Delaware
Chicken
The Delaware was bred in the 1940s to be America's commercial broiler, a fast-growing white bird with light black barring on the neck and tail — then almost overnight the Cornish Cross replaced it and the breed nearly disappeared. It survives now as a rare heritage dual-purpose bird: calm, curious and quick to mature, with hens laying large to jumbo brown eggs. Cold-hardy and friendly, they're an easy keep and a genuine piece of poultry history worth preserving. Good for a keeper wanting a productive bird that's also uncommon.
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Bantam (Miniature size)
How to spot it
- Comb
Single - Single comb, medium
- Earlobes
- Red
- Legs & feet
- Clean yellow legs, four toes, yellow skin
- Plumage
- White body with light black barring restricted to the hackle, wings and tail
- Look for
- A white bird with barring only at the neck and tail — much lighter marking than a Columbian pattern's solid black hackle
Ancestry
How this breed was developed. Historical records, not crosses to make today.
Barred Plymouth Rock cocks over New Hampshire hens, by George Ellis of Indian River, Delaware, in the 1940s.
Find Delaware breeders near you
28 providers currently list Delaware.
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