Colorado

[Pozees]

I find it funny that my girls laid 10 eggs thursday 18 eggs yesterday and 10 today.

I haven't seen that many blue eggs in a month or two.

Wow! Funny, I just had two four-egg days in a row, the Red hen has been laying really good sized eggs and the Cochin has stopped altogether, so three of the Sussex Sisters are laying for sure, and maybe four or all five and they're just rotating their days around - either way I'm happy

 

[wsmith]

That is cool that you found a 1913 copy! How many years would you say do Dom hens lay for???? What is the average weight of a Dom hen?

A dominique hen will weigh between 5-6 lbs when she is mature. For Dom hens, with no additional lighting in the hen house, it isn't uncommon to have one lay 200 eggs per year for 3-5 years. Some have been known to continue to lay for many more than that, but that is the exception, not the rule.

I found it for sale on ebay, and was being outbid, so I went to the Dominique club message board and let them know it was there, and to find out if any club members were bidding against each other. We were. So we stopped bidding and our club secretary got it. She had professional copies made, right down to the cardstock covers and the same paper color. The original will be domated to the APA museum, while those members who wanted a copy got them.

 

[wsmith]

I'm sure you saw the discussion on the HLF thread about this, but I was wondering whether you agree that there were at one time Red Doms? The pictures that were there were really pretty, I thought. Made me want to make some LOL

Mark Fields, who wrote (literally) the book on American Dominique's, says there may have been red doms, which was states on the HLF thread, but they also left out his statements which said in a nutshell, that many people confuse the American Dominique breed with the coloring and cuckoo pattern. The red dom that was shown looks to me like a cross of some sort, which may breed true and subsequently could possibly be considered its own breed, but it lacks the body shape (type) of an American Dominique. It would also appear that this type is VERY rare, and possibly only kept by this one older gentleman. It also had some coloring that wasn't consistent with American Dominiques. If I were to picture a red dom in my mind, it would be all red and white/grey, not the multi-colored bird that was shown. That being said, it was an interesting bird.

 

[wsmith]

Dominique's, what sort of egg production? They look so pretty. I have the black austrolopes and am hopefully taking 2 rehomed red stars. I love the look of the doms and their eggs are so pretty!!! I feel like someone slipped chicken crack in my food!!!! My hubby and I are waiting on a fat settlement, which would allow us to buy land. I a, excited excited!!!! I can have a bunch of chickens!!!!! Yay

before answering your Dom question, we have to remember that the American Dominique was almost extinct 30 years ago. The breeders who kept the breed alive focused on type, rather than egg production. When the hatcheries started offering dom chicks, they of course focused on production so as to maximize profits. But they didn't seem to focus at all on type. There are a few of us out there who are working on maintaining type as well as bringing up egg production. I have a mixed flock of hatchery birds and breeder show birds, and my cockerel, Abraham, is from show stock. This past year I culled (donated birds, sold birds) my pullets pretty hard. at first I went for type, as they hadn't started laying yet. Now I am looking at egg size and winter laying. I have 4 pullets that have made the cut for breeders, and will add perhaps two more... I have two pullets that consistently lay large eggs, so I have to find out which ones they are and they will be part of the breeding pen as well.

Right now, in the winter, no additional lighting or heat, I am getting a lay factor of .54, which means that each pullet is laying about every other day. before it got cold, I had a lay factor of .66 and it was increasing. at that rate, if they were to keep it up all year, would give me about 240 eggs per year from each hen. That would be AWESOME! That would be exceptional for a dual purpose bird, and be on par or better than they were getting 100 years ago. then they averaged about 200 eggs per year per hen, or a lay factor of .55 .

The egg sizes from my pullets range from 1.6 oz to 2.0 oz, with most being between 1.8-2 oz. 2 oz is a large egg. These are first year pullets, and haven't reached maturity yet. I expect them to lay larger eggs and my goal is to have a lay factor average of .75, but that may take a few years. AND I have to maintain SOP type while doing this. The egg colors range from a pinkish white (very light tan) to a medium brown.

 

[pichuris]

She's incredible. I've watched the slaughterhouse videos that Peta puts out and I don't want to be like them. I don't want to pretend I'm doing something right because everyone else does it that way. She inspires me to accept that culling is a necessary part of livestock but that it doesn't have to be ugly and inhumane.

Here's a standard of humane care for chickens that Temple and others helped create. It is in a pdf file and this is the link I had talked about before. It is geared toward poultry operations but the part I zeroed in on is what they recommend for euthanasia. http://files.meetup.com/1778265/Standards for Humane Chicken Husbandry.pdf There was a pamplet published for home farms but I can't find it now. If someone should have that link, please post it or PM me. In that, the best way to cull was cervical dislocation.

edit: if i have a small chick that needs to be euthanized, I use CO2. Not all at once but in minute quantities with food and water in an enclosed tub, until they fall asleep. If you go too fast, you take the risk of them flailing. I still cry when the baby chicks have to be euthanized because I know what a struggle it was for them to free themselves from their shells.

We used CO2 as well when we had to put down a who litter of rabbits. Poor little things all came out with splayed legs. I had to put down a chick in this last hatch for splayed legs too. Its very simple and I like how they just "fall asleep."

Hmmmm, well, I am hoping to add some before late summer, so yes, please add four SS for me to your McMurry order, would be great! I too like their ability to blend in, and they do have wonderful personalities. Still may be interested in some late summer, a roo for sure, once you decide who you are keeping and who you are selling from your Tony bunch. I don't dare have any birds with all white, as they seem to be the first to be picked up by whatever comes long. Thanks!

Oh, gosh. They are so pretty. I ordered a mix pullet order from Ideal in September and she was my favorite. Unfortunately she committed suicide by getting into the big girl pen when she was 10 weeks. I've been thinking about getting two.

 

[suncatcher]

Wendell, I am more interested in them laying longer, than in laying more eggs, and then stopping. I would be interested in buying 3 or 4 Dom pullets from you when you have them available.

Glad you got in touch with the person in the club that was bidding against you!

 

[suncatcher]

I thought maybe we could add this person to our Colorado Breeder list if he was closer to the Colorado/Nebraska border. Unfortunately he is in SE nebraska. http://xwpoultryranch.com/ I am all for a road trip, but not this far.......... Yep, I think I really need to get an incubator soon!!!!

 

[pichuris]

So for the majority of my life I've had chickens since I was 10 years old. This year I barely found BYC. Since then my thoughts have been back and forth on how I want to continue. I know I need good egg layers because I sell a lot of eggs (color doesn't matter). I no longer want to purchase chicks but hatch my own to replace & also sell started pullets. The majority of my flock is landrace a lot like Coloradogal. However, I do feel I want to focus on one breed specifically and SOP. I'm really drawn to Delaware. Anyone here have any experience with them? It seems they may be a difficult breed to locate "non-hatchery".

 

[suncatcher]

We used CO2 as well when we had to put down a who litter of rabbits. Poor little things all came out with splayed legs. I had to put down a chick in this last hatch for splayed legs too. Its very simple and I like how they just "fall asleep."
Oh, gosh. They are so pretty. I ordered a mix pullet order from Ideal in September and she was my favorite. Unfortunately she committed suicide by getting into the big girl pen when she was 10 weeks. I've been thinking about getting two.

Where do you get the CO2? Sounds like a very humane way of putting small animals down.

They do have the best personalities don't they!

 

[pichuris]

Most common form is dry ice. Some grocery stores carry it. I can't remember where my Mom got the CO2 tank then we made a bucket with hose going to it. That was many years ago.