Dominique Thread!

[mice75]

Quote:
I have no pictures myself, but found a site with pics. of German bred birds.
I'm sure in all those years there has been a great deal of bloodexchange between German and Dutch birds. Rare breeds often travel great distances here.

http://www.rgzvereine-kv-herford.de/zuechter_und_rassen/huehner + tauben/huehner/dominikaner.htm
Standard fowl
http://www.rgzvereine-kv-herford.de... + tauben/zwerghuehner/zwerg_dominikaner.htm
Bantams.

 

[KenK]

A picture of a Dominique cockerel. Hatched April this year as I recall. This is the one with the "gallop", he may have had a sore leg but not really any sign otherwise.

 

[Gallusfarm]

KenK, handsome male you have there.

Mice75. Thanks for those links. Love seeing what's going on outside of U.S.

Something I found interesting is the Rocks there look a lot like Dominiques here in type. They are all beautiful birds.

http://www.rgzvereine-kv-herford.de/zuechter_und_rassen/huehner + tauben/huehner/amrocks.htm

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I wonder what the ancestry of the European barred rock happens to be? They could easily have incorporated more domininque into them or even fixed the single comb trait into their domique line.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

At what ages do you all start separating your culls from the keepers? I live in the city and I am going to try to keep a roo, but I want to be able to pick the best one from the order (Cackle) as early as possible, or at least thin the ranks and get it down to a two or three, max, before they start having crowing competitions in my basement brooder. (These will be Bantams, too, so I expect to have less time than with LF!)

What are things to look for early on that are easy to cull on? What are your priorities? I know my rabbits tend to show their "mini me" adult type best at between 5 and 6 weeks. Is there a comparable "magic age" for the Dom Banties?

I am also ordering Barred Rock Banties and will be doing the same thing with them. It will be interesting to compare them along the way.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I like cockerols to have tails with 45 degree angle and symmetrical combs. Also look for good symmetrical feather developement in wings and tail. Cull against birds with broken feathers if all else equal.

 

[Delight in Dominiques]

centrachid, Here is one I have been thinking on for a while. I prefer my hens/pullets to be lighter in color. And since most Dominique females run on the darker side I like to change things up. Now everyone knows the saying "you can not paint the barn before you build it", but I have a young Hen that just came out of molt that is showing a almost lacing, wide white color pattern that I like. I put her in with her brother this spring and stuck the color to a pullet. But type was not there. I am thinking putting her on the below ckrl next spring and then put her best son back on her to see if I can get the color to stick.From what I understand that second breeding should throw the next generation, 3/4 of the dams traits into her young.? If it was only that easy. I am going to do a mating with her brother on some nicely marked pullets that have a wider pattern and see what that will give me also. And for information none of her sisters show this color trait. John

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
The odd hen could possess recessive alleles coding for the light colored appearance or should could be a mutant, or appearance could be congenital. First two could explain rarity while last would likely if backcrosses to hen fail to generate more like her. Pursue to see what is up but I would be hesitant about using her as part of overall dominique breeding program if adherence to SOP is a priority.

Bars on individual feathers of hen appear "lunate", at least at distal tips. Could you pluck a body feather and photograph it?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Would selecting for lighter hens hinder whatever it is that makes them easy to sex as hatchlings?

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I do not know. Some of my strains are easier to sex than others as hatchlings based on down. Their does not seem to be a pattern in sexability based on down and adult coloration. Some other gene(s) are at play making such sexing easy or difficult.

I have a fair amount of variaton in female chicks but that variation does not persist in my birds. Stressing my birds and they do not repressent all that is out there.