Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[joletabey]

Randall Burkey (sp???) sells the hard cover 2001 SOP. It's a bit expensive, though.

 

[speckledhen]

Hoping to get a copy of the new version soon. Sure hope it comes out in paperback or may not be able to.

 

[popcornpuppy]

FYI for all you folks looking for the SOP, I'm waiting on a copy from my local library. Someone else has it checked out right now, and I'm next in line to get it, so check your library for a copy!

Okay, now I have a Delaware question. My 3 week old babies have many different markings. Some have barring, some have mostly white and some are just smutty. At this young of an age, how much can I tell about their adult color? I know smutt will fade, and I remember Cynthia saying start out light and it will only get worse. So, will the mostly white chicks end up being too light?
this is a light chick:

this is a smutty chick:

 

[speckledhen]

Whoa, never saw one with that many markings out of my crew--is that one of mine or the PA Dels? Bizarre!

Really, it's way too early to tell who will be what. You'll have to reassess at around 8 weeks old, at the very least. Their markings change and evolve so much from two or three weeks on.

 

[popcornpuppy]

Quote:
I believe that the chicks in both photos are from PA. Your chicks in my group have more barring that looks like actual barring and not smutt.
I just wanted to know if the light one would darken up at all.

I'm trying to get pics of your chicks, but they move with lightning speed and I have a lot of blurry photos that don't show any detail

 

[popcornpuppy]

Here is a pic of my favorite chick Bruce. (I hope Bruce is a boy!

)

He is from GA and has the "baring" that doesn't show up so well in the photo, comparred to the smutty chick in the previous pic.

Just want to appologize to Delawaregirl. I'm not trying to hyjack your thread. I thought my question was relevent to the topic, and this was the best place to ask since the conversation is all about how Dels should look.

 

[speckledhen]

Too early, really. There won't be much barring on the chicks yet, till they get some real tail feathers. And don't be surprised if some of the girls have a few barred tail feathers, too; those molt out later on, usually. By four to five weeks, the males' combs may start to pinken up and there will be more shoulder markings coming out from the hackles, down the back, between the wings.

Here is Gracie at five weeks old, then three weeks later. She will be lightly marked in her hackles like her mother, but they are still evolving. She's thirteen weeks now and I'll post pics of her later on, as they become closer to what they will be when she's mature.

Delaware cockerel about three or four weeks old:

 

[delawaregirl09]

Quote:
Beautiful baby there! And dont apologize, your questions are very relevant to the topic, sorry if I said otherwise, I didnt mean it. I'm very happy all this discussion is going on. I think if more people read all of what everyone said, we may have more people start breeding Delawares!!

Like kathyinmo and Laney, I too hope to start a flock of Heritage Delawares of my own and try to get them to SOP. Maybe in a year or two I can start!!

And Speckled, Gracie is VERY cute, and so is the little cockerel.

ETS: I found this website with some beautiful Delawares on it, you have to check out the pullet, her tail looks really pretty! But its not what it should be... yet.
http://www.jollyacresfarm.com/chicken.html

 

[speckledhen]

They are nice, but the cockerel's tail barring is very light. They aren't as chunky as I like to see, though all of those are quite young and will fill out more. I'd love to see those same birds at 24 weeks or so and see how much they filled out. Nice leg color and nice hackle barring on the pullet.

Kathy, the light one may get more color, but as I said, it's too early. You can see that Gracie got progressively more hackle color from where she began, though she will be lighter than I like, much like her mother is.

 

[cheapcheaps_girl]

i used to have a delaware but she died the winter ii got her she was the most butiful thing but i also love the rooster hes butiful