Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[AutumnHens]

She's the only one that sings the egg song, despite the fact that she isn't laying yet. She's also the one to peck my toes when I'm out there feeding treats, because she's a bossy thing.

 

[Diannastarr]

12, 28, 16 looks like my Delawares that hatched on 8, 1, 16 have started laying & they are just days short of 4 months old but i do feed sprouted barley daily along with top quality feed so that may have been why they have started laying at just short of 4 months old .?

but what ever, i say more power to them, i do recommend this breed for beginners they are a very sweet & interesting breed, & im waiting to see how the egg production goes & time will tell

UP DATE JAN 1, 2017 Dellies are putting out the eggs ,starting last week and now every day there are new good size pullet eggs in the nest boxes SO FAR SO GOOD..!!!

 

[AutumnHens]

Our pretty lady just started laying the day after the solstice, which put her at 27 weeks. It was a long wait, but totally worth it.

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[Diannastarr]

our dellies are laying larger size eggs just 10 to 12 days after laying their first eggs & now most of their eggs are medium in size

amazing, this is some productive breed i must say & i have raised all the best egg laying breeds & own an egg business, this is a great breed fast growing very tame and great layers, that said i cant understand why this breed is not among the most popular of breeds instead of being on the critically endangered list ..???

 

[caychris]

our dellies are laying larger size eggs just 10 to 12 days after laying their first eggs & now most of their eggs are medium in size

amazing, this is some productive breed i must say & i have raised all the best egg laying breeds & own an egg business, this is a great breed fast growing very tame and great layers, that said i cant understand why this breed is not among the most popular of breeds instead of being on the critically endangered list ..???

One of the dark secrets of Dels is that they are chow hounds, I think this is in part why they get a rep for being egg eaters too. They are not for every situation. They are one of the better on pasture birds in my opinion but white birds are seen as targets for hawks owls and predators in general so... Some other knocks on them is they can be noisy, because of the inquisitive and assertive nature confinement doesnt suit them and need quite a bit of space if you do with lots for them to do. Someone mentioned hers were escape artists and I believe it. Im just responding to why they are not more popular. You can find them pretty easily as hatchery birds but they are nothing physically like their standard. They were created as a meat bird and for heritage breeds they do fairly well at that. Some lines do well at meat with eggs being a nice side effect. Their popularity as a meat chicken in todays world of CornishX is the primary reason they are not as common. Leghorns take top honors in eggs with some version on RIR hybrid making a close second. It seems feed conversion is the big issue with birds these days and Dels are quite simply greedy gits when it comes to the feed bowl. Take into account that there is a growing trend among breeders for designer color eggs and a middle of the road brown color isnt going to excite many. I love my Delawares and am only giving you the "industrial" reasons why they have declined. For back yard , homestead and/or small farm operations they are wonderful birds but there are lots of chicken breeds out there and dels are not superior to other heritage breeds though they would make my top 5 of dual purpose birds. (Pita Pinta, Buff Orps, Delawares, New Hampshires and Barred Rocks )

 

[finnfur]

Chris - I don't think white has a bearing on Hawk kills in Dels . They are fairly good size and here most Hawk prey is dark [Turkey polts etc]. All my Hawk loses have been black broilers. I have lost two Dels to I presume Owls because it was night and the chickens were not supposed to be out anyway. I had one that wouldn't go in and sleep on the coop window sill. The other must have wandered when the egg light was on before I installed the auto door. They seem to be alright on feed thrift if they can range. I am getting ready to calculate some numbers on that soon.

 

[caychris]

Chris - I don't think white has a bearing on Hawk kills in Dels . They are fairly good size and here most Hawk prey is dark [Turkey polts etc]. All my Hawk loses have been black broilers. I have lost two Dels to I presume Owls because it was night and the chickens were not supposed to be out anyway. I had one that wouldn't go in and sleep on the coop window sill. The other must have wandered when the egg light was on before I installed the auto door. They seem to be alright on feed thrift if they can range. I am getting ready to calculate some numbers on that soon.

That may be true but I was speaking more to the perception that might result in less popularity. I agree dels are big for most hawks. All in all I think in general you will lose birds to hawks if they are breeds who lose their instincts. Dels seem to be very observant birds. Roosters in the flock also watch the skies (if they have good instincts) more so than the girls do. I portion feed out every morning for my flocks my del pen is the only one that cleans the bowl before I give the bed time snack. Pita Pinta are my best food to production birds (though they are a smaller breed) but Pitas are even more rare than Dels and I only know of a handful of breeding flocks in the US
I seem to have a pension for rare heritage breed birds. I have been trying to get a breeding trio or so of barred hollands. I love the girl that I do have, fantastic back yard bird. Dels were my first chickens and will always have a special place in my heart.

 

[rottlady]

our dellies are laying larger size eggs just 10 to 12 days after laying their first eggs & now most of their eggs are medium in size

amazing, this is some productive breed i must say & i have raised all the best egg laying breeds & own an egg business, this is a great breed fast growing very tame and great layers, that said i cant understand why this breed is not among the most popular of breeds instead of being on the critically endangered list ..???

Lots of people don't like Dels because they are into everything like cats. Nosiest beasts ever and they are also VERY bitey as youngsters (partially because they explore the world with their beaks). I joke with friends that you don't want to faint in a Del chick pen or there won't be anything left to you

That said hatchery Dels have been crossbred with more commercial layer types so they are not a good comparison as they don't look nor act like a real Delaware

I am down to just one Del hen currently (Chickcharney NOT hatchery) but she lays 5-6 pink (they are really medium brown but she has a very heavy bloom so look pink til washed) medium sized eggs a week

 

[Bobby Basham]

I'm retiring at the end of February and wanted to start off with six Dels but changed my mind to maybe 4 Dels, 4 Black Australorps and either 4 sex-links of some type or Dominiques. A dozen may be a bit much for a single person, but believe I have the space and some co-workers who want some eggs. I want to give back to them for how they helped me during the years.

A coop is basically for egg laying and sleeping, and with our mild Arizona winters, they can hang out in the run throughout the year. I even have a large tarp to cover the screened--in run for shade and heavy rains on those hot Arizona days. No predators or wild birds can get in. This is my run (not completely screened in yet) with a little chicken observation deck where the spool of 1/4" wire is standing. It's basically four 8x8' squares, with the (constantly redesigned) coop to go in the uppermost quadrant in the picture. Other than my partitioned-off observation deck, the space will be entirely open. The wide opening in the center will accommodate a wheel barrow, if need be. Those ground 2x6 boards will disappear when I get the deep litter in there

In addition to the wire skirting around the perimeter, there will be planter boxes around all sides for planting veggies. That should hold off all predators with the exception of a determined bear, which aren't around in this HOA. --BB

 

[Maeschak]

Wow, looks great! And love the 'observatory!'