Dominique Thread!

[Cooptopia]

She is gorgeous.

Thanks Poinsettia, she is still growing so we'll see, but she is my favorite at this point both in disposition and how she looks.

 

[Alaskan]

How many of you'll have Dominique's where there is a decent risk of frost bite?

I was wondering, if those really big wattles tend to get frozen.

Thanks for any input!

Also, anyone have Dominiques free-ranging where there are raptors? How good are they at taking cover and not getting eaten?

 

[centrarchid]

I keep my brood fowl dominiques in pens as shown during winter when temperatures can get below -10 F at night. All I do is provide a wind break and more food. My dom's have combs that are tight enough frost bite is seldom an issue.




Until recently I kept my free-ranging American Dominiques with a harem of American Game. No games where lost to hawks but three American Dominiques, one cock and two pullets where lost to a ferruginous hawk (not normally this far east) two winters ago. Either dom's could not make it cover fast enough or were flushed from it by hawk. Two years prior to that I lost a couple five week olds to a Coopers Hawk but releasing a game rooster with flock of juveniles shut that down. I have yet to see evidence that Dominique roosters will provide such protection, Habitat type, season, and even hawk species can be important factors impacting losses.

 

[buffalogal]

How many of you'll have Dominique's where there is a decent risk of frost bite?

I was wondering, if those really big wattles tend to get frozen.

Thanks for any input!

Also, anyone have Dominiques free-ranging where there are raptors? How good are they at taking cover and not getting eaten?

No really big wattles here. The boys combs and wattles are trim and neat and they don't get frostbite. My birds are only penned long enough to collect purebred hatching eggs, otherwise, they're on their own for finding a suitable place to sleep. Some will take shelter in the rafters in the open goat sheds, many sleep in a large Mulberry and either of the two eastern red cedars flanking the front walk, a few want to cozy up on the front porch and I even have some that sleep in the henhouse. If your birds free range, they'll find places that they feel secure to roost. I've found that it's more important to provide good cover than it is to depend on the birds (even a macho rooster) fight off a predator. I grow native sunflowers that provide good cover for the birds from flying predators, and I also encourage a murder of crows to hang around because they're so good at convincing hawks and owls to move along. People who don't have shrubs, or 4 foot tall sunflowers ringing the property can create a make do shelter with a sheet of 4X8 plywood and some cement blocks, set up table style. The birds will love the deep shade, and will run under it when they think something dangerous is flying overhead.

 

[Alaskan]

Wow! That is good to know. I thought that the wattles on the boys looked rather big (at least compared to an Ameraucana). Where I am, I don't usually get super cold, but my humidity in the winter can be pretty high, so frost bite can be a problem for me.

I understand what you are taking about with cover. I think that that is one of my problems. I don't have a great deal of cover, and only so many chickens can dive through the coop pop door at one time. I wish I had paid more attention over the years, to which breeds of chickens got taken by which predators. Hummmm

 

[buffalogal]

Wow! That is good to know. I thought that the wattles on the boys looked rather big (at least compared to an Ameraucana). Where I am, I don't usually get super cold, but my humidity in the winter can be pretty high, so frost bite can be a problem for me.

I understand what you are taking about with cover. I think that that is one of my problems. I don't have a great deal of cover, and only so many chickens can dive through the coop pop door at one time. I wish I had paid more attention over the years, to which breeds of chickens got taken by which predators. Hummmm

I guess that depends on whose boys you're looking at, but since Ameraucanas have practically non existent wattles hidden under their beards, I can understand why any visible flesh might seem really big.



If the coop is the only cover they have, build the birds a low hanging 'porch' in front of the pop up door while you are waiting on your shrubs to grow. It should be big enough that in case of a predator induced panic that most can muster under there while they're waiting their turn to squeeze back inside.

 

[Alaskan]

Buffalo gal, ok, you have convinced me.

And if that is your rooster, he is BEAUTIFUL!

I now need to find a breeder who will ship chicks to Alaska and has birds that are very true to type, lay well, and tend to have not-hostile to humans roosters.

For next spring....not right now.

Wonderful!

 

[Jungleexplorer]

How many of you'll have Dominique's where there is a decent risk of frost bite?

I was wondering, if those really big wattles tend to get frozen.

Thanks for any input!

Also, anyone have Dominiques free-ranging where there are raptors? How good are they at taking cover and not getting eaten?

I cannot speak with authority about Dominiques when it comes to raptors, but I can tell that as good as Amercian Games are, I lost 80 out of 100 full grown free range American Games to hawks and owls in less then one year. You are in Alaska and you have a lot of Bald and Golden Eagles there (I spent some time up in your neck of the woods). I went fishing once and cleaned the fish and dumped the remainders on the shore. The first bald showed up in 10 minutes. Within 20 minutes there were about 50 Bald and Goldens on the shore. I doubt that there is any chicken in the in the world that could hold there own against those size of raptors. Also, you are looking at temps down to -40 or lower for extended periods of time. You really need to take these factor into consideration when thinking about raising chickens up there.

 

[Alaskan]

I cannot speak with authority about Dominiques when it comes to raptors, but I can tell that as good as Amercian Games are, I lost 80 out of 100 full grown free range American Games to hawks and owls in less then one year.  You are in Alaska and you have a lot of Bald and Golden Eagles there (I spent some time up in your neck of the woods). I went fishing once and cleaned the fish and dumped the remainders on the shore.  The first bald showed up in 10 minutes.  Within 20 minutes there were about 50 Bald and Goldens on the shore. I doubt that there is any chicken in the in the world that could hold there own against those size of raptors.  Also, you are looking at temps down to -40 or lower for extended periods of time.  You really need to take these factor into consideration when thinking about raising chickens up there.

I have raised chickens up here for years, and have talked to, in detail, with other chicken raisers in the area. So, I am familiar with the local climate and problems.

There is one lady that I have talked to in depth who has never lost a single chicken to raptors, even though she lives closer to a high density bald eagle area than I do. She however, has many large and thick spruce trees completely around and over her runs.


Alaska is a big place, and where I am, I do have many challenges, but -40 isn't one of them. I also don't have any golden eagles. Seems like I have all the other raptors though.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

I guess I am not familiar with the exact area you are in, I was along the Northern coast and only went to extremely remote areas. I don't remember seeing any chickens where I was. I now live in Texas and up until 2012 I had not lost a single bird to raptors. But the extreme drought conditions we are in have caused them to be more desperate and they are turning domestic fowl for food. I have been forced to stop free ranging my birds. I just lost this rooster (below) to an owl this weekend when he got out and spent one night on the outside. He was my only one of this color and I had not bred him yet. He was extremely rare and almost impossible to get. I raised him from a chick. One whole year lost because of a stupid owl. ARRG!!

I was very privileged to get some of Buffalogal's Dominiques in December of 2012. You will not find better birds then hers. I only have one rooster and one hen so I am keeping them under lock and key until I can raise some more. At some point I hope to free range them, but not until the raptors find some other source of food. They are decimating the wildlife and driving the local wild game birds to the brink of extinction.