Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
My little Midge is no longer little. She has caught up with the others now. I can't even tell which one she is anymore, unless I get up close and personal!

 

[speckledhen]

for Midge!

 

[joletabey]

I will have to go look carefully at both of them tonight, when I get home. I think Superchick is just smaller, but still made elegantly, like the rest of them- I posted a pic of him a whole bunch of many pages ago.( I love this thread) However, I spent a lot of time looking at the little one with the leg problem last night, trying to figure out if things were getting worse, and I remember thinking - she LOOKS unhappy, it's like she is frowning. . . .i.e. her beak turns down. And she is VERY squatty. The others find it easy to walk on her because she is so close to the ground - but I will look more closely tonight.

And yes, YAY for Midge!!!!

And I confess, after seeing that everyone else felt free to go and admire" Meringues" and other breeds, I went on the little Cochin thread. . . . .and WHO did I see there, too??? AH, our Dellies are going to bite us HARD out of jealousy!

 

[that_crazy_lady]

My Dear Dels only get jealous of my cat, but they said they can live with it if he only eats some of their feed

Tank jumped up on and empty crate yesterday like he was going to crow

I think that brat Mother Hen has got those boys looking over their shoulder. I mite be gotting some eggs for her from a friend of my moms, EEs and mixs lots of color

Sweetheart is holding her own once more, I still put a little food to the side for her and I think she will always be bald, but all in all it's looking good.


joletabey -

maybe she will give you what you are looking for tonight, to make it clear one way or another

 

[that_crazy_lady]

Quote:
It is my understanding, you can do one of two things, cross to a bantam or breed down. I've been talking to one of the game bird guys who breeds AGFBs about it. If I was going to do Delawares I'd take birds that would be culls do to lack of size and breed down from there. he uses full size games that he hatched late in the year, so they grow slower and stay smaller and I guess they pass it on. and yes to breed true bantams, they would have to have offspring of a smaller size like theirs.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Beth

DZipperer (BYC member near me) is/was raising BANTAM Delawares. She's in college so kinda hard to get hold of sometimes, but it might be worth a shot. I'd try sending her a PM and also an email

Her name is Dani (pretty sure she has gotten LF Delaware eggs from Cyn too)

Here is one of her current auctions and she still lists Bantam Dels in her signature line
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=280311

Scott

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Beth .....

ONE cochin, that's it .... you saw the picture! Well, ok .... maybe 4. But, that's it! They were just, "thrown in," when I bought other poultry. What can I say .... now I gotta find out about them .....

(I have to find out if it's common that they don't they roost? !)
Beth .....

Delawares ..... I have got to get some updated pictures of my Halloween hatch. I was out there today, and they are just too cute. It is less than 20* here today, and they are all doing quite well outside. I have a thermometer in each coop, and am surprised how much warmer it is inside. I just heard the local forecast say we will be under a winter weather advisory starting tomorrow AM through the next day PM. YUK! More snow? NO, no, no .... I hate snow!

I have 2 electric heaters that look like the old fashioned oil (coil) heaters. They are suppose to not be a fire hazzard, or at least less so. Do you think I could plug them in, one in each coop? DH says, "We never used heaters with our chickens when I was a kid, and it was alot colder in Iowa than it is here." Then, a bit later, he asks if I want him to take the heaters out to the coops!

This cold makes me worry about the Dels combs. Well, not my chicks, but when they get older. Do you routinely put something on them, or just occassionally? Vaseline, bag balm ????

 

[joletabey]

Thanks, you guys! I know nothing about Bantams and am going to have to learn- I just don't want to "cull" these two - I don't think anyone would want the little lame one, and Superchick is just too special, know what I mean? I think I have found a dog house I can convert to a two/three chicken coop and I can make a little run in the garden by the roses. There is one really sweet pullet that stands guard over the little one, and I think those three could be very happy together. Especially if Superchick turns out to have the nice markings I think he is going to have. . . .

Kathy- yeah, yeah, yeah,uh-huh, sure. . . . .

 

[kathyinmo]

Speaking of winter .... you gotta see this coop, all decked out for the holidays, and in the snow..
It is soooooo cool!
post # 100

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=266866&p=4

I dunno .... I'm worried. I think, yes, I am gonna add heat. Weather channel just said it may get to 10 below zero. Now, that is just way toooo cold! For sure in the boat barn, where the Halloween hatch babies are. They have 3 heat lamps, but, when I get home from work, I am gonna go check on them (with heater in hand) !

Bantams, I know nothing about them. I prefer the big breeds! (And, if there was anybody interested in the Jersey Giants, we could keep a thread alive ...... but, Nooooooo, nobody even interested!)

Who has new pictures to share? I want to see more pictures!

 

[Laney]

Well I got the first layer of plastic up on my outside brooder today. Heat lamp is hanging by a wire, had to get it up there a bit before the plastic because I had to mark where the cord came out. Second layer of plastic will go up after the furring strips tomorrow to create an insulating air barrier. I'll put a few more wires around the heat lamp to make sure nothing can knock it down. The cardboard is already on the bottom so I can put the shavings in any time. Just need to clean out the feeder and waterer to go in there. Then it is ready for it's test occupant - 8 week old Libra who is a Silver Phoenix.

The next to go out will be my Mottled Java chick and the Delaware chicks. The Mottled Java will Hatch this Thursday or Friday, Delawares are due on the 21st. Once the Delawares are 2-3 days old they will be going out and by that time hopefully Libra will be integrated into the flock.

I also found a breeder selling Mottled Java chicks that will have some ready at the end of January and I hope to add about 12 to the flock then as well...then I will be ready for the spring and won't be breeding any more chicks until mid summer probably when I see which way the wind is blowing with my Dellies.

Laney