Delawares

     Mr. George Ellis of Delaware used a common cross of the Barred Plymouth Rock with the New Hampshire Red to develop this breed.  Although Mr. Ellis's goal was a broiler production bird, the breeding of one special sport from the cross with the New Hampshire Hens produced the Delaware.  The normal result of Barred Plymouth Rock and New Hampshire Reds resulted in barred females and either black or red males.  However, this normal cross did result in the occasional sport colored bird.  Mr. Ellis's birds produced a sport that was mostly white with black barring on the hackle, tail, and wing.  In most cases, the production of sports was inconsistent.  Fortunately for Mr. Ellis, one of his sports was an excellent specimen and reproduced a stabilize consistency when crossed back to the New Hampshire Red females.  The Delaware was accepted into the American Poultry Association in 1952. 
 

The Delaware Cockeral above is of the Ron Pierce Line.  This big fella belongs to our Junior Member, Mr. Ari Katz of Flying Hen Farms.  Ari is also the proud owner of the Ron Pierce Line Delaware Hen in the photo to the right.

    
     The Delaware birds in the photos belong to Mr. Bill Braden of Land of Tobe Poultry in OK.  Mr. Braden obtained Delawares from two different sources and crossed these birds together.  The first group of birds came from Collette Long of MO and the second set came from Robert Smith of MO.

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