Thank you for the information. I have some Delaware/ orp crosses who seem nice. Just wondering where you could go for heritage Delaware.Well, Delawares are supposed to be a friendly breed, however, my very first ones were hatched from McMurray hatchery parents and were mean and flighty. Even the parents were culled for aggression by my friend who gave me the eggs. I sold off that first batch by 8-9 weeks old, they were so unpleasant. The ones I have now came from a breeder's heritage line. She bred for temperament in addition to all the other traits the breed had lost when it was close to extinction and hatcheries did a crappy job of trying to bring them back by breeding in Columbian Rocks and Production Reds. So, I can't vouch for any Delawares other than my own line. The breeder is no longer breeding anything as far as I know due to health issues and a necessary move closer to her work (college professor), but she selected for every preferred Delaware trait without sacrificing temperament in the process. She had to talk me into allowing her to send me free hatching eggs, ostensibly to do a fertility test for her up and coming cockerel, but I think she really wanted to promote the breed and mitigate my horrible experience by giving me a better one with better stock. The first bunch, I had to cull my male-he was very aggressive. Heck, she would have culled my male. But, I got some nice pullets. Later, she sent more eggs which Isaac and his girls came from, after changing up the bloodline a bit. Bingo, great roosters. I have to add that I find Delaware chicks very "mouthy". They bite everything. They are, overall, a very intelligent breed and explore incessantly. Even now, my last Delaware hen, Georgie (named for her sire, George), will bite the fire out of you if you don't pick her up and lavish her with attention. She is a trip hazard. Her sister, Ellie, was the best of the Delaware without the irritating, attention-seeking part. Friendly, I like, but Georgie is a tyrant about it. That may be one reason the breed almost went extinct, LOL. They are not as heat tolerant as you'd think, either. Their musculature is very dense, maybe from their original intent to be a meat bird, prior to the CornishX. She's heavier than she looks, in other words. Georgie, who will turn 8 yrs old in February and is currently laying.
. They are big solid meaty birds, but they let a lot of nice large brown eggs.
