Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Germaine_11.20]

Kathy Uuugggh I am sorry! I hope you catch every last one of them and it is great that your neighbor will take care of them and that they don't just go to waste. But either way, I would still dispatch that critter!

Beth Awwwwww they are precious! I hope Emma is an Emma too

and good luck to everyone on their hatches. Can't wait for pics!

 

[Serrin]

Quote:
Woman, so help me Hannibal! If I hear you make one more disparaging remark about your handiwork, I'm going to come down there and pop you on the noggin!! You did a perfectly fine job!

It doesn't look crooked from here, and all that really matters is that your birds will remain safe and dry inside of it at night. I love how you placed it in your yard too. Nice and shady for those brutal summer afternoons! Fine work indeed!

So, give yourself a big old pat on the back for ingenuity, determination and persistence! You've already achieved something I'd very much give my eyeteeth to accomplish right now!

Not to mention that your chickens look like they approve too!

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
You have to be kidding me. I've never seen more than 7 points on any of my culls. That is just bizarre. Would you please send me a photo of that 13 pointer? I have to see this. Only one of my girls has six points that I'm aware of. Many of the kids have perfect 5 pointers. Are you sure you're not counting the back blade or the front hump?

Green sheen is not a problem. The black in the tail feathers does have green sheen. What you don't want are solid black tail feathers--even if they are dark, I think you'll see barring in those feathers.

If you did get multiple extra points like that on more than one bird, especially, I would doubt those came from Isaac, truthfully. Were you incubating other Del eggs at the time? I suppose it's possible for all the bad genes to come out in one batch, but none of Isaac's progeny have ever had that many points on a comb.

Well now I'm kicking myself for selling them BEFORE taking pictures. I knew they weren't 5 points and that was that. I only take photos of my stock when it comes to things like that. I can (and will) take a photo of the one roo and one hen left. I may be able to get photos of two of the other hens... sold them to friend. The roosters are gone with the wind, though.

This rooster I kept had the LEAST amount of points. I'll be back with a picture later.

Now, the one barred rock rooster I kept has a nice comb. I'm not breeding BRs so I don't need it to be perfect, but it is visually appealing. I like that boy. The BRs have grown on me... now, I still love Delawares more, but I always swore to never own a common breed like BR... and here I am loving them.



Jeremy,
You would love these bantams. Trust me. They are cute and spunky. They have that Delaware personality. The tiny little hens even like to be petted.

Yes, bantams are less ideal for production... however, you can still eat a bantam. matter of fact, my father prefers it... says "them big birds are too much chicken to eat" lol. He likes to have his own tiny chicken. lol.

Anywho. I'll get up off my ba-tootie and go get those pics. (fingers crossed for a calm rooster who will let me take a photo without 200 shots of blur)

 

[joletabey]

Amy, thank you- I guess I shouldn't be such a grumbler- it is still standing and the four Orp girls are already choosing to roost in it- it just all "thought" easier than it actually "built", if you know what I mean. No matter what part of it I turned my hand to, it took longer than I thought or something didn't work, so I guess that is why I am pouting at it. I need to cheer up- it's almost done!!! And I posted on your thread about your lovely hen, but I will add here, I am SO sorry you lost her.

Scott, where are pictures?

Germaine, thank you- just keep your fingers crossed for little Emma!

 

[jeremy]

Stacy, don't tempt me... I've only got plans for 3 breeding pens in place for next spring. Dels, BW Ameraucana and BBS Orpingtons (UK lines!!!) I really don't have room for those adorable little buggers.

Maybe just a couple eggs for the layer flock though... they're small so they don't really count towards chicken math, right? ...no, I can't!

Beth, I think that coop looks great! I built mine with very minimal amounts of help 2 years ago and I'll be the first to tell you, yes it leans a little to the left AND the windows don't close properly BUT I finished it and it holds the girls just fine.

I'm actually in the process of designing a new coop, since I'm moving. We won't be taking the old coop with us to our new property so it looks like I'll be breaking out the hammer and saw all over again.

If I start now I might be done by next spring!

Kathy, I've yet to catch a raccoon in one of my live traps, only nasty opossums. We see them crossing the road at night time though whenever we're driving. ACK! They freak me out too.

ETA: Finally got some pictures of my Braden Dels, they were a 2 months old on July 21st. Enjoy!

I told them, "Stay out of the strawberries!". But do they listen? No. They never listen!

 

[tnchickenut]

SHHHHHHHH-nykies. Battery on camera is dead. I did drum up some chick/teenager pictures that I forgot all about having on the computer. I'll be back with a edit to this post after getting them on photobucket.

EDIT:

This is when they were younger, of course. I'll have to charge my camera's batteries overnight to get "up to date" shots.

I'm counting the "nubbies" - the small little bumps up front. Don't know if you can see them in the pic well or not. Like I said, didn't take the picture FOR the comb, so it isn't the best. You can see the good wing carriage and fat legs tho!!! Doesn't look like this one was the one with "sprigs" but I did have one of them and also had a dwarf. The dwarf died... sad.

Side note: I have another dwarf from Dolce Farm's stock... again a pullet. Should I expect her to die to? Obviously, I'm not going to try to breed her, but I don't mind letting her live with white egg laying bantams (so I know the Del egg when I go to collect)

Anyways...

 

[kathyinmo]

Jeremy,
You take the best pictures! It is always a treat to see your photography! Lucky you, with all those sweet Delaware girls! Where's Stuart? They all look great!

Miserable here today. 101* with heat index of 111* at 2PM. We are under a heat advisory until 8PM Wednesday. I am so sick of sweating. I have water tubs, dishes, fountains, etc ALL over my place! The chickens are more interested in just laying in the shade of the trees. Mike (DH) went out to buy ice by the blocks when I left for work. Cool watermelon seems to interest them, too.

I have yet another broody!

This time it is an Easter Egger. She is not giving up, and seems content sitting on her wooden eggs.

 

[joletabey]

Stacey, I don't think you count those little bumps in front - they are almost like goosebumps on skin and don't look like points. How old were yours kids when you sold them? Honestly, the most I had in my hatch was an odd 7 pointer on Eleanor that doesn't matter to me because she has great body type and hackles. I have several 5 pointers, one 4 point and I had some six point roos, but nothing more out of line than that. Combs are not smooth things, or at least not on any chickens I have seen, and those bumps in front are more like bumps on human skin. Perhaps when you counted them, they were too young to see what was really going to be a point and what wasn't?

And PLEASE, I don't mean to infer anything, I am just trying to help figure this out. It is so strange.

 

[jeremy]

These were the only shots I could get of Stewart before the darn camera died. Then I ran to the store real quick to buy more and those wouldn't work!

Anyways, here's my boy at around 4 months, they were hatched on April 1st from Cyn's eggs.

Someone did not want his picture taken...

& I couldn't forget about Quasi! She was very interested in the tomatoes that are beginning to ripen... evil thing...

ETA:

Thanks for your kind words about my "photography skills" Kathy, I swear all I'm doing is pointing the camera and pressing the button! Technology these days can make anybody a photographer. I owe all my skills to my Canon.

 

[joletabey]

Jeremy- agh! I forgot totally to say the Braden girls look like they have great tail black- do they have the personality?
Now Stewart's comb is the smoothest thing I have ever seen- almost like a lady's lovely skin- how old is that boy? Four months? It might "age"!LOL! And my dear Quasi is just trying to get her vitamin C or whatever it is tomatoes are famous for providing.

Kathy, you have lots of comb pics from your kids- do you have pics showing those teeny little not points but bumps that I am talking about? I don't have a good pic of Luke, he always wants to peck the camera, but he has them.