Are there any Delaware breeders out there??

[SweetieChicken234]

I have some young Delawares and they are unlike any chicken I have met. Fantastic birds. I am very in love with this breed. After my flock dies off(or I eat them) I want to raise Delawares. I have tried to find everything about these birds available to me.

I want to do this the right way. I want proper breeding stock. My few are hatchery birds and I doubt these lines are good enough to use as breeding stock. I want to know the breeders and learn. Are there even Delaware breeders anymore?

 

[NatJ]

If you love your current chickens, then you may want to get more from that same hatchery and raise future generations from them.

Whether yours are "good enough" to use as breeding stock depends on what you are trying to accomplish. They should be able to produce more birds like themselves, and you already said you like them.

Birds from a breeder might well be different. Different can be better or worse, depending on how it compares with what you like about them. It might be good to get some birds from a breeder and compare, to see if you like them better or less well. Mixing hatchery stock with breeder stock is also a possibility (probaby frowned on by some breeders, but the chickens themselves will certainly not care.)

 

[ShrekDawg]

There are definitely still breeders out there!

 

[ShrekDawg]

You can search here

https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/breeders-directory/

 

[ShrekDawg]

Or on this site

 

[SweetieChicken234]

If you love your current chickens, then you may want to get more from that same hatchery and raise future generations from them.

Whether yours are "good enough" to use as breeding stock depends on what you are trying to accomplish. They should be able to produce more birds like themselves, and you already said you like them.

Birds from a breeder might well be different. Different can be better or worse, depending on how it compares with what you like about them. It might be good to get some birds from a breeder and compare, to see if you like them better or less well. Mixing hatchery stock with breeder stock is also a possibility (probaby frowned on by some breeders, but the chickens themselves will certainly not care.)

The problem is that the hatchery birds were changed to breed more for eggs and less meat. They are still dual purpose but I think the hatchery birds have bred in more eggs and less size/weight/meat. I don't think these are the same as the breed originally was developed. I'm looking more for the birds that are like the original Delawares. The birds I have now are very friendly, docile and sweet birds. I'm looking for a good egg and meat line.. not so much a line that is pushing heavy egg production. So for example a bird that produces around 180 eggs a year is fine for me but on the flip side I would want a faster maturing and heavier bird for meat. NOT a Cornish x .. I believe that was more what the original Delawares were bred to be. At 5 weeks now my Wyandottes are far bigger and heavier than my Delawares. My Delawares are fluff and the Wyandottes are legit HEAVY. Unfortunately I believe it's too hot in Florida to raise Wyandottes so those are not an option. I'm testing just a few of them. I think my hatchery strain is maybe just a different line of Delawares bred for higher egg production.

I think a breeder with a more original Delaware line would be more what I'm seeking.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

You can search here

https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/breeders-directory/

I used this already and wrote to both listed in my state (FL). One told me her flock was wiped out with avian flu and the other listed breeder didn't get back to me.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I used this already and wrote to both listed in my state (FL). One told me her flock was wiped out with avian flu and the other listed breeder didn't get back to me.

Oh okay sorry that stinks!

 

[South Dakota Guy]

I have some young Delawares and they are unlike any chicken I have met. Fantastic birds. I am very in love with this breed. After my flock dies off(or I eat them) I want to raise Delawares. I have tried to find everything about these birds available to me.

I want to do this the right way. I want proper breeding stock. My few are hatchery birds and I doubt these lines are good enough to use as breeding stock. I want to know the breeders and learn. Are there even Delaware breeders anymore?

My wife picked up two, 5-month-old, Delaware girls from a local chicken grower last week and she is in love with them as well. Even those these birds were raised in a largish chicken farm and seldom handled; the Delaware chickens let my wife handle them all she wants with no fuss. They appear really calm and mostly stay out of the way of the other chickens. This last weekend, after once again patching up a gold laced Wyandotte that had been attacked by another, I suggested she might want to get rid of the gold laced Wyandotte's. 2 hours later a new home was found and the gold laced Wyandotte's will live out the rest of their days on an organic produce farm eating bugs and providing fertilizer. AKA living their best chicken lives. Meanwhile, my wife is off to pick up two more Delaware chickens as I type. lol

 

[AprilWC]

Have you considered having eggs or chicks shipped to you? Consult the Livestock Conservancy's breeder list and ask any that seem promising if they could ship. Another option is to search Facebook for breed specific groups. You could also check poultry shows in your area.