Delawares

A pair of Delawares

An American breed from, as you may guess, Delaware. It was developed in the 1940s through crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks and New Hampshires (it was originally called the Indian River). In the days before the Rock-Cornish hit the markets, this was one of the most popular broilers due to its fast growth and superior meat quality. It is a dual-purpose breed and lays brown eggs.

The Delaware is a white bird with barring on its tail and hackle. The Delaware is one of the breeds used to produce the modern production sex-linked hybrids. This is a very rare breed.

From Stacy Tate:
"Delawares, both male and female, should have black barring on their hackles, white backs, yellow legs, and "horn" colored beaks. Primary and secondary wing feathers should show barring in both males and females. The males should have barring on all of their tail feathers, while the females should have their main tail feathers black and edged in white, while their coverts, ideally, should show barring. Combs should be 5 points in both males and females, and Delawares should never be skinny flighty birds. Males should get 8 1/2lbs and females should get 7 1/2lbs."

And here's an article on the origin of the Delaware by Ed Hoffmann.

Breed clubs:

The Delaware Poultry Club