Dominique Thread! - Page 56

If I had to pick between these two birds I would say that #059 is the better rooster of the two.
059 -
Has a better back,
Has better tail carriage,
To me, the closer to breed standard of the two.

066 -
Poor tail carriage,
Look to have too much White in a sickle feather  or two,
Poor back (to arched)

Chris

I rarely disagree with you Chris but this time I have to. Looking at these 2 birds with a Shilling drawing on the desk in front of me & I have to say #66 is much closer. To my eye #59 is too low in the tail & too long in the back.
I see what you mean about the areas of white on a couple of sickle feathers but that's a minor concern.

Chris I can totally understand why you would think that just looking at the photos. He was the hardest of all the cockerels to photograph and these photos just don't do him justice. No, he's nowhere near ideal, but of this pen of cockerels we think he's got the best type, which is all we're really focusing on at this point.

As far as the white in the sickles, that's actually an issue with all the cockerels in this pen, it could be stress or genetic. If it's genetic, that's fine, coloring is not on our big priority list at this point. We've made notes so that we can look more closely at the next generation and make sure we aren't getting extreme coloring in the flock, but in reality we have to keep focused on type (incl tail spread, overall body style, etc) right now.

We like #59 because he's overall a half-decent bird. I agree with Bill on his back and tail carriage, but I like his tail spread and in person he's a bit more upright than he's looking here in the photos. We're assuming he's low-man on the totem poll and that's whats lead to his sickle feathers being plucked out and his more submissive nature when he heard the other roos outside crowing. He's still young, and we will be keeping him around to see if his overall shape improves as his tail fills in and he gets older. Of course, we've got several females with tail carriage too high, so that might be the females we still choose for him in the end, if we do end up using him for breeding.

For now these two are saved from the soup pot We need more breeding pens so we can get more trio's set up! Ahhh!! So many projects! Just got the first treadle feeder done this weekend, we need to build a new run on the main breeder coup this weekend... maybe next week we can make one or two more trio pens and then we'll be better prepared for some selective spring hatching

You folks have about convinced me to get a few Doms started, like Centra, mine will be in breeder pens. I am getting Turkeys and some RIRs from Sandhill so will get a half dozen Doms to get me started. I have held off as I have heard so much of the breed being heavily crossed with Rocks, but now think it can come through this, so, I will be posting from time to get more info.  Keep up the good work with the breed, they deserve it.

In April I have a few Doms coming from Sand Hill, for a start, as they develop will be looking for egg sources from other serious breeders, but these will be a base for a small flock. I have admired them for a long time. I like the seriousness of the folks on this thread in improving their flocks. Its worth participating in them.

Does anyone here have an idea of total numbers of Doms in Heritage flocks and not hatchery birds?

Woohoo! Glad to see another enthusiast!

Just those of us on 'this page' are pretty well spread across the country, thats good, for exchanging eggs.  How many are there who are trying to breed the heritage birds and not just the hatchery peroduction birds?

I don't think there's really a database of any sorts for that... a good starting point would be joining the Dominique club. They have had inactivity in the past, but I think they're trying to do better this year and keep club members updated. Joining the club gets you the breeders directory and members directory, as well as access to all past issues of the newsletters, articles, etc. Worth the $10 I'd say.

I have a yearling flock of doms from a breeder that I intend to breed and improve in the coming seasons. First of all this thread has been great with pictures and critique and has got me going in the right direction as far as the major things to look for. Several of the hens are keepers but I am afraid nether of my cockerels are close to what I need. Im thinking , too long in the back, too large of a comb but ending with a correct spike. Good things about the cockerels, large size,  long sickle feathers. Cant tell about the cocks color, comparing to photos and all, but I have 2 hatchery dom hens and it gives me a good scope at what Im looking at. I will get some new photos of the birds, since that old b*#ch dog winter may be loosening her grip, and post them for more fun.
Although they will sit at my feet for treats, my dominiques are somewhat flighty( trying to catch one without the hook is futile)  and the roos make the startled sound when I come near( just saying hello ) They are very cold hardy, great foragers and good winter layers.

Did some more separating today. Here is a chicken tractor of a few pullets. Sorry about the poor condition. They've been having a hard time with pecking order, there's an older hen in this group that just hates these young gals - she's all but plucked the feather out of one of the littler ones, that's why they've been separated.






#08.. I just LOVE this gal's side profile, but I hope that the roo we've chosen for her will widen up her tail a bit.


What do you all think of this gal's coloring/feather pattern? She is such a glutton it's hard to tell her conformation most days as her crop is bulging, but there have been several days I've looked at her and really liked her, so at least for now she's not in the cull pen.