Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Germaine_11.20]

WWDogs, those are very nice Dels! It almost looks like you have a 5 pointer in there. They don't look very smutty to me and most molt out of it don't they?

I have one who still has some smut on his back and he is 6 months old. Will he have that always do you think?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I like 1, 3 and nine of the boys. Are they they same?

 

[walkswithdog]

LOL Toad was born on Halloween - and she hatched out as a blue/gray downed "little toad" absolutely the biggest widest chick I'd ever seen and she's an absolute doll. Toad stuck. There are three males in that pen that are VERY similar so I think that is actually two different roo boys. And most of them are serious chunks, I just see a thinner breast on the pullets with hatchery momma's the ones from the breeder's hens are a tad stouter but all in all this generation looks a real improvement to the last one, thanks to Cyn's boy Algernon. Algie is a MOOSE now. Fantastic huge bird. And he's throwing like chicks. The three boys already in the grow out pen all have great tail barring, though many of their original tail feathers got lost in the PECKING ORDER WAR we had here when I released them all to the main horde. Decided to kennel them up and feed em for awhile longer so I could see how their feathers went without maiming. I'll keep Toad because she's just totally nifty and to see what all that juvenille patterning and dark down turns into in the long run. She'll go in with the Del mixed layers and Rocks later but she's tame enough to stay with the baby crowd right now. She's really more an off powder gray and markings than truly white at this point. This whole chicken thing is interesting.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
WWD: You've got some very nice young ladies there!

And the first roo looks promising as well.

As for the smuttiness...depending on their lineage, sometimes it will molt out, but sometimes not.

 

[walkswithdog]

We'll see but I'd rather worked with over marked and sort toward less marked than keep working with these birds with no, or nearly no, neck barring. I'm growing them all to maturity so I will absolutely know what I'm working with. I actually got more hens than BOYS, yay and yet I got three or four boys that are definitely worth working with. One of the bigger boys looks to have a thumb print to his comb, but two of them are proper straight. And so far.... no sprigs anywhere. And I culled a LOT of sprigs last year. And no green legs and I culled a LOT of those last year. So one step at a time... TYPE first, then color and comb. I want a full pen of mature properly wide hens before I sort toward perfect comb and color. I'll cull any hen with no color at the end of summer this year. Don't need that running into next year. And I'll be fiddling with the sizzles on the side. Should keep me busy.

 

[joletabey]

Rwoman!!!! There you are! I was wondering where you were- and yes, you have to keep the DH #1. That is a good idea about the scratch - they already see you as the source of all good things, so you might as well use it to your advantage to get some leg room. And I know what you mean about being wanted- I sort of like their assumption that I am the big chicken goddess of food.

WWD - do you have any recent pictures of Algernon? I would love to see them, since he is uncle to my kids, or at least as far as I know, he is.

Anyone else on a 10 week molt? Mine could stuff a pillow at this point, and I am anxious to see how much their markings will change. I tried putting some broccoli on their eggs this morning - just the buds, and I sprinkled the whole think with parakeet grit - are they old enough for treats that are harder than yogurt and egg, etc. as long as I throw some grit on it all?

 

[walkswithdog]

I'm terrible, I don't over think the food thing much after seeing free range chicks and their mommas. I provide grit to brooder beasties but by the time they're 10 weeks I throw just about anything at them without worrying. Heck most of these are out in the bantam hut, with access to dirt and even the main chicken yard by the time they hit that age. That's how those lost their feathers - learning to get along in a big chicken world. And turkeys and guineas. It takes some integration. Most disappointing was the guard getting knocked off one of the heat lamps and coming out to a bunch of singed feather chicks when the weather turned nasty. Be awhile before those look right. Sigh.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Sounds like a great approach.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Well....my phone interview was "kinda not so good". They really want me to go to work for them, BUT, its going to take at least 6 months of work before they would see the results of the efforts. SO, they wanted me to go to work as an "agent" for them (which means they want me to do all the legwork, traveling, etc and only get paid a commission for what actually gets sold, I would not be an employee, but more of a sub-contractor). Wouldn't be a bad deal if there was any existing business to help get me going, but this is starting from scratch. They would be expecting me to work for 6+ months for NADA, nothing, zip.

Ain't happenin'

I guess that was God's way of sending me my "sign".

Oh well, I have interviews in Vegas and Southern California the first week in Feb. Praying that will be better

Off to candle...back shortly

 

[joletabey]

Scott, I am sorry that didn't work out - but at least you have some more chances coming up- half way across the world, though. Vegas? Well, I guess you could be the one to take Dellies to Vegas- I mean SDWD!!! They have to get all across America somehow -

Kidding aside, something will turn up for you, and I pray it's something even better than what you had before!

WWD- mine are still in the brooder, since the weather here for the last month has made it impossible to get the run finished- the snow just melted off enough to work out there yesterday- but once they are outside, they will have a huge run- about 800 square feet - hopefully it will get done this weekend!