I've seen all these threads about delewares and how they'll take over the world etc. Why are they so great and why do people love them so much? Thanks. nIcK
Oh, my ...... where should I start? Here is one reason ..... Now, mind you, this is not a good example of Delaware "type," but is a good example of why we LOVE our Delawares .... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=374604
Well, I am a 'new' convert....just started with 10 hatchery quality Delawares this spring....they are sweet, beautiful, the roos are grand and the 'extra' roos were SO EASY TO process....NO MORE CORNISH CROSS HERE! All delawares next spring! I am sure the hard-core delaware fans will have a much better answer for you!
Nick, if you have time, read the threads, it's all there. But the short version is, they are a great dual purpose bird. They are good layers of a nice size brown egg, and they are quite tasty. Another plus is that they have an exceptionally friendly personality from day one. The chicks tend to run toward you and climb all over you rather than running away. Many of us have lap Delawares. Plus, if you like breeding, they are one heck of a challenge to breed.
Big, friendly chickens, pure white with lovely speckled neck markings like a collar and dark tips of the tailfeathers. Lay large light brown eggs, VERY good productivity, hardy in heat and cold, and can go broody. Early maturing. My Delaware Delilah is friendly eye candy in the yard.
Quote:I also have a Delaware named Delilah. She is a mess of a chicken. She was infested with mites sometime last winter and lost a lot of feathers as a result. (I dusted and brought her inside for a few weeks.) When she got back to the flock, she was picked upon, losing more feathers and then got sun burned over the summer. This fall she seems to have gone through a molt. She was nearly bald. Feathers are growing back well now, but they are in that awkward stage where they make her look like a porcupine. The funniest part is she has little rings of downy feathers at the bottom of her drumsticks. They make me think of a poodle every time I see her. I should take a picture, but haven't yet.
