Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[jeremy]

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Do they have the personality... L0L! They are little maniacs! They run all over the yard when I let them out to range, but as soon as I call them they're at my feet. Either eating my shoelaces or toes or tugging on the hem of my shorts. They're already doing the egg squat whenever I approach them. I think they're adorable. They for sure act like Dellies!

I am very happy with their tail blacks! Stacy and I were discussing them, she had never seen Bill's stock and I didn't have any to compare them to so I asked her for her opinion.

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I'm very pleased with my Stewart.

He's a big baby still, just turned 4 months yesterday actually. I feel like he's a lanky teenager right now, he's gotten big (tall big, he's still filling in) but he still acts like a chick. He's just started to behave like a young cockerel, trying to crow. Earlier when I was outside feeding the girls treats Stewart started to make the rooster noise when he found something, calling the girls to him. It was SO cute! That's one of the things I love most about the roos, how well they can take care of their women. Stewart seems to be doing well so far. He's learning, slowly but surely. He's also been very even tempered with people, he's not once showed signs of aggression towards me.

Quasi I fear is going to be a fatty. ALL she does is eat. I don't know how much she looks it but she's a chunk to pick up.

 

[tnchickenut]

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I just figured I got a unlucky batch of "throw backs" from more of the Sandhill part of the line. Sandhill has used hatchery stock in their Dels and that can put strange things out there that pop up. It was a fairly bad hatch - number of eggs verses chicks. I remember having a humidity issue. I thought, maybe whatever causes the odd combs also maybe helped survival (?) It was a theory. But if you don't count the nubbies... I think that would make the one I got a 6 or 7 point. Getting better....

I like this boy. His tail is dark, like I mentioned and he is lanky (at least now... he might bulk up). He was also the nicest one... which - to me - matters as much as anything.

I'll get that camera charged...

 

[joletabey]

Aha- I found a picture of my roo, Luke. I don't count those teeny bumps in front.

Were you counting those?
And excuse his lack of blade, it was bitten off a while back.

 

[jeremy]

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Hm, no Stewart doesn't have those bumps. I'm gonna check Quasi though tomorrow.

 

[joletabey]

Yes, Luke's "edging" is jagged. I didn't think those constituted as a point. He has one little bump bigger than the others, maybe I am supposed to count that?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

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WAH! What pretty girls. I have some very nice boys developing about the same age. Wanna trade? They've got TONS of barring coming in on their tails! Yellow legs, and pretty big, too. That is all good stuff, right?

More pics from last night: http://homelesshomesteader.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/the-boys-of-summer/

 

[jeremy]

Quote:
WAH! What pretty girls. I have some very nice boys developing about the same age. Wanna trade? They've got TONS of barring coming in on their tails! Yellow legs, and pretty big, too. That is all good stuff, right?
http://homelesshomesteader.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/img_0457.jpg

More pics from last night: http://homelesshomesteader.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/the-boys-of-summer/

Those are some good looking boys, a little smutty on the back but they look chunky, which is good. Their legs are very yellow, they almost look like mustard! As they mature the smut tends to fade away, or molt out.

I think I'll hang on to my pullets,

after hatching so many cockerels this year I feel blessed to have these girls. I can't wait to see how they mature. Where did you get your Delaware stock from?

 

[Cetawin]

Beth from that picture of Luke, I see 5 points. Where the blade was ripped off, it that part of another point or the raise of the blade where it there)?

Thor had his blade bitten off too if you'll remember and he had 5 beautiful points and his daddy's "bump"

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Jeremy, the three younger ones are from Starbright Farm in Michigan (http://www.starbrightfarm.net/) and the older ones are from Tori's birds at Sterling Meadows.

The one thing I'm watching on the little cockerels is the comb development. After all this talk about 13 points, I'm paranoid!

 

[speckledhen]

Anarachy, I think Stacy miscounted

. You count actual points on the front, but none on the back blade and not the first rounded "hill" on the front. Isaac, who himself has a small 6th point, has been producing many perfect 5 point kids with my hens lately, including my own Gracie I sold awhile back. Isaac and his girls have never produced any birds with that many points (10-13)--it's near to impossible, I'd think. You see Ike's comb in my avatar and other than my Kira and Phoebe, who no longer are part of the flock here, my girls have good combs with 5 or 6 points.

What I see in Sandhill is the hackles are not properly barred in some cases, a hint of Columbian Rock-looking stuff. The dwarf gene is just one of those things you sometimes see, I guess; not much you can do about it other than not breed the ones who carry. Genetic testing found that my Kira, who was sold with Gracie, her daughter, was the carrier of that gene. Kira's daughter, Fattie, carries a double dwarf gene so she would not be good for breeding at all. If you are getting dwarves from other lines, then apparently, the gene is in several Delaware lines. Kira came from the McDaniel line and wasn't at all related to Isaac. Fattie's sister, Cannonball, has a very nice 5 point comb, since we were talking combs.

A side sprig is possible--a couple of Isaac's brothers had them, my culls. None of my Del flock has a side sprig on the comb.