Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[mandymae1984]

Ok! I will post when its day light!

 

[masked rider]

I have seven delawares that I got from a hatchery straight run....I'm having and issue as to what I have roos or hens? If i post their pics here would there be any chance of someone possibly taking a guess at what I may have? I would like to keep one roo and the hens but I know I can't have two roos in one coop! They are about 5 weeks old.

Hi, I would be very careful about culling at 5 weeks or even 8 weeks. I split my birds up about 4/5 weeks based on a couple of factors (size being the biggest one), but without fail you are always going miss one as a pullet or a cockeral. Without some indication of sex, you are just guessing. Also, you are a long ways from having a problem with just keeping all 7. Until they get to 24, 25, 26 weeks they will just get along fine. Other deal, how can you possiblly tell what the bird is going to look like at 4, 5, 8, or 10 weeks?

I think you hit it on the head, "a guess", and that is all it will be... I would wait until you know for sure what you have and which birds are closer to the SOP. You figure on a hatchery straight run, playing the odds, you should get 3.5 cockerels and 3.5 pullets. With just 7 birds, you don't have much room for error.

 

[mandymae1984]

I do not plan on culling ANY of my birds! I just would like a guess is all....I do have a couple people in our family that will take a roo if it came down to me having to part with any of them. I never have culled a bird b/c of their sex. I have always found a home or either separated them. But thanks for the info! Here are my birds. I have put a small LOOSE band around their feet to tell the difference between them. Also they were a little dirty from my son spilling their water today!

I did two photos on each:

Red Band




Purple band:






Black Band:









Green Band:





Orange Band:





Blue Band:





Yellow Band:

 

[finnfur]

Guessing I would say Red band is Cockerel

 

[austinbndr28]

I do not plan on culling ANY of my birds! I just would like a guess is all....I do have a couple people in our family that will take a roo if it came down to me having to part with any of them. I never have culled a bird b/c of their sex. I have always found a home or either separated them. But thanks for the info! Here are my birds. I have put a small LOOSE band around their feet to tell the difference between them. Also they were a little dirty from my son spilling their water today!

I did two photos on each:

Red Band




Purple band:






Black Band:









Green Band:





Orange Band:





Blue Band:





Yellow Band:

culling does not mean to kill the bird, if you sell or give away birds that don't meet the standards that is also culling.

 

[mandymae1984]

Ok I was just always given the idea that culling was killing it.....either way I won't be doing any type of culling until I have one roo and a few hens at least!

 

[austinbndr28]

Ok I was just always given the idea that culling was killing it.....either way I won't be doing any type of culling until I have one roo and a few hens at least!

I thought the same thing when i started with birds.

 

[jmcdan]

I will take a gamble and say that Red, Black, and Blue are your cockrels.

 

[jmcdan]

I will take a gamble and say that Red, Black, and Blue are your cockrels.

And Black is iffy. Actually... it's all iffy. I once had one of the nicest looking young cockrels. Good size, nice markings, perfect comb. Then it laid an egg...

 

[mandymae1984]

Thanks for the replies! I'm pretty excited about them no one around here has this breed so I really am curious to see all their markings!
We don't show our birds but my kids are getting into 4-H now so they may end up doing one at some point.