Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[EggieRowe]

Here's a vid of my Paul Harters Dellies. Now 2 1/2 months old. They are starting to crow. 

I keep waiting to hear something out of mine. I'm using your flock as a guide since they're so close in age. I still think I only have one roo, so maybe the lack of 'competition' delays the need to crow. I do have another, full grown roo about 30 ft away in the adult pen everyone can hear, but not see.

My hens are close to 5lbs.  Roosters closer to 8, 8.5lbs.  However eggs vary from large to jumbo.  Every once in a while I'll get a jumbo jumbo double yoker.  Once even got a double egg.  Strangest thing I've ever seen.  It was a fully developed large egg inside of a fully developed jumbo egg.  When I say "developed" I'm referring to the shell, not the embryo..  When I cracked it, expecting to see a double yoker I was shocked when I found the second egg inside.  The wife took pics.  Egg colors range from off white to light tan,  Never anything really dark. 

. I've always wanted to get one of those! Egg anomalies fascinate me.

 

[specsussex]

I am still learning how to post here from my phone, so here goes... I have 2 Delaware pullets that are 8 weeks now and still won't roost or even try to jump up on the roosting poles like my other pullets. I have 10 others, Buffs, Spec. Sussex, and EEs. All of them jump up on perches, and fly. Do Delawares develope slower?

 

[NestingHillsSC]

They actually develop very fast. I have 25 in the grow pen. They will use the roosting pole during the day to nap but still want to huddle up at night. Go figure. They will use them sooner or later.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Hey EggieRowe. Here are my young cockerels crowing yesterday morning. You can also hear in the back ground my GLW that are the same age crowing. First time I heard them crow.

Sorry no video. Was to dark for my phone that far away. This is just for the sound. I think they sound so funny when they first start to crow!

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Also EggieRowe, if you need more cockerels, in the next month or 2 I will be culling down to 3. I have a lot. LOL Will sell or start eating the extras. I'm getting read of all my RRIR today. I need that area. I'm going to open the growing area up so they have a lot of room to roam. Or I may just move over the pullets and let them use the hen house in the big area. So when they start to lay before I get them in the BIG hen area they will have nesting boxes to use.

 

[Jake Levi]

I am needing to reduce my numbers, and breeds so for Delaware enthusists in MI mine are available. I am sad to have to do this but it has to be.

I have a beautiful trio of adults, and getting nothing but jumbo eggs from them. I also have some ot their chicks to go with them, in a brooder now.

Anyone interested PM me. No charge, I just want someone here to have them.

 

[EggieRowe]

Also EggieRowe, if you need more cockerels, in the next month or 2 I will be culling down to 3. I have a lot. LOL Will sell or start eating the extras. I'm getting read of all my RRIR today. I need that area. I'm going to open the growing area up so they have a lot of room to roam. Or I may just move over the pullets and let them use the hen house in the big area. So when they start to lay before I get them in the BIG hen area they will have nesting boxes to use.

I probably will need another cockerel. Of the two I suspect, only one has the size and frame I really want. The other is the chick with the ridiculously yellow-orange legs, but it's still the runt so it will be culled as soon as it reaches eating size. Actually, maybe two cockerels. One to be alpha or backup roo, and one to raise for tasting purposes. I don't see our runt ever filling out properly to give me an accurate carcass size & weight.

I am needing to reduce my numbers, and breeds so for Delaware enthusists in MI mine are available. I am sad to have to do this but it has to be.

I have a beautiful trio of adults, and getting nothing but jumbo eggs from them. I also have some ot their chicks to go with them, in a brooder now.

Anyone interested PM me. No charge, I just want someone here to have them.

That's a fantastic way to increase their numbers. A slow invasion of Delawares in MI, one household at a time. .

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Yea I just got read of my 2 EE's and 5 of my PRIR yesterday. Felt sort of sad I have to admit. Raised them from day old chicks. But I needed to to it. I did keep one hen, "Pretty Girl". She was the only one that would come up to me and let me rub her chest. She always talks to me when I do it. So I just couldn't get read of her. LOL. I have to be careful about that with the Delawares. Most are sooo friendly. But out of 25 chicks I have 16 cockerels. So 13 have to go sooner or later. Getting numbered bands in the mail today so I will band the 3 I THINK may be the ones I want. Then I will let it play out and see if they do actually turn out the way I need them.

I'm going to be looking for big brick shaped bodies, nice raised tails and good barring on there tails. All 9 hens except for 2 are showing good signs to there coloring. I have 1 that is washed out a lot. Not much black except for her tail. But will keep her probably just for egg laying until I hatch some out next year.

 

[EggieRowe]

That Delaware personality is going to get me in trouble, I think. When I sit outside their brooder, two will climb on my lap for scratching and petting. And of course it's the ones that rank high on the cull list - one hen with more of a columbian pattern and the runt roo.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Know exactly what you mean. I have 9 hens. I will only probably breed 3 or 4. But will keep the others for layers. At the time being.