Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[finnfur]

Very nice. I sold all 10 of my extra cockerels yesterday. So I have 4 now. I may go down to 3. Just going to let them grow a bit. I culled one for myself and had it last night. At 4 months it dressed out at 3 3/4lbs. It was THE tastiest chicken I have every had. Now I'm sort of sorry I sold the other 10. LOL Can't wait for the hens to start laying. But I read it takes 24-28 weeks for heritage Delleies to start laying. No hurry. Getting 14-16 eggs from my other 16 hens.

My four pullets from the Red Tag line started laying at 20 weeks - all four are laying at 21 weeks - But eggs still small LOL

 

[finnfur]

Wow- that is a handsome bird! Now I'm jealous. Curious - what breed is the bird just behind it?

The buff one is a 2 year old hatchery [TSC ] NewHampshire - the white is a Del pullet from same Red Tag hatch as the cockerel

 

[finnfur]

I lost one of my oldest Delawares a few weeks back, Yvonne. She was pushing 6 and still giving me eggs almost daily.

She looked real good at six - what happened ?

 

[wekiva bird]

She looked real good at six - what happened ?

x2

 

[EggieRowe]

I lost one of my oldest Delawares a few weeks back, Yvonne. She was pushing 6 and still giving me eggs almost daily.

She was gorgeous. So sorry for your loss!

Very nice. I sold all 10 of my extra cockerels yesterday. So I have 4 now. I may go down to 3. Just going to let them grow a bit. I culled one for myself and had it last night. At 4 months it dressed out at 3 3/4lbs. It was THE tastiest chicken I have every had. Now I'm sort of sorry I sold the other 10. LOL Can't wait for the hens to start laying. But I read it takes 24-28 weeks for heritage Delleies to start laying. No hurry. Getting 14-16 eggs from my other 16 hens.

Glad to know they are so tasty! I processed our resident roo last weekend to make room for a new king. At just over a year and not a meat breed, I've never worked so hard for so very little edible product. The sauce was glorious, but the meat - well, I'd have had a better meal out of a bicycle inner tube. And I had brined him for two days and marinated for another two. I wish I had gotten back to you sooner on the cockerels. How did you prepare it?

After looking at everyone's pictures, this might be like asking parents of multiples, "How do you tell them apart?" But how do you know how old and what hatch your birds come from? I haven't seen any leg bands or the like. Do you keep different ages separated into different pens? It's not to hard for me right now since I only have the two cockerels, the runt and crooked butt, and five pullets which vary enough in pattern in size to be fairly distinct. I imagine once you get to a dozen or so it's near impossible to tell them apart unless they're tagged in some manner.

 

[crazyhen]

I lost one of my oldest Delawares a few weeks back, Yvonne. She was pushing 6 and still giving me eggs almost daily.

Jeremy,
Where did you get your pretty girl from? She was a pretty one. I am sorry you lost her. Is there anyone on the east coast that has any of her decendents?? Thanks

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry to hear that, Jeremy. Isaac and my two remaining Delaware hens are going on 5 years old now so I expect to lose one or more of them within the next year or so. My first bunch would have been over 6 years old now.

 

[finnfur]

Sorry to hear that, Jeremy. Isaac and my two remaining Delaware hens are going on 5 years old now so I expect to lose one or more of them within the next year or so. My first bunch would have been over 6 years old now.

Ah! Isaac and Swede - two Legends I read about in the years of posts. Isaacs got a lot of genes out there in the Delaware pool.
Good to hear from you again on the Delaware threads.

 

[finnfur]

After looking at everyone's pictures, this might be like asking parents of multiples, "How do you tell them apart?" But how do you know how old and what hatch your birds come from? I haven't seen any leg bands or the like. Do you keep different ages separated into different pens? It's not to hard for me right now since I only have the two cockerels, the runt and crooked butt, and five pullets which vary enough in pattern in size to be fairly distinct. I imagine once you get to a dozen or so it's near impossible to tell them apart unless they're tagged in some manner.

I use wing tags but its not a distance ID -feathers grow over them so you need to look. When I select for breeding they will have numbered/colored leg bands.
which you can see fro short distance.
Toe punch works well also . If you learn how to do it proper . Unlike me the first time LOl most grew back.

 

[speckledhen]

Ah! Isaac and Swede - two Legends I read about in the years of posts. Isaacs got a lot of genes out there in the Delaware pool.
Good to hear from you again on the Delaware threads.

You're very sweet to say so. Ike's a marvelous old guy. Every molt, he gets another almost white tail feather, like getting gray hair, lol. I have his sons coming along, but their mother is one of my Stukel line Barred Rock hens, not a Delaware.


ETA: I cannot believe it's been almost a year since we lost our handsome Suedenator. Gosh, I miss that rooster! He had the best crow on earth.