Does anyone know anyone that would be interested in a nice pair of heritage Delawares? These are breeder birds, not hatchery lines. I wasn’t planning on giving up any of my girls since I only have 5, but one of the two cockerels I need to move out is just too nice to eat, so I would like to find someone that would be interested in working with the birds and able to swap offspring with me next spring.
The pair that I am offering includes a nice roo that will be 5 months old on the 27th. He has very nice tail barring and yellow legs, and he’s also bulking up nicely, just not quite as fast as my keeper roo. The hen is about 7 months old and has been laying nearly every day since early September. She has very dark hackle markings, too dark for the roos I’m keeping. Together, the pair will produce superior markings to the ones that I’m keeping, and should be a nice dual-purpose, heritage addition for someone that wants to work on preserving a rare, American breed.
If we swap chicks next spring/summer, we should be able to blend in the best of both worlds as far as the better coloring from this pair, and the faster growth and bulkier type from the ones I’m keeping. Alternatively, what may happen is the recipient of this pair develop a male line while I work on a female line, as I am told this is a breed that benefits from the “double mating system”.
Any takers?