Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
He could be a cross of Delaware Roo over New Hampshire hens and the chicks would look like Delawares with red leakage which could explain how the chicks came out like that..that is a common cross for excellent layers and fryers

 

[countrychickengirl]

Hi all!! Not a happy day for us today and we are really hoping for some advice on this subject.....We received a letter today from the city saying that we are not allowed to keep any livestock and must remove our chickens by Sept. 16. Has anyone ever dealt with this?? Are we completely screwed in this or do we have some kind of action plan available??? Any advice would be much appreciated.....Thanks!!!

 

[joletabey]

Find out when this rule went into effect, and why you wouldn't be grandfathered in - also there is a whole section for this ordinance stuff, you might want to try asking there.
Good luck, I think it is AWFUL if they went and changed things.

 

[kathyinmo]

I have no idea what one could do.

 

[Jonny Anvil]

Sorry to hear about your sudden issue there countrychickengirl, I hope there i something that works to your favor.

That is what I thought, Sgt. Pepper came from a local lady who takes great care of her birds, I bought him for his looks from a gentleman who got him in a order. Sold him to be as unsexed.
I know the original home has columbian rocks, barred rocks and i do believe some RiR and NHR's.

But now I am worried that it might be something in the Food? as I noticed last time I was out that the Light Sussex are also getting some rusty brown in there feathering. They all share the same coop/ separate sides.
Everyone gets fresh water. Sgt. Pepper and his Red Sussex Cross are on layer and they get lots of scratch of wheat corn barley, and of course a peach here and there.???

I wonder...

Here is a Pic of Sgt. Pepper with his ladies enjoying some corn.

 

[speckledhen]

In Georgia, at state level, poultry and livestock are listed as two separate things. Check into that. And ask to see the actual written ordinance. Take NO one's word, no matter who they are in gov't.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Quote:
Our white-base chickens all have yellow/light rusty coloration in the supposed-to-be-white neck feathers. You can even see it in the white spots on the Speckeled Sussex neck feathers.

I am told this is from too much sun and too much corn.

But my birds are so much happier outside and eating some scratch corn and old sweet corn, I think I will live with the somewhat shabby coloring.

I hope your color difference is only due to that, but I am no expert.

 

[mama24]

I'm new here! I got my 3 hens and rooster on Saturday at a farm market about 20 mi away (we live in a city, it was out in the country in a smaller town.) The guy we bought them from had several breeds and just insisted that I had to take the Delawares, even though they cost $10 more for the set than the other large chickens he had went for.

(I paid $45 for the 3 hens and 1 rooster, all around 8 mos old.) I thought he might have just been trying to make more money, but he kept insisting that they'd be better around the kids. I had never heard of Delawares, though I had seen all of the other breeds he had before at my friend's who had tons and tons of chickens (when we lived in IN. We are in NC now.) My dh and I had to walk away and talk about the pros and cons of taking them vs taking 3 buff orpington hens (they were also gorgeous) plus 1 mixed buff orp hen, looked like she may have been a rir cross, for $35. We decided to take the Delawares b/c they're beautiful, and we decided to take his word on it that they would be a better match for us. Once I got home and got online, I see he wasn't pulling my leg, they really are better around the kids.

I'm really glad we got them. They're so pretty and sweet. I don't think they've been handled much, they are pretty skittish, but they aren't mean for sure. The rooster tried to bite me when I clipped his wing, but that was it. My sister had chickens for a while, but has serious back problems and had to get rid of them. So she's been giving me lots of great advice. She had buff orpingtons and told me not to let my 2yo daughter near the chickens b/c they might attack her, especially the roster. I caught him today and let my 2yo pet him, I really don't think it's going to be a problem.

He didn't exactly want to be caught, but he was calm once I had him.

Any advice on getting them to be more friendly or is this about as good as it gets? Maybe in the spring we'll get some chicks and they'll be friendlier from getting handled more as babies.

My almost 5 year old son named the rooster Mr Smartypants, and the largest hen Cluckity Cluck. The other 2 don't have names yet, but that's ok b/c they are almost the same size and we can't tell them apart yet. lol. The other names might get changed as well anyway.

Our largest hen (Cluckety Cluck) seems to have a cold. She had a watery eye yesterday--I thought maybe she just got something in it. It was crusted shut this morning, so I pried it open and put some antibiotic drops leftover from when my kids had pink eye, and it seems to be doing better. Well, it's open at least, but it is very red. She also seems to be coughing.

I hope it's just a cold and nothing more serious. None of the hens have laid since we got them. They are 8 months old and had laid eggs in the cage they were in when we bought them, and the guy said they'd been laying regularly. I am hoping it is just the stress of the new place and my very active children stressing them a little, things they can get used to, and not a sign that they're all coming down with something.

Anyway, here's a pick of our new little flock. They guy we bought him from said they were show quality. I am not good at telling when people are pulling my leg, so I tend to be skeptical, but I don't care either way, we got them for eggs. He wouldn't sell them w/out the rooster. We thought we'd have to eat him, but I found out the ordinance had been changed recently and we are now allowed to keep roosters in city limits here. I'm glad b/c we like him.

If he hurts one of my kids, however, we will be having rooster and dumplings for dinner.

Unless he's provoked, of course, in which case, the kid deserved it. lol Natural consequences are the best teachers!

This is where we have them living. It's a large shed, plenty of space. I won't even feel bad locking them up for a week at a time while we go on vacation (I have a neighbor who feeds our cats, I'm sure she won't mind checking on them as well.) We are planning on letting them have free range in our fenced in yard and just shutting the shed door at night once they go to bed. I'm keeping them shut in for a few days per my sister's advice so they know that's home and where they sleep. You can't see the back, but above the counter, my husband and I made a roost out of a large piece of bamboo we cut down. We had to attach some strips of fiberboard b/c it was too slick and they kept sliding off, but seems to be working well for them now. The shed has 3 large old fashioned windows that you prop open. I can open them wide during the day now, and crack one in the winter. Perfect.

 

[joletabey]

Wendy- feed them treats! They seem by nature to be friendly, calm birds. And just plain fun- mine have liked people since day one. Several of my girls are lap sitters. If the roo nips again, or seems threatening, pick him up and carry him around, pinch his beak shut, if that doesn't work, hold him upside down - he'll get the idea.

 

[har]

Wendy I think that is a wonderful thing yoy are doing for your kids. They will remember this experience the rest of there lives. GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!