Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[rancher hicks]

Well I know the 5 roos from my Speckledhen hatch are not sweet . They are biters. All of them. Looks like one may have a good 5 point comb. If so I'll have to sleep in the coop to protect him. Gonna send the rest on the "Midnight train to Georgia". Whoo Whoo!
As for laying? Even the hatchery Dels lay big eggs. Not oversized mind you but as big as the older non hatchery girls. I have had to move the Aussies cuz they are getting picked to smithereens. Same with the GLW's and SLW's. I don't know why they are the only ones.
Got two new Del chicks this Sat. Don't think I'll be selling anymore Del chicks. Only roos.

 

[kathyinmo]

Tim,
They aren't biting you; it's a kiss!

Silly birds! Seriously though, I had one really bad biter, but now he has stopped doing that. I guess they outgrow it.

I am down to just 3 roos in with my pullets. One of those is going to a new home next weekend, and I will keep the other 2. A friend of my daughter has 4 hens, and wants a roo, so she will get him.

As I am watching the next couple groups growing out, I see a few that I think are gonna be good looking boys developing. I like my # 1 roo currently though. He is really growing nicely. We have decided to keep all the excess roos to process. I have quite a few Del eggs incubating now, for chicks for others.

 

[joletabey]

Tim, a few of mine, including Luke, were biters and they have quit. They hardly even peck if I wear strange clothing in the run anymore- hang in there!!

Kathy- the Orps are pure eye candy for me- and the Dels are my pals- I am content.

Sugar and Cora look happy, and beautiful-

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Tim, stop kicking those boys and maybe they'll stop biting you! LOL. I told you, they are all mouthy. Most of them can be stopped from the biting--that is a Delaware trait, the biting for attention, even with the girls, but most of them will grow out of it, especially when you hold their beak shut for a few seconds every time.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Hey I get to be a part of this tread!!

Here is my two pullets, they are 12 weeks old. My husband named them River and Washington. Historical names I think was his idea....

River is one of my friendlest chickens she follows us around and lets the kids pet her! They are kinda a creamy white not a bright white. I like the color!

here is River

and Washington she has less black on her.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Tim, stop kicking those boys and maybe they'll stop biting you! LOL. I told you, they are all mouthy. Most of them can be stopped from the biting--that is a Delaware trait, the biting for attention, even with the girls, but most of them will grow out of it, especially when you hold their beak shut for a few seconds every time.

Now i'm not sure but they may just want the attention. One of them looks to have a good comb with 5 points. The others have too many. Don't know what I'll do with the extras. I thought I'd breed from all of them but maybe that's not a good idea? I figured they all have to have the genes for the 5 point comb.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Welcome to the Delaware thread! We are so happy to have you here! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us, too. I like the names, actually!

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Quote:
Welcome to the Delaware thread! We are so happy to have you here! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us, too. I like the names, actually!

Thanks! I'll post more pictures when they start laying. They're from MMM so not the best representatives of the breed. When do most dels start laying?

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
I believe the average is between 20 - 25 weeks. Beth's was earlier than mine, I know. I think that is about the average though.

 

[Cetawin]

rancher hicks - give those boys time...they will straighten out. I have one pullet that is still a mouthy piece of work and it is ALL for attention. The other day she drew blood the nutcase. Both my girls were mouthy mouthy and only one still has that biting bit.


Speaking of biters...Fattie and Thor scared the daylights out of me this afternoon...so much so that I was about to rush them to the emergency vet clinic. First Thor...he sneezed and his deep husky voice normally made it sound worse of course, then Fattie sneezed....I was about to run inside and start calling my vet when someone else sneezed and then another....I sat there pondering what was going on and a gust of wind came through and it dawned on me....they were all outside yesterday and the day before and both days were very very windy. So everyone got a couple days of blasting wind, dust and who knows what pollens and such. So, I put everyone inside and went to check on them later and everyone is fine...Fattie sneezed once since they went in so all is well.


These birds are gonna be the death of me I swear! The thought of my baby boy sick nearly caused heart failure.

We will not even discuss Cannonball's trip UP the stairs and onto the second floor deck.

The nutcase was standing up there between the railings screaming like she was being killed....why? Because she was too silly to go back the stairs and she was scared to death to jump down from that high.