Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[JamesA]

Ok my roo question is this.The roo in picture 2 has a nice comb and is very nice but doesn't even come close to have the body of the roo in picture 4 and 7 (same roo) but if you look at the roo in pic 4 and 7 the comb is not very nice.What do I do?Who would you keep.I've been told to breed for body first.Will the smaller bodied roo catch up with the other one?They are close to 20 weeks old and its not a problem now but as they get older I will need to get rid of one I'm sure.

 

[speckledhen]

That's a tough choice, James. Both Tom and I like the carriage of the first one better, according to the pics. They both have similar hackle and tail color, good leg color. Isaac had one brother who was larger than he was, but the comb and the color wasn't as good, or the temperament, either. I have never regretted keeping Ike. He took longer to get as large, but he turned out very well. With the right chunky hens, your first boy will produce some nice kids, I think. If you could hold off another three or four weeks, you may be surprised by how much the first one fills out. Shame you can't keep them both!

 

[JamesA]

Quote:
Thanks Cynthia you are always such a big help.I'm going to keep them both until it becomes a issue so it will hopefully be more than three or four weeks so that will give me plenty of time to see how the smaller boy fills out.The smaller one does carry himself better I do agree there.My big boy looks like he is full of meat and ready for eating

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Hi, I was wondering if Delaware roosters are generally nice? I am supposed to be getting about 4 delawares in June and was thinking about getting a rooster too. I already have a welsummer rooster and a phoenix rooster with 13 hens. I also have eight more various pullets that are a week old.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm not sure you can really generalize too much about them. Overall, yes, I'd say they are calm roosters. Mine is really awesome, loves his chest rubbed. And it may depend on the lines they come from, to an extent. I had some hatchery Dels that were so awful, temperament wise, that I sold even the pullets before they were very old.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Thanks, I will not be getting hatchery birds. I am getting some from Zephercreek here in Michigan. I am trying to stay away from hatchery birds with the breeds that I really want like the dels, welsummers and marans. I have been lurking here for a bit and the more I read the more I get impatient for June to get here.

 

[kathyinmo]

I was interviewed by a journalist today, about BYC ! ! ! I am suppose to send pictures, too. Do you think my avatar picture would be a good one to send?

 

[speckledhen]

Don't you dare send him that avatar, Kathy!

What did he want to know about? What kind of pics does he/she want?

 

[kathyinmo]

Her name is Harriet. Nifty asked me talk to her, so I did. She works for Greenrightnow.com
She wants coop pictures (salvaged and green is good), pictures of the family with the chickens, and whatever else I want to send to her. We talked alot about the heritage breeds, coops, self sufficiency, and BYC.

ETA: We talked alot about BYC, and the community feeling it has. She plans to explore and navigate here more. Everything I know about chickens ...... I learned here on BYC ! Really, that's the truth!

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, she also asked if I name my chickens. She said she understands that if they have names, they are pets and not eaten! LOL She said she talked to another person, that has only 2 chickens ... pets. She wondered about processing, and said it was something she hadn't thought of before when buying chicken at the store. She is gonna research about the life a grocery store chicken goes through before becoming supper! Won't that be a surprise.