows are actually larger than the standard calls for (never saw a Delaware at any show I went to, though I've only been to a few, not my thing, really)

 

[capayvalleychick]

weight request- Has anyone ever taken the weights of their Del's at 8 and 16 weeks, cocks and pullets?

Not for those ages, but here is what I have on record ...
@ 10 weeks: cockerels ranged from 1 lb. 9 oz. to 2 lbs. 8 oz. Pullets ranged from 1 lb. 5 oz. to 1 lb. 13 oz.
@ 13 weeks that largest cockerel weighed 3 lbs. 14 oz. No other birds weighed at this time.
@ 17 weeks he weighed 5 lbs. 4 oz. Other cockerels now look heavier than him but I haven't weighed them yet. Another cockerel weighs 4 lbs. 5 oz. One pullet weighs 3 lbs. 10 oz.

It's been an extremely hot summer, if that might have made a difference in feed consumption or growth. These are Kathy's line.

 

[naillikwj82]

Thanks for the weight info. My project is for meat birds, a Dark Cornish cock (11 pounds) over Del Hen for a sexlinked F1 of which the cockerals are caponed. The Del's seem to develop a bit quicker. Currently our hen is a hatchery bird (4-5 pounds), small,and small in means small out. So we are working towards larger Deleware hens for the P1.

 

[TommyDaDelaware]

Well, after Tommy lashed into my face and left me a good scratch (Got sent to freezer camp) Here's new head roo. .Jose! (though I believe he may be a bantam, becasue at 5+ months he only weighs about 3 #)

and he's running currently with our red sex links. when we get our new baby ducks hatched, the mamma duck will move into where the delawares were housed, and the delaware (bantams) will move into the other half of the chicken house. I took the pullets to fair and they were accidentally in the STANDARD Class... so I got 3rd place with them, because "if a delaware is a meat bird, they should be bigger." Next year does anyone know what class I should be in with them? Is it Any Other Single Combed Clean Legged Bantam? because we don't have a class for Bantam american breeds..

 

[Rebeccaraye]

My six Delaware chicks arrived yesterday! Look like marshmallows!

Husband broke his own rule ... said they were too small for the shed, so they are in the house in the laundry room ;-)

Terribly cute. Ordered from a hatchery, came hungry and thirsty, but so far so good.