We consider periodic solutions which bifurcate from equilibria in simple population models which incorporate a state-dependent time delay of the discrete kind. The delay is a function of the current size of the population. Solutions near equilibria are constructed using perturbation methods to determine the sub/supercriticality of the bifurcation and hence their stability. The stability of the bifurcating solutions depends on the qualitative form of the delay function. This is in contrast to the stability of an equilibrium, which is determined purely by the actual value of this function at the equilibrium.