FREE-RANGE KEEPING OF AMERICAN DOMINIQUES

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centrarchid

centrarchid

Crossing the Road
15 Years
Sep 19, 2009
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Holts Summit, Missouri
I have a long-term goal of keeping a sustainable flock of 20 adult American Dominiques for dual purpose use with minimal connectivity to grid. This mean chicks are to be hen hatched and hen reared. Confinement is to be minimal and possibly seasonal as needed to protect from exteme cold and night time losses to predation. I prefer birds themselves not be confined by fencing. Additionally, nutritional requirements are to be met exclusively by forages available which are limited and seasonally variable as well. My rearing system currently falls short on all accounts. I am going to document process of realizing goal which may take several years.


Forage base will be first challenge. Confinement will not be addressed until forage management system allows birds to meet nutritional requirements without flock ranging off property beyond predator management area.
 
I am currently putting together photographs showing existing plant community and topography. Both are very important with respect to predator management although the relevance to nutrition will be dealt with first.



My interest in American Dominiques stems from my grandmother. She used to produce hatching eggs for a commercial hatchery and dominikers were her favorite. Based on her description the dominiker she produced was American Dominique rather than barred rock that my brother and I saw her produce later. Also a co-worker gave me my start in the form of an American Dominique cock that was the son of a cock which took state first place in show. Bird I got was mine for only a single season but he did produce so nice offspring. For me selection and the study of feeding ecology are hobbies and the American Dominiques allow the hobbies to be combined. Finally, I keep many more American Games and want a breed that when it crosses with my games produces a hybrid that is easy to spot even at hatch. Both are free-ranged as juveniles only at current location but occasionally brood fowl management errors do occur, especially when heavy winds involved.
 
That's awesome and will certainly prove to be interesting! I look forward to seeing how it turns out, and I have to admit that my DH and I have definitely developed a soft spot for doms.
 
Central Missouri is quite a bit farther south from me, so that I would expect that the foraging would be better longer, but I do not think it will meet the needs of your birds year round. You would need to be much closer to the equator for that.

In the height of summer, my birds eat considerable less commercial feed. But as soon as we get a frost, the bugs are severely diminished, and the with the cooler temperatures the birds need more energy. Energy comes from feed. Stressing your birds in the winter will drastically effect their longevity, and egg production.

My birds free range extensively. It works best if you have a good rooster that is at least a year old. A roo is not much good until then. Roosters are a crap shoot, it can be the very devil to get one that is a good protector, good to his ladies, and does not attack you. But I have had them and they are a great benefit.

If you have any predators, and if you are off the beaten path, you WILL have predators. They will clean you out unless you can fence them out, and provide a sturdy year round coop. EVERYTHING likes to eat chicken, and once they find you, they keep coming back, and coming back. I love to let mine out, and do most days, but sometimes you have to lock them up. I have found if I get a heavy predator daytime loss, that if I keep them locked down for a week, the predator sometimes moves on. I also, try and vary when I let them out, not every day at 7:00.... so that the predators don't figure out the routine. And I have had a trapper in, he told me it was the biggest coon he had ever trapped.

I have not raised chicks artificially in years. I have had a broody hen do it. You do suffer some losses, but I think the chicks are healthier and the ones that live are stronger. I keep mine with the flock. It works for me.

I have Delaware and Dominique chicks now under a broody hen, it is the first time I have had either breed. I got them from Sandhills preservation. It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

Mrs K
 
Pictures of area before improvements. Represents about 6 of 18 acres.




Doms will be kept away from mowed yard.








Barn to be constructed to right of conifer.


Core of dom foraging area. About 50 persimmon trees will provide canopy.




Apple orchard that will also be quarantine area. Doms to be kept away.


Current improvements. Pathways connecting areas of short grass. Short grass provides more edible vegetative plant materials while tall grass provides seeds and animal forages. Goal is to have so birds do not deplete forage base in tall grass areas.



Short grass currently maintained with mower, sheep and goats will do it later. Dogs key to integrated predator management system that also includes cover patches and fencing; some of which is electrified.
 
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Examples of existing cover patches. Trees with suitably located branches can be flown up into when needing refuge from red foxes and coyotes.




Trees like in center (black willow) do not make good cover because they are hard to land in for chicken.



Sweet sumac, once leaved out, will provide excellent cover from raptors. Raptors can not see in from above nor can they fly in from side. Chickens can run full tilt through stems and have enough places to maneuver even if hawk is ballsy enough to walk in. Also provides excellent shade with good airflow.




Sweet sumac with a wild rose in foreground. Also has a little fencing. Birds use these types of areas for loafing in day-roost.



Miniature thicket hens like to take young into during middle of day, especially if a little feed is scattered nearby.



What is missing currently are extensive bramble patches that will be planted within next year.
 
That is what my country looks like, lots of vegetation, lots of trees and bushes, tall grasses and short grasses, and lots of predators. Maybe your plan will work, but I think you will have heavy losses. If your birds can hide, so can predators. Those predators have been living there longer than you have probably, and they know the lay of the land.

Perhaps the dominiques are a stronger bird than others I have had, it will be an interesting experiment.

Mrs K
 
Mrs. K said:
That is what my country looks like, lots of vegetation, lots of trees and bushes, tall grasses and short grasses, and lots of predators. Maybe your plan will work, but I think you will have heavy losses. If your birds can hide, so can predators. Those predators have been living there longer than you have probably, and they know the lay of the land.

Perhaps the dominiques are a stronger bird than others I have had, it will be an interesting experiment.

Mrs K
Click to expand...
Mrs K,


This is start, not finished version of what is to be done.

Multiple flocks have been kept at this current location for last four years. Majority of members in those flocks have been juvenile American Dominique. Balance have been members of American Game flocks organized either as similar aged mixed sex groups of juveniles or as a harem where chicks where harem raised which differs markedly from simply hen raised. Some losses have been incurred to predators and the rate has decreased over time as dogs, fencing and cover have been brought into picture. I do persecute predators but also invest in repelling them and making their job more difficult. Take time to look into my planned livestock dog thread and you will see effort and success involved. Most importantly, my experience with free-range poultry did not start four years ago, rather much closer to forty. Different location but similar predator assemblage in part because walks were very similar with respect to floral community I currently have. Gamefowl were used almost exclusively until last 5 years or so of that time and losses were incurred but we never got taken enough by predators to force outsourcing fowl. Same flocks also produced enough to enable harvesting of young late hatch birds as fryers and excess hens were always available for egg production. Stag production was more than adequate. Hen / harem rearing was obligate, this business of incubators and brooders is new to me and decidedly inferrier when quality fowl are desired. Somewhere you came across from bleachers as assuming I have little experience with broody hens which is a bit inaccurate.


American Dominiques have a reputation for being good free-range production but they do not compare well with American Games in that regard. In all likelihood any breeds you have experience would not be better than my Dominiques. Still habitat and management will be changed extensively to accommodate their needs. There will be setbacks for sure but this project was not initiated until I felt confident in management of the local predators. You will notice landscape will change as management of pastures intensifies and becomes more similar to the integrated farm I grew up on. There will be no hogs, horses or cattle this go around but otherwise similarities will be realized.
 
SWEET SUMAC PATCH


All plants likely of same clown with stems forming a clump 60 feet long x 20 feet wide and pushing 8 feet tall in middle.
Spring prior to canopy closure. Not valuable as cover when like this.





What insect sees when flying over patch.


Stems hawk sees when trying to fly through. Even Coopers have serious trouble here.


Ground level before stunted fescue is trampled down.


View when looking up. Hawks cannot see down through it.
 
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