Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[speckledhen]

Pacsman, breeder vs hatchery stock...the only experience I have with that is that my first Delawares were two cockerels and two pullets hatched from a McMurray pair. By four weeks old, I had decided to sell every one of them. They were awful, aggressive things. The pullets were flighty and the cockerels, one in particular, were just vicious. The four little vampires attacked six Speckled Sussex cockerels as well as one of the blue Ameraucana pullets in the brooder one day. I had to remove them and blukote the poor plucked SS boys and allow time for all their feathers to grow back. This happened within 2 hours one day in their spacious, bright and airy grow-out coop. No crowding, plenty of fresh air, etc.

Two years ago, when Janet Holtman (seriousbill) approached me on a different forum about doing a fertility test for her up and coming Delaware cockerel, she'll tell you that I had to be talked into it. She was trying to change my opinion of the breed and promised me that these would be different than my original four. And she was so right! Delawares as a breed are very mouthy and love to get attention and explore with their beaks, but they are not the vicious bunch I started out with, and they tend to outgrow some of that as they mature.

I never really knew how they turned out as they were sold by about six or seven weeks old. Generally, hatchery stock seem to have more indication of Columbian Rock and/or Production Red outcrossing in their body type and coloring. That doesn't mean all breeder stock is great, though. I've seen some awful examples of the breed from some very well-known breeders of Delawares. Frankly, I was surprised when I saw their birds and very cognizant of the fact that Janet really came a very long way with hers.

 

[kathyinmo]

OMG .... my first experience at a swap! They had the first swap in my town, and plan to have one once a month. I sold out right quick, and even had some come out to my house for more! I gotta tell ya though .... I had the best stock there. There was some poorly looking things there. One guy bought some of my Delaware roos and turned around and sold a couple for more than I sold them to him!!!! Dang, I learned to not be so low priced! I also learned that Delawares are in demand! One guy and his son have asked me to save all my eggs for them to hatch...... all pure eggs they can get, of all my breeds! They just bought a Sportsman, and want to hatch lots of chicks each week. Can you believe that? I was shocked.

 

[kathyinmo]

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I am so glad to see you posting! Jump right in! We love it .... the more the merrier!

I think I will give the broodies some Delaware eggs, before I save them for the boy hatching!

 

[speckledhen]

I gotta tell ya though .... I had the best stock there.

That doesn't surprise me. I am very particular about my birds, much more so than some think necessary, but it has served me well and I ain't changin' a thing.​

 

[walkswithdog]

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So selfless, that Kathy! Of course, they're for your family. We'll go with that explanation. Yeah, sounds good.

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http://www.pic4ever.com/images/229.gif You don't believe that?

Hi, I bought 50 Delaware chicks this spring (hatchery stock) and would like to learn more about breeders vs. hatchery stock... I'm currently on about page 7 or 8 of this thread... and interesting stuff!
However, should I now go elsewhere, seeing as this thread has this turned into the Black-Silkie-Broody-incubation-jewelry-marriage-24k-golden-egg-thread?

(Sorry, just don't want to wade through 489 pages of "chat"...)

Thanks!

I wanted to KNOW the differences too. I started with hatchery stock, a breeder's stock who was a couple/few generations improved on hatchery and heritage stock... Oh my the hatchery genes really show especially first and second generation out from the originals - you get distinctly mutt bred looks in many cases - red/rust showing up on feathers, funny looking feathers, unbarred birds, funky lacing and this isn't a laced breed, and a certain percentage of white, very narrow scrawny looking chicks, that grow very slowly and remain very narrow in the should/breast/wings and back. They're speed boat shaped and the markings end up usually very poor. I kept two Icabod and Spook. After five months Icabod has filled in a little and Spook - is just sad looking like a marathon runner on speed.

My hatchery stock remained narrower and underweight compared to the other birds, only one to two pounds but that's sort of the point.., the breeder's birds were some better - though a LOT of green legs and funky combs. Though my heritage roo had a funky comb, it was straight and he had amazing body type. Most of his progeny to breeder or hatchery were improvements. It's a work in progress, I wouldn't order hatchery birds again, where I used them type is poor, barring missing or poor, or they've no neck color at all, sad.

I'd continue to take eggs from the people I know with heritage style stock. It just makes more sense then growing out too many scrubs. The breed is already a "work in progress", starting even lower on the scale than heritage means feeding more birds longer to get to the same place. My current cockeral has manhood issues and is being _____whipped by a bantam sizzle rooster... Ah well, he'll grow up someday, I hope. I need to back up and redo coops so I'm taking a dellie breeding hiatus. I'll only be working the bantams through spring and summer this year. I've 48 silkie eggs to put in an incubator LOL.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Pacsman, I have to agree with everything that has been said already. I started with some birds that were supposed to be Delaware and have since sold completely out of those evil creatures and am working on some decent ones I got around the same time and adding stock this year. My first birds were obviosly poor quality...even for hatchery stock. If you want good Delaware's get them from someone on here. The folks in this thread that have been here from the start KNOW what they are doing and talking about!!! I have learned a lot from these folks and have a lot further to go!!!

ETA: IMO The difference between hatchery and breeder stock...is like the difference between two breeds. One just IS NOT a Delaware. They throw too much junk in the genetics at the hatcheries.

 

[smith2]

So who exactly has good quality chicks to buy from? Everyone I try to contact either doesn't have "good" ones or only wants to sell eggs. I do not want to mess with shipped eggs. The PO cannot be trusted with anything of value. I'd rather just go pick them up from whereever. I am looking for chicks 4-8 weeks old. Anybody have any?

 

[walkswithdog]

I don't know of many folks selling quality chicks, especially and growing them out that long before selling them - costs a ton of money to do it that way. I do the egg thing. I've hatched a lot of birds from the PO but I've also had a lot of bad hatches too. It is always luck of the draw. But I've raised easily a hundred chicks and poults from shipped eggs, so I go that route - except for marans eggs. Those get picked up...

 

[kathyinmo]

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Some day I hope to be able to have chicks around that I am not just growing out for myself. Currently, however, that is not the case. You may have luck, if you are willing to wait, asking for someone to hatch for you. Good luck! Let me tell ya ..... you are gonna love the Delaware breed! They are worth the wait!

 

[call ducks]

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That doesn't surprise me. I am very particular about my birds, much more so than some think necessary, but it has served me well and I ain't changin' a thing.

and i must say , that i can tell you that it has , in canada we have NOTHING like you breed , we have hatchery "delawares" (and i use the tirm delaware losly) i think most in canada are Delawares come from merry mucmarry hatchery... so i wish i could even get just one pair of delawares from you. the only reason i have not got any delawares is because we do not have any good delawares , and i do not want to breed any thing that does not repersntant the breed to it's fullest.

Anywasie that was my mini rant

Colin