Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
WHAT???? You have to share with us! What did you learn that is very important?

 

[joletabey]

Good morning, Dellie lovers everywhere!!!!

 

[Cetawin]

And a good morning to you Beth

 

[pinkchick]

Good Mornin' right back atcha Jolet!


Just wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to all of you for taking the time to post and share your experiences with this extrodinary breed. I have learned a ton of very VERY valuable information from everyone here. I enjoy reading this thread, it has a great atmosphere.

 

[E.G.Glayer]

Hatched this girl myself. Well I didnt actually sit on the egg but you know what I mean! From some of my other dels. My avatar Radar is the baby daddy.

 

[speckledhen]

She's a nice chunky girl!

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Jeremy -

I looked it up. A Delaware male should have this. It says, and I quote, "Main Tail -- showing Irregular indication of black and white barring, black prodominating. Sickles and Coverts -- showing irregular indistinct black and white barring; quills and shafts are white."

To me, that is why the judges prefer the boys with more black in the tail. I take it as the black bars should be wider than the white, not the white bars should be grey. If they wanted grey and black barring... they'd say grey or "off black". Plus... always remember the SOP picture. The barring is black and white on that rooster... not black and less black. It may be "allowed" but not ideal.

As for the green sheen... Here is what it says for a Barnevelder (who SHOULD have the sheen) "Main tail - black. Sickles and lesser sickles - lustrous, greenish black. Coverts - Same as the saddle."

So, see... if a bird is SUPPOSED to have a greenish black "beetle" sheen - it would say so in the SOP


Like a wise old man who had been breeding since a teen told me... "When in doubt, refer to the SOP."

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
WHAT???? You have to share with us! What did you learn that is very important?

Well first it's Minnie Rose Lovgreen, not lovgood. sorry.

What I learned was to take the first chick/chicks from the broody when they begin to hatch. Why?

Well when my Del broody started to hatch the first chick, got out of the nest, then mom got out to care for the chick leaving all the other eggs to sit. By removing the chick the hen will get back on the rest of the eggs and continue to brood them to hatching.

Well what happened was everytime I put the chick back in the nest the mom would get back in to brood, but when the chick got out she'd get out too and leave the eggs. Short version, none of the other five eggs survived.

Recently hen had four. 1st chick hatched got out, mom too. I throw chick back in nest mom gets in hatches #2. Chicks get out , mom too. I grab chicks, throw them back in nest, mom gets' back in hatches #3. Chicks get out, mom too. (outside the coop). I find them, throw them all back in nest. Mom gets back in and hatches #4. See what I mean.

If you take the first chicks mom will stay and hatch other eggs instead of abandoning the nest for the first chick/chicks. Of course there are exceptions I suppose, but Minnies advice is to take the first few chicks and when mom's done hatching, put them back in the nest at night so she gets all her babies.
Moms talk to their babies while they are still in the shell, which I knew, but they get imprinted to mom's voice. Broodies have a langguage all their own.

Of course some make good mothers better than others, just like humans. So order the book and learn from Minnie. She's passed on but her experience and teaching live on through this book.

Happy broody hens.

Rancher

 

[ChksontheRun]

Here are recent pics of the chicks I hatched from kathyinmo. All 3 strong, and growing like weeds. I so hope for 2 hens, but keep hearing everyone say that they get more roos. Anyone want to venture a guess on sex? I say it is too early, but they sure are growing tail feathers fast, some say that means pullet right?

 

[speckledhen]

Stacy, any good black has a green sheen to it, even in Barred Rocks. You can see it when the light hits it just right. The black itself has the sheen; that's how you can tell a very dark blue bird from a black bird. The black has sheen and the blue does not. It's solid black you don't want. You can't breed out sheen in black plumage to my knowledge.