Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[speckledhen]

The tail barring may lighten a bit after the first molt, but as long as they are barred, not solid black, they should be great for his daughter's tail black. Show quality Delawares lean very much toward the black in the tail , I've heard from someone quoting a foremost authority on the breed.

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
I thought the cross was to a very large bird? If so, the large-bird traits did not come through because of either recessive genes or multiple genes (in the large bird, not the small one).

If I had bred him to hatchery Partridge Rocks I'd have expected the same result. While they weigh in almost a duplicate of what my PRs have run from good hatcheries they may show better growth later. I don't expect the first addition of good blood to hatchery birds to "fix it", it's never that simple. If this progeny group show decent growth and better comb and color I may again keep two to see what the 2nd generation shows me - because improving isn't linear. The third may well hold much more closely to what I am looking for as others said.

It's not a matter of recessives. It's a matter of not overcoming all the differences in a first generation.

My PRs had been worked on and culled for size and growth for two generations and to him, since his lines have had serious work, I'm getting TANKS from that cross.

The hatchery Dels don't have that kind of culling and choice behind them, they're bred for color and even poor color at that and egg production, and they even lay a paler egg. Which also sucks. So bred to the lesser birds I'm not surprised to see little improvement first generation. The second should show better, if not then they aren't good enough to continue to work with.

Bred to birds with some work behind them I'm seeing very good results and his first four roo boys are beginning to appear to have good combs

and his size/growth rate. I'll take it.

I'll replace him next year with his best son and the best heritage or show roo I hatch out and keep pushing toward the standard.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
Thank you Speckled Hen

 

[speckledhen]

I'd rather see it a bit dark than too light, a very common fault I've observed in many of them. Many of them almost look faded and not very attractive.

 

[McSpin]

Quote:
All traits are expressed according to gene interactions. The genes are either dominant, recessive, co-dominant, environmentally influence (or triggered) or a few other odd interactions. It's easy to eliminate dominant interactions in this case. If the large bird had a dominant gene(s), it would have expressed, unless it was a poly-gene trait. The poly-genes could also be dominant or recessive. If a significant percentage (~25%) express by the F2 generation then it's likely simple recessives. The longer, and more difficult it is to have the large size express, the more likely you're dealing with recessive poly-genes. This is what "not overcoming all the differences in a first generation" is all about.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

The Whitmore Delaware cockerels we butchered had obvious baring, in that the white stripes were really white and the dark stripes were really dark (but I hesitate to say black)

Just FYI for those looking to Whitmore.

 

[McSpin]

Quote:
Yours sound a bit more like what the standard calls for. It states "...black and white barring, black predominating." This means that it should alternate between the two colors with the black bars having more coverage than the white ones. At least that's how I interpret it.

 

[delawaregirl09]

Sounds like a new lively conversation

And rustyswoman, looks like you got a good boy coming on there

I'm ashamed to show my Dels off too much, they are so far from whats right its pathetic, but I love them all the same.

 

[walkswithdog]

You can love atypical birds. One of my loves is a totally off Sizzle. He should have a crest - he has a mohawk, he should have a black walnut comb - he has a wild red single comb. He should have been blue black or splash and he's black birchen with a melanizer that makes him look blue. And he's a smooth instead of a curled bird.

I love him. It's a NEWLY establishing breed - not anywhere near accepted yet. A bunch of breeders are right now setting a standard to work from. They were going for silkie type and standard but with the curly normal feathers. Since it's new, we're talking about my being able to ADD blue/black/splash Birchens to the standard

Gotta love a new breed. I have a long way to go to set color and type but I have the basics here now - all because I love a tremendous, off colored rooster to death. At least bantams don't eat much and brood like the dickens.

Delawares are a recently redeveloped breed and everyone has a lot to work on, plenty of room for one more person who CARES to better the breed. It's what most of us will be shooting for even if it's just in our own flocks.

I have to go out and get Algernon's son's pic. OMG he's got a lot of barring and smut going on. He's huge, so big and growing so fast he looks like a barred cornish cross. Sad thing that, bald patches, down and bristle feathers LOL.

He's going even faster than the mixes I first hatched did.

This ought to be fun to watch.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thanks Delgirl, but it is sheer luck, I didn't do a thing. And honestly who knows what the next generation will breed out. And I can find flaws with each and every one of mine too.
But it is fun! Don't you think? It is to me, I love to just look and ponder who should be bred to who to improve this or that.
The best part is the journey. I think having the best right away doesn't allow us to really appreciate what has been achieved.
So don't be ashamed! Post those pics!