DOMINIQUE AND 2 SILKIES SUNNING AT THE DOOR.
DOMINIQUE "DANA" AND HER 2 SILKIE FRIENDS
DOMINIQUE "DANA" AND HER 2 SILKIE FRIENDS
Dominique Thread!
- Thread starter Dixiedoodle
- Start date
Glad to hear from you & "Dana" again! No longer have a Dom here, but I still watch this thread to see their beauty.
Glad to hear from you & "Dana" again! No longer have a Dom here, but I still watch this thread to see their beauty.
Always good to hear from you!
Loved all 3 of my Dom girls till heatstroke got two of them. "Dana" was my very favorite of the 3 so I'm extremely thankful she's still around. Breeds and personalities come and go but every once in a while a special hen comes along. Dana is not gorgeous -- she has uneven wattle lengths, she sprouts a solid black feather now and then, she has a huge cushion of feathers at her top back, she's a hefty 7-1/2 lbs instead of the petite 5 or 6-lb average Dom hen weight, but we love her.
Dana is alpha hen now that our alpha Silkie hen passed last year and Dana's not a mean alpha toward the two young Silkies.. But she'll chase off a stray cat in HER yard if one dares cross the property! Dana is a product of Privett Hatchery in New Mexico. Since Dana is so large we suspect hatcheries cross-breed Doms with other layer breeds so the true Dom lines get muddled. I mean, Doms should have a pretty U-shape back but all our Dom girls from Privett developed fluffy cushioned backs after their pullet first year.
This American Dominique cock is third generation from what I originally gave to my brother. He is coming back to help refresh line.
I have raised poultry for several years, but have recently graduated college, and have moved out on my own. I live in my late grandparents old house, on 20 acres in rural southeast Kansas. I started a new flock late last summer, all American Dominiques (I’m “all in” on the Doms!).
They are truly free range birds, aside from being closed in the coop at night. They are excelling at the job. They spend the whole day out ranging, and only seldom visit the feeder (and consume little feed). Even in the winter, after suffering a terrible drought.
They’ve also been very successful at eluding predators. Since hatching them in July / August, I’ve only lost 3 birds. That was very early on when they were small, to hawks. I haven’t lost a bird now in 4 months. Out of all of the breeds we’ve had in the past, Dominiques are by far the best free rangers.
I started with 14 at hatch, lost those three early on, and gave two extra cockerels to a friend who wanted them. I now have 2 cockerels, and 7 pullets. I acquired the hatching eggs from Norman Tillotson. A breeder here in Kansas, that I located in the Dominique Club of America’s breeders directory. He has been doing very well showing his birds in recent years, and I am confident that I got some quality stock. I will be sure to take and post some good pictures of them, as soon as the weather gets a little nicer.
I do not intend to show these birds, but it was important for me to start with stock that is a good representation of the breed. I’m raising these birds strictly for utilitarian purposes. I wanted a well rounded homestead chicken, and I truly believe that the American Dominique is the right fit for me. Their history, (somewhat) rarity, and the fact that they are the true American original, also drew me to the breed.
With no intention of exhibition, I will not be selecting aggressively for the SOP. Aside from obvious significant defects, I will let the Kansas countryside do the selection. The smart and strong will survive to pass on their genes, and the weak and stupid will not. Over the years, I hope to have a line of birds that thrives on the homestead, as has been their claim to fame since the fruition of our country. Fortunately, they already seem to be doing a darn good job of that.
I have started getting my first eggs from them over the last couple of weeks. Beginning next month, I intend to start breeding them pretty intensively. Expanding my own flock, the flocks of friends and family members, and anyone else interested in acquiring chicks.
I have recently obtained a copy of Mark Fields’ book, and am still working my way through this monster of a thread. I have also joined the Dominique Club of America (and I insist that anyone else interested in preserving and promoting this breed does as well). With this weath of information, I’m learning a lot about Doms, fast! I am exceptionally pleased with my flock of Dominiques, and they bring me great joy daily. Being able to help preserve this living part of American history is truly an amazing experience.
It is my intention to keep this thread alive and active, so you will be hearing more from me. I also have no doubt that with the current situation of “things”, 2023 will be a record year of hatching, and backyard chicken ownership. Hopefully, some folks new to the poultry keeping game, will read this thread and be inspired to give Dominiques a try. I think that they truly are a special breed. One that deserves to thrive in this country, as it once did.
They are truly free range birds, aside from being closed in the coop at night. They are excelling at the job. They spend the whole day out ranging, and only seldom visit the feeder (and consume little feed). Even in the winter, after suffering a terrible drought.
They’ve also been very successful at eluding predators. Since hatching them in July / August, I’ve only lost 3 birds. That was very early on when they were small, to hawks. I haven’t lost a bird now in 4 months. Out of all of the breeds we’ve had in the past, Dominiques are by far the best free rangers.
I started with 14 at hatch, lost those three early on, and gave two extra cockerels to a friend who wanted them. I now have 2 cockerels, and 7 pullets. I acquired the hatching eggs from Norman Tillotson. A breeder here in Kansas, that I located in the Dominique Club of America’s breeders directory. He has been doing very well showing his birds in recent years, and I am confident that I got some quality stock. I will be sure to take and post some good pictures of them, as soon as the weather gets a little nicer.
I do not intend to show these birds, but it was important for me to start with stock that is a good representation of the breed. I’m raising these birds strictly for utilitarian purposes. I wanted a well rounded homestead chicken, and I truly believe that the American Dominique is the right fit for me. Their history, (somewhat) rarity, and the fact that they are the true American original, also drew me to the breed.
With no intention of exhibition, I will not be selecting aggressively for the SOP. Aside from obvious significant defects, I will let the Kansas countryside do the selection. The smart and strong will survive to pass on their genes, and the weak and stupid will not. Over the years, I hope to have a line of birds that thrives on the homestead, as has been their claim to fame since the fruition of our country. Fortunately, they already seem to be doing a darn good job of that.
I have started getting my first eggs from them over the last couple of weeks. Beginning next month, I intend to start breeding them pretty intensively. Expanding my own flock, the flocks of friends and family members, and anyone else interested in acquiring chicks.
I have recently obtained a copy of Mark Fields’ book, and am still working my way through this monster of a thread. I have also joined the Dominique Club of America (and I insist that anyone else interested in preserving and promoting this breed does as well). With this weath of information, I’m learning a lot about Doms, fast! I am exceptionally pleased with my flock of Dominiques, and they bring me great joy daily. Being able to help preserve this living part of American history is truly an amazing experience.
It is my intention to keep this thread alive and active, so you will be hearing more from me. I also have no doubt that with the current situation of “things”, 2023 will be a record year of hatching, and backyard chicken ownership. Hopefully, some folks new to the poultry keeping game, will read this thread and be inspired to give Dominiques a try. I think that they truly are a special breed. One that deserves to thrive in this country, as it once did.
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While it may not look or feel like it quite yet, spring is in the air here in southeast Kansas! 5 out of my 7 Dominique pullets have started laying, and I’m
getting 4 or 5 eggs a day. I am currently gathering a clutch, and will get my first batch of Doms this season going in the incubator, as soon as I get 22 eggs.
Always such an exciting time of year!
rayrose
Songster
The one Dom that I had was a screamer and I had to get rid of her.
Stealth chickens!
I have a full clutch of Dominique eggs in the incubator. Due to hatch March 27th!
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