The Delaware hen will start laying eggs at 6 months of age. This is because it wasn’t really intentionally aimed for. Delaware Chicken Temperament If you want a chicken that is quiet (well, as quiet as a chicken can be), then the Delaware Chicken can be a great breed for you. If you are only using your chickens for meat, then straight run chickens is a good way to go, and the other way around, if you are using the chickens for eggs then you want lot of hens right? Redcap pictures, video, information and chicks. These chickens would then be bred together. That is why it is in the top 10 largest chicken breeds. The rooster has black bars on his white tail feathers. Take advantage of the Delaware’s dual-purpose status. They possess all the potential of a commercial breed with all the personality of a backyard chicken. Generally speaking, you should be able to get at least 3-4 eggs per week from your Delaware Hen. Chickenmag.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. So, if you love a good bit of fresh chicken on the table, then you may find that the Delaware is one of your best bets. At heart, Delaware chickens have always been meat producers. For long term protection build an insulated, draft-free coop. It can cause issues during the winter months, so you are going to need to think of ways in which you can help to protect the comb from the elements. These eggs are going to be fairly large, so just a small flock of Delaware chickens should be more than enough to feed a family. It is really no surprise that the Delaware Chicken ended up dominating the commercial farming industry for many, many years. They submit to handling without a fuss. Delawares came on the poultry scene relatively late in agriculture history and had little chance to establish themselves prior to the onset of hybrid breeds. In 1952, at about the same time as the American Poultry Association declared them an official breed, they found themselves replaced by the new commercial hybrids. They possess all the potential of a commercial bree… Generally a docile breed, Delawares get along with each other and their humans. Robust, they handle both cold and heat well. If you want a chicken that is quiet (well, as quiet as a chicken can be), then the Delaware Chicken can be a great breed for you. The Delaware breed and temperament really offers the best of both worlds. Do bear in mind that their production is going to taper off a little bit when they are molting, but even then, you should still be able to get at least 3 eggs per week, which is going to be more than enough for some people. They submit to handling without a fuss. Of course, you do have the odd one that is going to buck that trend, but for the most part, people report that their Delawares are incredibly quiet. On the whole Delawares have a mild, quiet, and calm disposition suitable to the backyard chicken farmer. Luckily, the Delaware Chicken was everything the meat industry wanted. The only thing that you really need to think about is their larger comb. They barely make any noise. The only real problem is that the Delaware isn’t that broody, so you need to find a chicken that can help you to hatch eggs, or find some other way to get a steady supply rolling in. Also a white bird woul… The rooster weighs eight pounds and the hen six. They came to the poultry party late in 1940. www.chickenbreedslist.com Custom Chicken Socks. They are calm, friendly and fast maturing chickens. Delaware chickens are great, we have two of them Very informative articles thanks. Delaware was created in the Delmarva Peninsula, became a fast favorite as a premier broiler in this regi… As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In general they do well in both hot and cold climates. eval(ez_write_tag([[970,250],'chickenbreedslist_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',126,'0','0'])); © Copyright 2011-2017. Delaware was created in 1940 by George Ellis from Delaware. However, the occasional rooster will exercise his rights to aggressive behavior. Provide good layers good bedding and artificial lighting for maximum egg output. By the late 1990’s the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy estimated the total number of Delaware hens at fewer than 400. They typically lay four, large, brown eggs a week far into the winter months. Delawares have dwindled to a few hundred birds. Hopefully, you are going to have the same experience with one! The Delaware is a breed of chicken originating in the U.S. state of Delaware. Of course, you do have the odd one that is going to buck that trend, but for the most part, people report that their Delawares are incredibly quiet. Both have black baring in their hackles. On the whole Delawares have a mild, quiet, and calm disposition suitable to the backyard chicken farmer. It was once of relative importance to the U.S. chicken industry, but today is critically endangered. Adaptable to hot or cold the Delaware makes a good choice for the first-time chicken rancher. There are five points to their comb, which tend to be on the larger side. Information on Chicken Breeds from A to Z. Now, let’s take a little look at this beautiful creature and what it is able to offer the world. Some breeders have used an application of petroleum jelly as temporary protection against frostbite. They are broiler chickens. We know that they are not brilliant egg layers in comparison to some other chickens, but they are going to reach egg laying maturity a little bit faster than other breeds. George Ellis crossed a New Hampshire Red and a Barred Plymouth Rock with the goal of maintaining the egg laying capabilities of both but creating a breed with increased meat potential. The rooster has a very impressive red, five-point comb worthy of any child’s depiction. They barely make any noise. He crossed the New Hampshire hens with the Barred Plymouth Rock roosters to create Delaware. In the 1940’s companies such as Perdue Farms, the Delmarva Peninsula supplied the entire USA East Coast with chicken. Owners describe them as a robust, muscular, and substantial breed. Developed originally as a commercial, dual-purpose breed but later replaced by hybrids, Delawares today make excellent backyard chickens. Instead, it is a breed that came out of some mutations. They weigh a decent amount, and it won’t be long after you get them before they can be slaughtered. She has black tail feathers with white lacing. Every so often, these two would create a mutation. The Delaware unlike many chickens has only one variety—the Barred Silver Columbian. The Delaware Chicken would just so happen to be the result of that. Delawares provided table meat to the entire east coast for a decade. It was white (which meant it looked good if not all of the feathers were plucked from it properly), it matured quickly, which meant it could be slaughtered faster for a bit of meat and, perhaps more importantly, it was a good egg-layer. It can be a lot of hassle, but this chicken does taste fantastic. If you are lucky enough to live near a local hatchery where you can find Delaware chickens for sale, that is great. Yes. Delawares mature quickly and produce a clean, white-meat table fowl. He wanted a bird that would maintain good egg production but increase meat production too. At first, he named the breed Indian Rivers but later came to name them Delaware after the state they were created in. Owners describe the hens as broody but good mothers. Delawares bear confinement well. We won’t go into depth on how the world of breeding chickens worked, but the breed of the Delaware Chicken started in the New Hampshire Red and Barred Plymouth Rock. Since the chicken was bred from white mutated chickens, it is a white breed. There are a few black speckles on them too, but these are not something which will always make an appearance. Since this was a broiler chicken for a while, as you may expect, it is a chicken that is somewhat on the larger side of things. Unlike present day commercial breeds, they do well as a free-range, foraging chicken. Protect their large comb and wattles during cold spells.