Dominique Thread!

[Sylvester017]

Three pullet combs. Feel free to grade them.

I'm jealous -- I want a Dom NOW! We're zoned for only 5 hens/no roos (I'm happy at least we can have chickens!). I stagger the ages of my hens when adding to the flock so my girls don't all get old at the same time so we continue getting eggs from the younger ones. I lost 2 birds out of 4 last summer to heat-related complications so that's losing HALF my flock! I added a Breda last year, am adding another Breda this year, and by 2018 it will either be another Breda or a Dom -- depends on how heat-hardy the Breda turn out this summer on whether I get more Breda or add a Dom in 2018. Breda and Dom remind me of each other in personality, curious, family-friendly, unafraid, pesty pets and good egg layers. The only difference is that Breda are not known to be broody like Doms so the egg output is a fraction better w/ Breda. We aren't fond of straight-comb breeds and only have pea, walnut, or no-comb breeds and only get docile/timid breeds 5-lb-&-under.

OUR CUCKOO VARIETY BREDA PULLET - Triangle crest, NO comb, Vulture hocks, Cavernous crow-like nostrils, Feathered legs/toes


OUR GOOFY BREDA PULLET W/ 2 OLD SILLY SILKIES



THE BLUE BREDA HEN we lost last year

 

[Sylvester017]

My Dom was not at all happy about the cold weather this morning.

Look at that grumpy face!

In winter and summer when temps are extreme the comb, wattles, face skin, beak, and even legs/toes get dry/cracked. It makes one of my Silkie's eyes hard to open and close from the dry eye lids and she gets the "grumpy" look. The vet recommended I use a Q-tip or Cotton Balls dipped in vitamin A or E oil to swab comb, wattles, beak, face, eyelids, legs, toes, and toenails. He said the vitamins enrich the skin and even if the vitamin oil gets on feathers on the legs/toes it's good for the leg feathers too. Better than vaseline which has no health benefit like the enriching vitamin emollients have. The vitamins don't grease up the feathers like vaseline does. I used vaseline once on my White Leghorn and the vaseline stained and greased up her feathers so bad that dust bath dirt stuck to and stained her white feathers. If vitamin A or E oil is applied at night after roost, the vitamin oil absorbs overnight into the chicken's skin or leg feathers and no dust or dirt sticks to the chicken in the morning. When I vitamin E oil my chickens' faces/beaks they like to lick the vitamin oil - it's really a good Omega vitamin for layer hens.

 

[Sylvester017]

My Partridge Silkie after a bath, blowdry, and Vitamin E oil swabbing. The vitamins almost instantly absorb into the skin without a greasy mess and we were able to take this picture with no mess immediately after her bath and vitamin treatment.

 

[Alaskan]

Three pullet combs. Feel free to grade them.

I can't see the middle one well enough to tell anything.

I do not like the top or bottom one. The fingers are too big, and there is a deep hollow on the front edge.

I am pretty picky as to combs.....

 

[Faraday40]

In winter and summer when temps are extreme the comb, wattles, face skin, beak, and even legs/toes get dry/cracked. It makes one of my Silkie's eyes hard to open and close from the dry eye lids and she gets the "grumpy" look. The vet recommended I use a Q-tip or Cotton Balls dipped in vitamin A or E oil to swab comb, wattles, beak, face, eyelids, legs, toes, and toenails. He said the vitamins enrich the skin and even if the vitamin oil gets on feathers on the legs/toes it's good for the leg feathers too. Better than vaseline which has no health benefit like the enriching vitamin emollients have. The vitamins don't grease up the feathers like vaseline does. I used vaseline once on my White Leghorn and the vaseline stained and greased up her feathers so bad that dust bath dirt stuck to and stained her white feathers. If vitamin A or E oil is applied at night after roost, the vitamin oil absorbs overnight into the chicken's skin or leg feathers and no dust or dirt sticks to the chicken in the morning. When I vitamin E oil my chickens' faces/beaks they like to lick the vitamin oil - it's really a good Omega vitamin for layer hens.

thanks. I may try that when it warms up a bit. (Afraid to try new things when it's single digits or below.) Doms do well in the cold, so I do not fuss with mine. My orp roos get Vaseline when it drops below zero. I agree that it stains feathers, so I only use it in extremes.

Although here's something strange...... My 3 yr old EE has something stuck to her comb for months now. She's otherwise fine. No other chickens have issues. I may try a vit oil for her.

Here's a pic from Nov when she was molting & the white spots were at their worst. It looked like dirt particles, so I tried picking, but they didn't come off. (I didn't want to cause blood, so I didn't go digging.) I tried antibiotic ointment & later antifungal cream. Neither seemed to do much.


Here's from this morning: (If you look close there are still some white specks in her folds.

Everything else about her seems OK. Her comb is getting red, so I think she's going to get back to laying soon.

 

[Sylvester017]

thanks. I may try that when it warms up a bit. (Afraid to try new things when it's single digits or below.) Doms do well in the cold, so I do not fuss with mine. My orp roos get Vaseline when it drops below zero. I agree that it stains feathers, so I only use it in extremes.

Although here's something strange...... My 3 yr old EE has something stuck to her comb for months now. She's otherwise fine. No other chickens have issues. I may try a vit oil for her.

Here's a pic from Nov when she was molting & the white spots were at their worst. It looked like dirt particles, so I tried picking, but they didn't come off. (I didn't want to cause blood, so I didn't go digging.) I tried antibiotic ointment & later antifungal cream. Neither seemed to do much.


Here's from this morning: (If you look close there are still some white specks in her folds.

Everything else about her seems OK. Her comb is getting red, so I think she's going to get back to laying soon.

The vet advised me to use vitamin A or E oil in lieu of vaseline for frostbite protection or leg mite treatment. Of course, our temps never get to freezing so don't know -- I use vit E oil in lieu of vaseline for combs and wattles and legs/toes when temps get close to freezing and it sure helps keep the little combs from turning purple. I haven't had leg mite problems in 6 yrs so it must be working, at least for us.

The white spots on your EE is something I've never seen. W/ something unusual like that, for myself, I would pack up the chicken for a trip to the vet and let him diagnose it for me. Since antifungal and antibiotic ointment didn't help it may be something viral and she may need to be treated w/ internal medicines and at that point I would only trust my vet for a proper treatment. She looks like such a sweetie!

 

[EastNashChick]

I can't see the middle one well enough to tell anything.

I do not like the top or bottom one. The fingers are too big, and there is a deep hollow on the front edge.

I am pretty picky as to combs.....

Out of the 3 the 2nd looks like it has the nicest combs from these photos

 

[OldFowlGuy]

I can't see the middle one well enough to tell anything.

I do not like the top or bottom one. The fingers are too big, and there is a deep hollow on the front edge.

I am pretty picky as to combs.....

Thanks. I knew 3 was out. 1 I thought cute, but too large. I'm assuming fingers are the protrusions. I have lots of study to do. I will get better pics of #2, and a couple others not here. I think I've seen a keeper somewhere.

I hope to become picky, but my options are limited right now. I am in the market for some good stock, but don't have a source yet.

 

[OldFowlGuy]

Does anyone have a review of Sand Hills Doms? I've been contemplating an order for Javas, but need 15 of other breeds to fill the min. order.

 

[EastNashChick]

Thanks. I knew 3 was out. 1 I thought cute, but too large. I'm assuming fingers are the protrusions. I have lots of study to do. I will get better pics of #2, and a couple others not here. I think I've seen a keeper somewhere.

I hope to become picky, but my options are limited right now. I am in the market for some good stock, but don't have a source yet.

I'm not sure where you are located but the Dominique Club of America has a list on it website of affiliated breeders nationwide. Last I checked it was $10 a year to join. You can start your 1st gen breeding program and work some better stock in from your area in your 2nd gen when you know better what your stock is passing on to offspring to correct it. I wish they had the list for free but a lot of the poultry clubs have you pay to get those lists.