Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[HorizonSon]

Three+ week old Dellie; yes.

 

[sheps4her]

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Wow! That dog is a keeper! You think the chick will learn to bark if it's a cockerel?

yes..she is great with the chickens, and anything else I bring home for that matter. That is her in my avatar as well. Now my other dog...lets just say we make sure he is NOT alone with the chickens!

A barking chicken...now that would be something!!

 

[kathyinmo]

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No, it is not desired. Yellow legs are.

 

[rancher hicks]

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I just want to mention that I have a copy of an article from Practical Poultry magazine that definitely helped my hatching and my technique. I'm willing to fax it or send it to anyone who wants a copy. I'll even pay for the stamp if you'd like, because I believe it can help if your having a hard time getting good hatches. Pm me your address or a fax number. BTW if you have a fax on your printer, you can use your same number for both faxes and phone calls. I do it all the time. You don't need two different numbers.

Now I saw mentioned yellow legs. On my first hatch some of the chicks had "green" legs and feet. I have in my brooder chick from these same parents and none has green legs and feet. I've hatched plenty since that first hatch and I don't recall seeing green since. Does anyone know what would cause them to have green legs and feet? I've seen them as adults and they did yellow up as they grew.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Here's my only Delaware. He's super sweet. So are his red girlfriends and his delaware x rock girl below. Such great personalities- I think it's contagious.

 

[HorizonSon]

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Exactly what I am wanting to know.

BTW; all 24 chickies made it through the night A-O-K

 

[pinkchick]

Hey just wanted to pop by and wish all of my Delaware lovin' buddies a very Happy Thanksgiving! To those that must travel I wish you all a very safe journey.

 

[pinkchick]

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I too think that Delaware sweetness is contagious!!!!

 

[Inkheart]

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Happy Thanksgiving Pink!!!!!!!!!

 

[VillageChicken]

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Exactly what I am wanting to know.

BTW; all 24 chickies made it through the night A-O-K

Green legs are caused by a combination of the Yellow leg gene (which is recessive) and dermal melanin which is a bluish pigment under the skin.
Dermal melanin is usually controlled by a gene called ID. If your parent birds have yellow legs, then they possess the ID gene which Inhibits Dermal melanin.
When I talk about the green gene in Delawares, it's actually the ID gene combined with yellow skin gene. There is no single "green gene".

Problem: the recessive form "id" allows the formation of melanin under the skin, and thus green legs. The good news is that this is a sex linked characteristic, and this will help you determine who is causing your green legs.

Hens cannot "hide" the recessive green leg gene. They are either pure for yellow, or pure for green. Hens possess only one dermal melanin gene.

Roosters however, can carry the "green" gene while their legs are yellow because they possess TWO dermal melanin genes. The dominant form of the gene is to allow for yellow legs, so their second gene that causes green legs is "overruled" by the one that causes yellow.

So if both of your parent birds are yellow shanked, and you have green legged chicks, they should all be hens, and your rooster is the culprit. You don't want to use these hens or the parent rooster for breeding SOP Delawares.

About half the roosters from this breeding will carry the green leg gene like their father. You probably won't be able to tell which are carriers. Only the yellow shanked hens from this breeding can be certain not to pass this gene on to the next generation.

You can keep a green shanked hen to test breed any roosters for carrying the green gene. A pure Yellow shanked rooster should not throw ANY green legged chicks if mated to a green shanked hen. If he does, he's a carrier of the "green" gene.