Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[TACEYPERKINS]

Good morning everyone, just am taking a moment to say hi and have a great day! Before I go out and tend to the garden. I am planting strawberries this morning. Talk to you later.
Only a couple more days till candling my dellie eggs! I CAN'T WAIT!

 

[joletabey]

TACEYPERKINS- quit rubbing it in, dearie!!! Strawberries- AGH!!!!

I still have inches of snow, the wind is cold and I am bundled up like Nanook of the North. Whoever that was.

I lured the Dellies out with treats, and sat on a bag of shavings to watch the fun, cleaned the coop with the help of either Marianne or Eleanor ( hard to tell them apart) and then sat down again. Within moments, little Jane and the Roo that I think will have 5 points who up until today has been biting me, jumped on my lap and settled in. I am hoping the biting thing is over with. I dragged him out of the coop into the dark last night, pinched his beak shut and told him bad Roos get kicked out in the cold. Today he was angelic. Even Ultrasuede came up beside me and let me rub his chest.

It's a GOOD day. In spite of other posters who rub it in about their gardens!

 

[speckledhen]

Aw, Beth, love the story about Ultrasuede and the other one being sweet today!

 

[speckledhen]

Looks like I'm going to just get rid of some of these Delaware girls. Can't break their habit, it seems. I trimmed beaks and Ike even thumped a couple on the head when they went after him, but he didn't get to mate even one of them before we had to pull him out. We may have to resort to AI to get the next three egg orders out, but I'm so done with them!

 

[JamesA]

I hate that about your hens Cynthia.I would take them but I would hate to have the same issue here.I hope my girls are nicer than that.I have one girl that doesnt like me.She bites me daily but she doesnt seem to bother the roo.s .I have just about decided on my keepers but I'm going to wait a few more weeks just to be sure.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
James,
Maybe you need to give her a bath, like you did your Buckeyes!

Just be sure to video it for us, or at least take pictures!

Cyn, So sorry to hear that the girls are at it again!

 

[speckledhen]

They got into a bad habit and can't break it. I have also just finished doctoring Dutch's comb in the main coop. The worst offenders are the big dark RIR girls since they are as large as Dutch and can reach his comb easily. It could be that a change of scenery would fix their little obsession when a strange rooster went after them. Or they'd be fine in a layers' only flock. It's just getting old, having to do this all the time. Maybe if I put an Ameraucana rooster in with the Dels, with no wattles and almost no comb, they'd quit that nonsense, having nothing to grab hold of. Naturally, there'd be no pure Delawares.

 

[joletabey]

Cynthia, if you are thinking of AI, once you have your egg orders, why not throw them in with Suede and let him whomp them? I know you won't be able to sell Dellie eggs for several weeks, but if it solved the problem for later....? ARGH! Those wicked girls!

 

[speckledhen]

I sure couldn't let poor Isaac watch Suede run after his girls. It'd be so upsetting for him! He's an angel, that boy. Better read up on AI again. Good grief, I didn't want to do that!

 

[jeremy]

Cyn that is devastating! What has gotten into your hens?