WANT TO BREED AND GET DELEWARE HENS

[blueseal]

I HAVE NH. RED HENS AND DELEWARE HENS SO WHAT DO I NEED FOR A ROOSTER TO GET PURE DELEWARE CHICKS TO HATCH OUT.

 

[speckledhen]

You need to start with Delawares, period. The breed came from a sport, a fluke. You cant make Delawares like you can make sexlinks. I hope I'm understanding your question.

 

[jvls1942]

I think the only way to get pure is to breed delaware to delaware..??

other than that you are just developeing a breed.. ??

I am not 100% on this.....

 

[blueseal]

Quote:
I read somewhere in one of my chicken breed books. i think it was storeys that you could get delewares by breeding nh reds to delewares. u take either a nhred roo or a deleware roo and mate them with one or the other of the two breeds. correct. this wouldnt be pure breed though correct. hope u can undestand what im asking.

 

[speckledhen]

I think I know what you read, that if you breed a NH hen to a Delaware rooster, the chicks will look like the Delaware dad? Hope I didnt get that backwards, LOL.
Still, really, why would you do that when you already have Delaware hens and a Delaware rooster? I dont see anything to be gained from crossing the NH in, since the work has been done and the breed created. You could always do an experiment, but I'd certainly get the Delaware rooster.
This breed is highly endangered. Most hatcheries have done what I consider a stupid thing and bred in Columbian Rocks to their Delaware lines. I think it would behoove us to do everything we can to keep the lines pure. That said, you can certainly experiment with them.

 

[CovenantCreek]

The only way to get "pure" Delaware chicks is by breeding "pure" Delaware adult stock. Get a Delaware roo -- if you want to see what would happen when you cross a Delaware to a NHR, let him have access to the NHR hens as well as the Delaware hens.

 

[scgamecock]

Actually a NH Red roo over a Delaware hen is a sexlink cross.Only the males will look like Delawares.

 

[speckledhen]

Actually, it's the other way in this cross, Marlon. I double checked my facts. The Del has to be the male with the NH female, in this case. That is a red sexlink, but the OP was asking about how to get pure Delawares. And the sexlink isn't pure.
http://www.cacklehatchery.com/delaware_x_hampshire_cross.htm

It does seem backwards, doesn't it? But that's the way this one works. All chicks from this cross, no matter which is the male and which is the female, are hybrids, not purebreds.