Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[speckledhen]

James, just for your information/records, Kira my older Del hen, is not at all related to Isaac or his ladies. She came from different stock, though same breeder.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Hi! I missed alot while I was gone! James that is my plan too. 2 roos and 8 hens eventually. And Laney, we must be thinking alike. I just picked up some mottled Java eggs from Corancher. They are beautiful birds and should add some contrast and fun to the flock.
I love the variety I have, but Dels, Light Sussex and BCM's will be my main projects.
None are show worthy but I am going to work on that. That's the fun I need.

I think I have the 3 big Dels (not laying yet) 6 in the grow out brooder and they are 3 & 3. Then the 12 that hatched from Nupine and any that hatch from Cynthia. I caved and candled most of them are veining! There are 6 maybe's but it is still way early. I just couldn't stop myself.

 

[Laney]

Rusty, if I wasn't going out of town the week they would hatch, those Java eggs would have been mine LOL. Corancher is only shipping for a few more weeks, then he is done for the season because of potential damage to the eggs. He's in Colorado so I can understand that.

If I were say....in Georgia...I'd still ship Delaware Eggs to say...North Carolina though. You know because, they wouldn't freeze in transit would they?

Laney

 

[Germaine_11.20]

HAHAHAHA Speckled Hen....someones calling you.....


Laney do you have any Java yet? I was going to get some speckled sussex but they stopped laying.

I think the mottled look is fun.

 

[Laney]

About 3 weeks ago Spot our Mottled Java Hen died. I went for my afternoon egg collecting and as I entered the pasture she jumped out of the nestbox. There was a perfectly normal egg there, freshly laid. I grabbed it and my daughter called my attention to the fact that Spot was limping. When I picked her up I noticed her back was torn up straight through to her spine. My first thought was hawk.

She was missing feathers on her underside and we brought her in and put her in the cage with Henny Penny who was recovering from a dog attack. She had some vitamins and electrolytes, and a brooder lamp on her. I was heading out in the AM to get some glue and antibiotics for her, but she didn't make it through the night. When he was disposing of her we discovered that she was all torn up under her wings as well. So now we are thinking that perhaps it could have been a young rooster. No other Hen has come up with injuries though.

I miss Spot, she was one of my absolute favorites. I don't name all of my chickens, just the ones that call to me.

Of course all of my Dels have names. Biden (Mr. Joe), Helen, and Emily.

Laney

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Oh, that is so sad. I am sorry for your loss. That must have been a really rough night and week. Spring is coming soon, just around the corner.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
My question is ... why would you want to add another line? Is this advantagous or necessary? I thought it is a good thing to, "line breed," within the same stock. Or, is this just a controversial area? I have also read about, "spiral breeding," where you start with 3 lines and then go from there. But, I don't really understand the necessity, if you already have a good line.

 

[joletabey]

Laney,
I am so sorry you lost your girl. I pm'd, by the way. James, our babies are about the same age- how far are you from western NC? I will have to let go of 4 or 5 of mine when the time comes, so maybe we can hold the Great Delaware Sale.
Rustyswoman, I don't blame you, I would be peeking, too!

 

[JamesA]

Quote:
My question is ... why would you want to add another line? Is this advantagous or necessary? I thought it is a good thing to, "line breed," within the same stock. Or, is this just a controversial area? I have also read about, "spiral breeding," where you start with 3 lines and then go from there. But, I don't really understand the necessity, if you already have a good line.

I would do it just to try to help improve the line by bringing in birds that hopefully would compliment what I have.I absolutely love the line of birds I have and I was just throwing that idea out there.I may do it and I may not.I may just try to improve this line by culling over and over.I guess I was just thinking out loud

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

totally depends on what your goals are with your birds... i would never try to line breed with just a couple birds... but if you have a bigger flock to chose your breeders from than you can do it... i think you need to cull alot more when you line breed... if you just have a few and you are wanting to sell a few eggs and chicks i would start with 2 lines and go from there... if you have a big flock you can cull out undesirable traits much better... line breeding exaggerates traits in chickens the good and the bad... if you have the birds to chose from it can be the best thing to do... but if you only have a few than what if you don't get a good roo out of a hatch??? if you breed 2 lines that have been line breed the first 2 generations have a little hi bred vigor and you can get alot of real good birds... but most show lines are highly line bred because the 1 in 10 that is show quality and then cull the rest... sry for rambling lol...