Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[speckledhen]

Go, Cannonball, go! Whoever thought she'd be a MIL deterrent.

 

[speckledhen]

I like this quote from the article:

Disease resistance
• The old-time breeders used to say to never use a
bird in the breeding pen that had been medicated that
year. While the bird may seem healthy, that the bird
suffered disease is one indicator of low immune function.
Also, in some cases of disease, the symptoms may
have dissipated but the animal may not have completely
recovered.
• Culling all birds that become sick is one way to
positively select for disease resistance in breeding stock
within the region in which the flock is located.


Many poultry breeders have found that after a few generations
of culling all sick birds, illness will no longer be found
in the flock. This practice should not be expected to
work for highly pathogenic diseases.
• Master breeder of Brown Leghorns, James P. Rines,
Jr., said many times, “Your flock will have only what
you tolerate.” This saying can be broadly applied to all
aspects of breeding, including disease resistance.

 

[kathyinmo]

YES, these boys were a return. "A guy in a red pick-up brought them back, because he only wanted hens." I have no idea who it is! Note .... he bought a dozen and only got these two boys! What the heck am I suppose to do with them? For cryin' outloud ....

They have not been out on the property, just in the garage.

Scott .... Do your BRs have yellow legs yet? Mine still do NOT ! !

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Kathy....

My BEST looking BRs still have very light colored legs. I asked Tim (Tadkerson) about genetics and leg color and he told me that chickens cannot "produce" the chemical necessary for "yellow". He suggested feeding them a diet with a LOT of corn, so I'm headed to get a sack of cracked corn today.

I'm hoping it will help.

Now, to the contrary, the birds I got from Tom Wheeler (where Ducktang/Jamies) birds originated, those cockerels have yellow legs for the most part....some have that dusky wash down the front. I think my plan is going to be to keep ONE of the best looking cockerels who doesnt have yellow legs and one from the other bunch that does have yellow legs. Set up breeding pens and see what outcome I get. The coloration on the non-yellow legged bird is absolutely incredible and I would love to have a "yard full" of those....we'll have to see what the gene pool produces.

For the rest of you Dellie lovers.....sorry, we digressed!!

 

[kathyinmo]

I absolutely love the markings on these birds, and have been waiting and waiting for the yellow legs to appear. However, the one little BANTAM

BR has beautiful yellow legs!

 

[Gerbil]

Hello again! I am happy! 6 out of 7 have yellow legs and 3 out of the 6 have nice yellow legs! Pretzel the slightly smaller roo, has both nice yellow legs and a 5 pointed comb! Fenwick, the bigger roo has nice yellow legs but 7 points.

Pretzel has big feet, Is that a problem?

Thanks

 

[joletabey]

Hugs all around and a treat for the mighty Cannonball!

MIL can't complain about her son's favorite chicken!

Yay! A blue Suede and Smoky baby!!!! And what is really nice is that whether it's pullet or a roo, it's a win/win situation. I get another pretty blue girl or Cetawin get's a blue son of Suede!!!

Duck broodies? Oh, dear, oh dear. I hope this broody thing slows down- I would offer to come take duckie babies, but that would involve building another coop and I AM DONE with being a carpenter in this lifetime. Yes, Amy, it is that bad- envision me holding an 8 foot board in place, getting the screw out of my mouth and keeping enough pressure on both board and drill while trying to use my head to help balance the board, and still somehow have arms long enough to use the drill. It's rather hilarious. Cetawin was smart. She bought hers.
Thank heaven it is now raining and I have an excuse to come inside and make blueberry pancakes for the tribe.

Rats, Kathy, you are going to have to quarantine those two, aren't you?

Culling for disease resistance is probably a good thing. I guess I prefer the term selective breeding, though. I don't think I would put a hen down just because she recovered from an illness. She could go in the layer pen or something.

 

[kathyinmo]

Beth,
Yes I can envision your carpentry work. I did the same thing! My proudest accomplishment was nailing in a 14 foot board over my head, all by myself!

I wedged it in place with other lumber first. You go girl ... you can do it!

Yes, the 2 boys are in quarentine, but I am not keeping them here. I don't know what I will do with them. Actually, come to think of it, there is a guy who emailed me that is looking for a Delaware rooster. He lives near Kansas City. Maybe I will just contact him!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

I admire and respect Tim, but honestly, they are supposed to have yellow legs, period! Corn will only make them very brassy. Hawkeye was fed a diet of only corn before I got him and this is what he looked like that day:

Within a month of a proper diet, he looked like this-see? he's still in the quarantine cage.

Yellow legs is a breed thing, not a diet thing. The Standard calls for yellow legs, no matter what they eat. Corn may make them yellower, but why would you feed them tons of corn anyway?

****Dels have BR in their ancestry, so we aren't off track, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, take a look at Panda's baby Orp! https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4550934#p4550934