Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[speckledhen]

I can't even reach her in the back, but I think she's beyond seeing anything. Her breathing is slowing down and she is laying a bit tilted to the side. I hope she just passes on quietly like Violet did so Lexie is not freaked out by her flapping around as they often do.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm so sorry Cyn. May she go peacefully.

 

[speckledhen]

DH has gone into town to get feed and shavings so when he gets back, I may have him pull Ivy out of there and bring her in the house, if it seems it won't upset her to be moved. Could be she just wants to be left alone. She wouldn't eat eggs or grapes this morning.

 

[pinkchick]

Speckledhen~

 

[rancher hicks]

I am sorry for your trouble.

Rancher

 

[joletabey]

My little Delaware chick, Emma (

) is going to be trouble with a capital T. She flies everywhere. I bent over to pic up the waterer in their run, and she flew onto my back. I could not get her down. She thought she was the smartest little chick around. Later on, she was resting across the pen from everyone else, and suddenly leaped into the air and flew across the pen to be with her mom. I am glad I have netting over the whole thing- I may need to change her name to Amelia!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

So two of my older pullets look especially nice to me. The black tail feathers they have are edged in white, though there aren't MANY black feathers. They are getting large, both tall and broad, and seem to have pretty good type from what I can tell. They do not have yellow legs, however.

Do you think their offspring could have the yellow legs if bred to one of the young cockerels that are especially strong in that area, or should I focus on only keeping these girls for layers and not try to hatch anything until I get some more heritage pullets?

Could their be any possible benefits of having a bit of hatchery stock blood in there? I mean...it is a threatened breed so the bigger the gene pool the better, right? Do hatchery birds lay better than breeder birds since the focus has been on production over looks?

Even if the offspring of breeder/hatchery birds do have pale-ish legs, breeding back to good breeder stock with the correct yellow should go a long way to reverse that, right?

 

[speckledhen]

Leg color isn't the thing I'd concentrate on first. Body type is paramount, then you go to plumage color, comb, and leg color after that. If you do breed pale legged birds to those with better color, you can improve the leg color, yes.

I have only heritage Dels and you couldn't ask for better layers.

 

[Cetawin]

I know Hedwig is only Half delaware BUT s/he is son/daughter or Isaac so....at a week old look at these markings hehehehe (excuse the food globs on her back...the orps are piglets and sling food everywhere)

This is how she sleeps...silly thing (the orp is alive, it sleeps that way

)

 

[kathyinmo]

Awwww, Hedwig is gonna be a beautiful girl ! I can hardly wait to see how she feathers out.