Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[kathyinmo]

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Oh, that makes me so excited to see mine growing!

 

[joletabey]

Wing it- thanks for posting those, like Kathy, I get excited to see Dels a few weeks ahead of mine so I know what to expect!! Where did you get yours?

 

[rancher hicks]

Everyone has nice pics. I've gotta take the time to figure out how to post pics. anyhow I sold 4 chicks recently and the guy was glad to have them. I also gave away 5 to a friend and she said they are much nicer and friendlier than her RIR's. Like we didn't know that. While it's been cold my Dels are still laying which is good but so are my BO's (2).

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

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That's a handsome blue heeler, my parents used to raise them. Easily trained, efficient-to-the-point-of-scary cattle dogs, but murder on the poultry. I still love blue heelers though. Does the breed go by a different name these days?

 

[delawaregirl09]

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That's a handsome blue heeler, my parents used to raise them. Easily trained, efficient-to-the-point-of-scary cattle dogs, but murder on the poultry. I still love blue heelers though. Does the breed go by a different name these days?

Nope, still a hard-headed blue heeler

Lol

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
That's a handsome blue heeler, my parents used to raise them. Easily trained, efficient-to-the-point-of-scary cattle dogs, but murder on the poultry. I still love blue heelers though. Does the breed go by a different name these days?

Some call them Austrailan Cattle Dogs, I think this is to reconize the red colored heelers also.

Biomistake says the little Dellies are as tall as the brooder sides now and I think I might get my first live look at them around the week before Christmas.

I think that this will be a great Birthday/Christmas present as it'll be right betwixed the 4th and 25th, ahem, hint, hint,!

Naw, I'm just kidding, I already agreed to go in halvsies with him on their purchase, besides he's bringing me a pretty little SDW game roo to breed with all my other whatchamacallits running all over the place, taking over the neighborhood. Should make some intrerresting results.

Anyway ya'll keep the pictures coming they all look great, maybe bio can update with some new pics and show us how they are progressing, BTW he says the roo to pullet ratio is favoring the roos. I told him I usually have around a 60/40 roo to pullet ratio on my hatches anyway. I'd like to know who said straight-run or as hatched is 50/50 I've never experinced it but have had a hen hatch mostly pullets just once.

catdaddy

 

[Laney]

In the interest of keeping the pictures going.....

Here is Biden at 23 weeks. I still can't really understand how to count the tips on the comb, so he either has 4 or 5.

Here is the hen I am purchasing that I might put with him. She is dirty in this pic, but has very light tail black to his too dark, and very light hackles to his columbian. His legs are a great color. She is laying so hers are very pale, can't tell what they were as a pullet. She seems to have a good shape in the pictures though.

What do you think of this match? My question is not will it produce SQ birds, but will it improve on the parents. That is my goal. I will be bringing in better stock but this will be what I have to start with. I have another hen, who although beautiful, I think is too skinny, not good form. Helen.

I also think that Helen would be compounding the problem with the columbian neck. She does have less black on the tail feathers though. I wish I had a head on photo of her so I could show you that she just isn't broad chested like she should be.

So what do you think? Would you use any of them if you were just starting out? Which hen would you pick to breed?

Laney

 

[joletabey]

Laney, the new hen looks nice and round to me. . . .I don't know how long it takes to get a comb corrected, but I am wondering if they are allowed to sort of flop over like hers does? But everyone says to go for the body type first and then the rest of it - good luck.

 

[that_crazy_lady]

How wide is your guy? it mite turn out better then you think. I hatch out chicks from both hens, then cross thoes birds.I asked about the points befor https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=264010 maybe that will help.


I'm sorry about the girl you lost, I've been there, run, duck, dive, tackle. some times you just don't make it.
my heeler mix would kill most animals under 50lbs if he was left alone with it.
Austrailan Cattle Dog is the breed name. heeler is really slang, they call that cuz that is how they work most of the time. they are also called qeensland heelers. some people think red are blue are two diffrent breeds, they are not. they are very typpy as far as the breed gos, I've seen them built like border collies or more like pits, but I like them more like your girl.

it seems like every time I get on here, more cute babys. I'm loving it, and trying not to hold my breth for my girls to start laying. I sat down and though about it, they are around 15 weeks old, can't remeber what I said befor

. Tonka & Tank are staying quiet with out George as far as I can tell, but I was not aroung much this past weekend.

 

[Laney]

My Husband is really against clipping their wings because we have some small dogs that although they are trained to leave the chickens alone to the point of watching them walk within inches of them and not moving can occasionally slip inside the pasture if you're not being careful. Though we trust these dogs when they are watched and OUTSIDE the pasture, anything goes when they get in and are not on best behavior. He wants the chickens to be able to fly to get away if this happens.

So he has developed a "Safe chicken zone" that we will be building against the fence. It will be a sort of lean too that the dogs won't be able to get into and will give us time to save the chicken before the unthinkable happens. Should be about 6 feet long, about 1-1 1/2 feet tall piece of thick plywood that will lean against and be attached to the fence on top and bottom. The triangle shaped hole will be just big enough for the chickens to get into. It is with hope that the chickens will find safety 3 feet down until we can get there or the dog loses interest. If it wasn't for the small dogs I would put a hen sized opening into the pen there.

Your dog is gorgeous. I think that a lot of us struggle between our love of chickens and our love of our dogs. My farm is a family compound style farm. So MIL and FIL live 100 feet away from my house. We have a shock collar for this dog, however, no one seems to ever be carrying the collar at the right time. My daughter jokingly stated she wanted a tazer for it for Christmas. She is very passionate about animals. I can't tell you how much all of your praise meant to her, to hear that someone else outside the family believed it wasn't her fault and that she did all she could. She was very grateful.

I wouldn't hold your breath too long for them to start to lay though. My Helen is 23 weeks and she just doesn't look mature enough to even think about an egg at all. The only layers I have right now are my Cochins. My Silver Phoenix have gone on strike for the winter, and Helen is taking her time.

Laney