Dominique Thread!

[DraigAthar]

How often do Dominiques end up with single combs?

Depends on the line, I imagine. A Dominique with a single comb does not meet breed standard and so technically is not a Dominique. But you'll find a lot of debate about whether or not it's good to keep the occasional single comb in your breeding program because of its association with increased fertility.

 

[oldcluck]

in my birds about 1 in 6 have the single comb. I do keep one with single comb now and again to increase the vigor of the flock. I have noticed my single comb birds grow faster and are the most productive.

 

[oldcluck]

Out of nealry 100 American dominique pullets hatched last year, only about 75 made it to 24 weeks and only about 15 were allowed to produce eggs. Now only 4 made final cut for use as breeders. Hopefully all will survive winter and produce good hatching eggs.

Wow, now that's selective breding. Would love to get some eggs from you next year.

 

[centrarchid]

Wow, now that's selective breding. Would love to get some eggs from you next year.

It's slow. I will be an old man by the time a dozen generations on hen side have been selected through. Roosters I can do in one.

 

[DraigAthar]

It's slow. I will be an old man by the time a dozen generations on hen side have been selected through. Roosters I can do in one.

Do you have a chart that you use to grade potential breeders? I'd love to know all the criteria you are using to keep/cull, and what priority or weight each aspect carries in your program.

 

[centrarchid]

Do you have a chart that you use to grade potential breeders? I'd love to know all the criteria you are using to keep/cull, and what priority or weight each aspect carries in your program.

I have a sequence followed. The weight of criteria related type are more of an eye-ball issue that I may not be best at yet. I need to take birds to show to get schooled on that.


SEQUENCE FOLLOWED

Hatch - must be normal with rosecomb

Abnormal / poor health birds culled as detected. Cocci have been dominant concern and simply remove wing bands at that time to mark as culls.

Cull for growth, type and lack of wing bands at 20 to 24 weeks. Cockerels culled most aggressively at this time. Dams quality as incubator / broody will be considered more starting next year so if two birds otherwise same, if your momma laid eggs that hatched well under her late in season giving lots of full-siblings, that is good especially if you are a cockerel.

I start monitoring egg production on first of year and watch for first season pullets that do not give eggs at least 5 days a week through July. This was inititially problematic without trapnesting but I have found some hens can exhibit high fidelity to nest site. Will try to use markers on back with webcam eventually once new barn in place.

Second season hens monitored in same manner excepting at end eggs are no longer pulled to see if hen will set. I am seeing a big problem here. Many hens lay too many eggs before going broody. They also do not roll eggs often enough. Combination of those factors. Some roosters also appear to be duds on the covering of hens and making eggs hatch. I may need to look into simply mating roosters to something like leghorns to test for fertility.

Once a hen makes it into breeding population, then she is in until she drops or quits laying. This should enable birds exhibiting longevity to be more repressented in gene pool over time.


Once I get a cockhouse in place I may look into selecting for longevity of males as well. Male fertility appears to be a problem.



As you can see this is a work in progress. I am only year 3 into it and making mistakes as I go. These American dominques, especially while in lay, can not tolerate the heat under considitions I house American games under.

I also found that American dominiques I have from multiple strains are not the foragers they are reputed to be, especially when compared to American games I have. I am tryiing to tackle that with my Missouri dominique project that is now into year two. The American dominiques foraging habits appear dominant over the American games in the F1 hybrid. In effort to promote free-range performance, I am setting up an F2 line of Missouri dominiques that will be more rigerously selected for free-range performance. A soon as you start introducing new variables, you must either increase size of breeding population which I do not have resources for or put other criteria like comb type and colorarion other than barring on back burner. Performance and type get priority even in those birds.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Depends on the line, I imagine. A Dominique with a single comb does not meet breed standard and so technically is not a Dominique. But you'll find a lot of debate about whether or not it's good to keep the occasional single comb in your breeding program because of its association with increased fertility.

Thank you for your reply. My cousin received some "Dominiques" from someone and the rooster has a single comb. I was wondering if single comb out of pure Dominiques=not a Dominique or if it's still called one just no SQ or BQ. Is there anyway to tell if it's actually a Barred Rock?

 

[DraigAthar]

Thank you for your reply. My cousin received some "Dominiques" from someone and the rooster has a single comb. I was wondering if single comb out of pure Dominiques=not a Dominique or if it's still called one just no SQ or BQ. Is there anyway to tell if it's actually a Barred Rock?

Barred Rocks have a different body shape and are larger than Dominiques. If you posted some pics, we could at least have a guess. But Dominiques and Barred Rocks have been mingled a lot over the history of both breeds, so often there's a blurring of the lines. Still, a lot of people here are very familiar with the Dominique standard and can at least tell you where your birds meet (or fail to meet) the breed standard.

 

[DraigAthar]

Oh, and incidentally, that's a photo of a Dominique in my profile pic, but she does not even remotely meet the breed standard, LOL! She's just a big sweetheart, so I keep her photo there because I like it.

 

[wsmith]

ISBN 978-1-909270-19-0 The American Dominique
Now available in electronic format. Mark fields is my new American Dominique Hero! I'm already about 1/2 way through, though not digesting every word and sentence at this point.....