Bielefelder X Delaware Broiler Sex-links, AKA Delafelder Breeding Project

[SweetieChicken234]

and there was peace and prosperity in the kingdom once again... lol. they're shaping up nice!! a few more days till the meatballs hit week 8 for me. theyre really packing in the food going through 50lbs a week roughly for 15 birds

Lol your birds are true meatballs. Mine are narrow meatballs. Lol I would love to see my birds eat like that. I have 29...no 27 now and they easily go through 50 lbs but they don't eat all the time. They eat and then rest for awhile. I want that calorie intake as high as possible lol my males are developing nicely. They are developing nice deep wide chests and I'm getting really impressed by their build. This is a beautiful shapely bird. When I pick them up and feel that wide body it's so different from my hatchery Delawares. This breeder has really done great work. I have 4 males now that I'm holding onto. It's hard to decide the best 2 from them so I'm going to wait it out as long as I can. If they start fighting I have to make other plans. One of the 4 is pet quality bird I would like to find a home for. He's extra sweet and cuddly. He's a people rooster.

 

[AZHomesteadPoultry]

if you need to you can make a small mobile pen for them you can pull around on the lawn. this is how i raise out my birds they get fresh grass everyday, and I can separate by sex once the roosters stop behaving if needed. I've even seen it done with wire dog crates with the tray removed, just move em daily and they'll be happy non-combative campers =)

 

[SweetieChicken234]

if you need to you can make a small mobile pen for them you can pull around on the lawn. this is how i raise out my birds they get fresh grass everyday, and I can separate by sex once the roosters stop behaving if needed. I've even seen it done with wire dog crates with the tray removed, just move em daily and they'll be happy non-combative campers =)

Oh that's a nice idea. I have like 4 big dog crates too. I could probably make something like that.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Looks like their prospective homes aren't going to work out. I really want the space so I'm processing them as I have time. 3 extra males today. They are 10+ weeks now.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

This is King

This is Meatball

This is Mr Long Tail

This is an extra male

I'll check them in grams on Sunday(11 weeks old). They are all getting pretty close in weight anyhow.

At the rate they are gaining it seems my biggest boys will be about 5lbs by Week 12. Breeder says they normally process around week 13 and have 3.8-4.0 lbs dressed. Just a reminder.. I am limited space in the city and my birds are more cramped. I will likely not see best results but at least I know it's in the genetics.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Processed 2 this morning. 1 day shy of 12 weeks. I sold off some older hens and my rooster is going with them. I'm going to process 2 more extras tomorrow and hold onto one of my pretty boys and a big boy to guard my remaining hens. At least until I integrate my remaining flocks.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

13 weeks. Some of my smaller males- pretty boys.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Top 3 males in my breeding flock. 13 weeks today.

 

[AZHomesteadPoultry]

These are looking fantastic! I apologize for my recent absence; work at the country store/fruit tree nursery has been particularly busy this season. Unfortunately, this meant I had to miss the 8-week weigh-in for my Delaware Broilers, but I feel I have a good baseline for comparison nonetheless.
> On the hatchery front, I've concluded operations for the home hatchery until this fall as I prepare to return to work in Alaska. I'm pleased to report a successful season, hatching a total of 372 chicks!
> Regarding my laying flock, I've streamlined things considerably by culling all other breeds. My current flock consists of 2 Bielefelder hens, 14 Delaware hens, and 2 Bielefelder roosters. The goal now is to strategically organize everything for successful breeding this fall.