Laying Hens
3 hens
$20Qty 3
Lawton, OK
Photo: Josh Larios from Seattle, US / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Purpose
- dual
- Egg color
- brown
- Eggs / year
- ~220
- Hen weight
- ~6.5 lbs
- Cold hardy
- Yes
- Heat tolerant
- Yes
- Temperament
- calm, friendly, curious
- Forages
- good
- Broodiness
- moderate
- APA class
- American
- NPIP stock code
- R17
- Origin
- United States (Delaware)
Breed guide
Delaware
Also known as: Indian River
Developed in the 1940s from Barred Rock x New Hampshire crosses for the broiler trade, white with black barring on hackle and tail. The Cornish Cross displaced it within a decade, and conservation groups now list it as a priority heritage breed. The birds grow fast and lay large brown eggs.
Keeper's notes
An easy keeper across most climates, cool and damp included. Among heritage dual-purpose birds it is one of the better all-around picks.
APA recognized varieties
American · American Standard of Perfection, 2010 list
Delaware 1952
Where to find Delaware
Showing Great Lakes. Change it with the Near box up top.
Regional breeders with this breed on file (24)
Mansfield, IL
Brighton, IL
Cambridge, IL
Rockford, IL
Lebanon, IL
Effingham, IL
Woodstock, IL
Shipman, IL
Dundee, OH
See the full breeder directory →
Regional hatcheries that carry it (3)
Polk, OH
Sugarcreed, OH
Fresno, OH
Sourced from NPIP state directories, matched by the stock codes each participant registers. A flock may keep breeds beyond what it registers, so this list runs conservative.
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