Delaware Poultry Club
Standard of Perfection for Delawares
Thanks to the APA for all their hard work over the many years in writing and printing the SOPs that all breeders adhere to. Please visit the APA's website (and order a copy of the SOP) here.
(American Standard Of Perfection, 1998)
"A dual purpose fowl with well developed egg and meat characteristics. Excellent as broilers with an abundance of vigor and fine market quality. Delaware males may be mated to New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red females and produce chicks of Delaware feather pattern. Delaware females may be mated to New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red males, and sex-linked chicks result; the males have the Delaware pattern and the females have solid red feather pattern of the male. These day-old chicks may be separated according to sexes by their color."
Standard Weights:
"Cock....8 1/2lbs, Hen....6 1/2lbs, cockerel.... 7 1/2lbs, pullet.... 5 1/2lbs"
"Shape -- Male
COMB: Single, moderately large, well developed, set firmly on head, perfectly straight and having 5 well defined points, those in front and rear smaller than those in center, blade smooth; inclining slightly downward, but not following the contour of the neck too closely.
WATTLES: Moderately large, uniform, free from folds or wrinkles.
EAR-LOBES: Elongated oval, smooth, fitting close to head.
HEAD: Medium in length, moderately deep, inclined to be flat on top.
BODY AND FLUFF: Body -- moderately long, broad, deep; keel long, extending well to front at breast and to the rear of legs. Fluff -- medium in lenth, moderately full."
Shape for female the same as what is listed above. For a full standard for Delawares please visit the APA store. (opens in a new window)
"Color -- Male
BEAK: Reddish Horn
EYES: Reddish Bay
NECK: Hackle -- web of feather white, crossed with irregular indications of black barring; quill and shaft white. Front of neck, white.
BACK AND SADDLE: White
TAIL: Main tail -- Showing irregular indications of black and white barring, black predominating. Sickles and Coverts -- showing irregular indistinct black and white barring; quills and shafts white."
Color for females the same as listed above except for the tail which should be:
"Main tail -- black, entire feather edged with white. Coverts -- showing indications of irregular black and white barring, the white predominating; quills and shafts white."
For more than this partial standard, please refer to your copy of the SOP. You can even buy used copies, still in decent condition, at Amazon.com.
"A dual purpose fowl with well developed egg and meat characteristics. Excellent as broilers with an abundance of vigor and fine market quality. Delaware males may be mated to New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red females and produce chicks of Delaware feather pattern. Delaware females may be mated to New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red males, and sex-linked chicks result; the males have the Delaware pattern and the females have solid red feather pattern of the male. These day-old chicks may be separated according to sexes by their color."
Standard Weights:
"Cock....8 1/2lbs, Hen....6 1/2lbs, cockerel.... 7 1/2lbs, pullet.... 5 1/2lbs"
"Shape -- Male
COMB: Single, moderately large, well developed, set firmly on head, perfectly straight and having 5 well defined points, those in front and rear smaller than those in center, blade smooth; inclining slightly downward, but not following the contour of the neck too closely.
WATTLES: Moderately large, uniform, free from folds or wrinkles.
EAR-LOBES: Elongated oval, smooth, fitting close to head.
HEAD: Medium in length, moderately deep, inclined to be flat on top.
BODY AND FLUFF: Body -- moderately long, broad, deep; keel long, extending well to front at breast and to the rear of legs. Fluff -- medium in lenth, moderately full."
Shape for female the same as what is listed above. For a full standard for Delawares please visit the APA store. (opens in a new window)
"Color -- Male
BEAK: Reddish Horn
EYES: Reddish Bay
NECK: Hackle -- web of feather white, crossed with irregular indications of black barring; quill and shaft white. Front of neck, white.
BACK AND SADDLE: White
TAIL: Main tail -- Showing irregular indications of black and white barring, black predominating. Sickles and Coverts -- showing irregular indistinct black and white barring; quills and shafts white."
Color for females the same as listed above except for the tail which should be:
"Main tail -- black, entire feather edged with white. Coverts -- showing indications of irregular black and white barring, the white predominating; quills and shafts white."
For more than this partial standard, please refer to your copy of the SOP. You can even buy used copies, still in decent condition, at Amazon.com.
©Delaware Poultry Club 2013