Dominique Thread!

[Alaskan]

I bought Dominiques from Cackle last spring, since they are supposed to be the best hatchery line out there.

I am very unimpressed.

They are much too dark, one has a roach back, the combs are horridly large and ugly (but all rose), the wattles are also quite large.

The shapes are not horrid, but also not good, many of the rooster tails are very close to a squirrel tail.

It is nice that they are not Barred Rocks .....but they are not impressive.

 

[Sylvester017]

I bought Dominiques from Cackle last spring, since they are supposed to be the best hatchery line out there.

I am very unimpressed.

They are much too dark, one has a roach back, the combs are horridly large and ugly (but all rose), the wattles are also quite large.

The shapes are not horrid, but also not good, many of the rooster tails are very close to a squirrel tail.

It is nice that they are not Barred Rocks .....but they are not impressive.

So sorry to hear you had an unsatisfactory experience with Cackle. Like all breeding programs - and if Mark Fields is indeed assisting Cackle - it will take more than one generation to get the "kinks" out during selective breeding. Maybe they need another year or two of a breeding program to get it right. As curious as I am to see Cackle stock, especially if Mark is assisting, I probably will go with another Privett Hatchery chick through our feed store since I can't utilize a direct hatchery minimum order and have had a nice little Privett Dom before.

 

[vpatt]

I have three Dom pullets (well, one could be a he). I wonder if they reach laying age in the winter will they generally begin laying then or are they more apt to wait and begin in warmer weather? Just curious.....I know it will happen when it happens. I don't know their exact ages so I cant do a countdown....

 

[Regin]

I have three Dom pullets (well, one could be a he). I wonder if they reach laying age in the winter will they generally begin laying then or are they more apt to wait and begin in warmer weather? Just curious.....I know it will happen when it happens. I don't know their exact ages so I cant do a countdown....

My Dominiques have been reaching POL at 17-20 weeks. Dominique pullets will lay through their first winter, and should start close to the normal age or slightly delayed. I had one pullet that NEVER did lay.

 

[matt44644]

Mine just started laying at 19 weeks

 

[buffalogal]

Buffalogal and Sylvester017,

Your positions are unfortunate. Your take on others is inaccurate and you promote ignorance because of a lack an in interest. Responsible breeders want to understand variation the American Dominique contains so they can better preserve. Your positions are blatantly backwards and in its self serves to hinder interest in the breed.

At no point do I suggest developing a new breed based on the white sports , rather I question Buff's assertions about the appearance of the sports and the frequency of their occurrence.

As for appearance of the white morph, for others to see follow link below.

http://www.dominiquechicken.com/White_Dominiques.html


Most people these days likely have American Dominiques impacted by birds discussed in link above. A potentially similar allele operates in some current American Game strains although mode of inheritance differs greatly from current accounts of some parties (Buffalogal) vested in statements of purity of their lines,
https://www.google.com/search?q=whi...read.php%3F38582-White-Hatch%2Fpage4;1024;768
The American Game strain was around at the time and in the same geographic area given in the historical account for he infusion of new blood into the proto-Voter lineage.

I acknowledge the mutt origins of American Dominiques and most poultry breeds. I also have an interest in how reality compares with historical accounts. Buff, your current accounts discredit that of first link above. I am giving you account a fair shake by wanting to look more deeply into the phenotype and its mode of inheritance. Thus far the purists have not after 40+ years been able to eliminate the white morph from American Dominiques. I attribute that to ignorance to its mode of inheritance.


Knowledge is power.

And a good morning to you too my Fractious Friend.

My position is neither "inaccurate" nor ignorant. I know what these birds are: recessive silver white Dominique sports. I do not need to "study" them. In Mark's book, you'll note that white Dominiques were known to predate the Voter strain by roughly 40 years. My "current accounts" do not discredit anything. I simply have Dominiques that when closely linebred will produce white sports. When they are "outcrossed", that is, bred to birds more distantly related, they do not. End of story, period.

If a white bird hatches here, it pretty much stays here for life, unless I give one to a neighbor who is looking for a cock to watch their hens. That is the extent of my "culling" as I do not kill birds for being the wrong color. (I have been known to make a 9 hour round trip to pick up white sports to spare their life, but not to breed them, though I would be the first to say they make a nice contrast with a cuckoo colored bird in the same way a black sheep looks nice in a flock or white. ) As for hindering interest in the breed, the Dominique SoP makes no allowance for white birds anymore than it does single comb birds. Telling people it's okay to breed single comb and off color birds as some kind of "project" is not furthering the interest of the breed, though it certainly does encourage people to crossbreed in an attempt to create whatever *new* version happens to be the fad of the minute. But Dominiques are not games or Silkies or Orphingtons. They have one accepted color and comb type. While they are a wonderful, dual purpose breed with a rich heritage, they are not all things to all people, nor should they be. A person looking for a barred bird with a single comb would be better served getting a cuckoo Maran or Barred Plymouth Rock. In the same way, if someone specifically wanted a solid white, clean legged LF rosecomb chicken, I would suggest Dorkings, and in particular, the birds that Yellow House Farm produces are quite nice. In the end, encouraging people to carefully consider the various breeds in regards to the traits they desire and match the two up accordingly does not hurt the Dominique, but it does help people find the right breed for them.

 

[buffalogal]

Quote: The Dom bantams at Cackle are descended from Marks old Unbeatable beauty line, but he would be the first to tell you their quality has slipped considerably since they acquired their stock. Based on birds I'd seen over a dozen years ago, I am one of those people who used to recommend Cackle LF as being the best representatives of the breed available at a commercial hatchery. But then I actually had some of their pullets here and I too found them disappointing. According to Mark, their large fowl are descended from Smith Hatchery stock, but their flock is in the hands of a private breeder who has not been diligent at maintaining the quality. As of this spring, Mark and Fred Farthing are working with Cackle to improve their Dominiques, both LF and bantams, with Fred generously providing eggs and the two of them are supposed to go through to help choose the breeders. In a couple of years, they should be top notch again, provided the private breeder doesn't make the same mistakes.

 

[gootziecat]

Guess I ordered too early. I ordered 5 Dom bantams from Cackle late summer. Of the chicks I got, they were the only ones that got killed in transit or have died from lack of disease resistance. I have 4 barred Rock bantams from the same order that are fairing quite well. Some one else might have just the opposite luck, but I can only report how mine have done.

 

[Gardenlady2]

I received 16 Doms from Cackle back at the beginning of May. A couple had some curled toes, but All were healthy and I did not vaccinate or use medicated feed. I lost 2 recently to a great horned owl, but the rest are still here. They still haven't started laying though! I think I wasn't feeding them enough so I've significantly increased that. They're only up for about 11 hours a day now, so will they not lay until spring? I'm considering adding artificial light in the mornings...

 

[Alaskan]

I received 16 Doms from Cackle back at the beginning of May. A couple had some curled toes, but All were healthy and I did not vaccinate or use medicated feed. I lost 2 recently to a great horned owl, but the rest are still here. They still haven't started laying though! I think I wasn't feeding them enough so I've significantly increased that. They're only up for about 11 hours a day now, so will they not lay until spring? I'm considering adding artificial light in the mornings...

I would have panicked over curled toes.

Do you have pictures? I just wonder if yours are as dark as mine.


Mine are laying now, and I got them the 1st of May.