Dominique Thread!

[Jungleexplorer]

I'm going out on a limb here but from all the research and contacts I've done about chickens or breeding, anomalies will occur in any breeding program. There will be 4-toed Silkies or featherless-legged Faverolles, or color sports, etc etc etc. Sounds like that's what occurred with your girl. It's like with breeders of blue feathering that find some of their blues coming out darker than others in the flock and then deciding to choose which color traits they like best to continue breeding.
You definitely are right about it being a gamble about what traits will come out in any breed you acquire. Handling a chick from hatch is not a guarantee the bird will be friendly at maturity. A Leghorn is a Leghorn is a Leghorn and no matter how outgoing or socialized they do not prefer human touch and independently decide when and how they come up to you. We have 2 Silkies and one likes to be held/petted while the other is friendly but not so willing to be handled. We had a Dom chick that couldn't wait to hop into our hands while the Leghorn chicks ignored us if we had no treats to offer.

We had one excellent laying Leghorn that was calm and gentle for 3 years before going bonkers while another poor laying Leghorn went aggressive at only 1 y/o. You just never know why one chicken in a breed can be so different from it's hatchmates. This kind of disparity must drive breeders out of their mind while perfecting their projects. Our Marans was in the flock for a few weeks before we had to rehome her because of vicious bullying toward flockmates -- she was hand-tamed from hatch and calm around humans but nasty to her flockmates. I researched every breed before adding to my flock and sometimes I've been overjoyed with the bird and other times sadly disappointed by another bird. Still I research for generally accepted characteristics of a breed and then hope for the best in the individual bird. Socializing a chick helps but some breed traits remain regardless of handling.

I keep seeing recommendations to look into strains or lines of breeds before purchasing and am no longer convinced this is completely accurate. My friend and I had different lines and varieties of Marans and found them unpleasant in our mixed flocks, yet we compared notes and found we agreed that the Ameraucanas and EEs in our flocks were the most accepting and nurturing. The Orps were bossy while the OEs were docile. These are generalities but certain characteristics seem to dominate in each breed of chicken whether hatchery or privately raised. After owning certain breeds for a while owners develop their own preferences for what they like or need from their flock. JMHO and from personal experience.

I totally agree with you. Certain breeds have certain general characteristics, but there are many other factors that play into what an indevidual bird will turn out like regardless of breed. I have not owned every chicken breed out there, so I can only speak for the ones I have owned. Owned leghorns for a short time and found them to be very aggressive, even towards humans and got rid of them, but I have heard of others that have had a totally different experience. That is why when I talk about chickens, I try to refer mostly to my experience with my birds and not about the breed in general, like I said, "My doms are the flightiest of all the breeds I own" for instance.

I keep all my breeds in separate pens. When I walk into my Dom pen to fed and water them they climb the walls trying to get away from me, while I have to wade through and try not to step on my Marans that are right next door. But, I have read on this thread where other say their doms are tame as lazy house cats. So it is really a toss up in the end.

 

[blufangirl]

Super excited just placed my order for spring 10 doms headed my way. It's gonna be hard to wait till April.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
Cubalayas, and many other breeds bred to be used in the cock ring, are deliberately bred to be friendly to people. Cubalayas were bred for meat, eggs, and some of the cockerels were sent to the Palenque. Malays and Aseels are very human friendly - yet even Aseel hens will attack each other, so they are usually kept in pairs or as trios.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
My Doms will come up and grab at me to get my attention. They will literally grab on to me, in the hopes of a pat or a treat. When I had Leghorns more than forty years ago, all they seemed to do was lay eggs, jump up and down and eat each other, and run away from me.

 

[Sylvester017]

I totally agree with you. Certain breeds have certain general characteristics, but there are many other factors that play into what an indevidual bird will turn out like regardless of breed. I have not owned every chicken breed out there, so I can only speak for the ones I have owned. Owned leghorns for a short time and found them to be very aggressive, even towards humans and got rid of them, but I have heard of others that have had a totally different experience. That is why when I talk about chickens, I try to refer mostly to my experience with my birds and not about the breed in general, like I said, "My doms are the flightiest of all the breeds I own" for instance.

I keep all my breeds in separate pens. When I walk into my Dom pen to fed and water them they climb the walls trying to get away from me, while I have to wade through and try not to step on my Marans that are right next door. But, I have read on this thread where other say their doms are tame as lazy house cats. So it is really a toss up in the end.

That is nice to have separate breed pens. Wish we had the room to do the same. My friend and I discovered the Marans do well with one another if not mixed with other breeds. The Leghorns I and my folks have had over the years we discovered are an assertive if not downright aggressive bird -- especially in a mixed flock. It's no wonder Leghorns cannibalized each other during the cramped caged egg-ranch industries of the '50s and '60s where 3 to 4 Legs were in a 2-foot square cage 24/7. In their own flock Legs are equally matched yet I'd strongly hesitate to mix them with any gentle breeds plus give them plenty of room to roam -- they are still the most productive longevity layers in the industry. Sexlinks might be dynamo layers their first couple years but rapidly get spent. I've had dual purpose like BRs, NHRs, RIRs, etc and these birds do well together - they are equal in size and temperament. I haven't personally had Orps but my friend had bossy ones in her mixed flock. As chicks the BOs seemed to run rough-shod over ducklings or even Leg chicks in the same brooder so I would suggest the BOs would do well with other dual purpose chickens. I've compared notes with others regarding the good-natured Ameraucanas and EEs and have found them to be a favorite among most and I'm not surprised that they are a popular choice for backyarders -- they are the first to sell out in our local feed and pet stores. I have come to the conclusion that although certain characteristics are prevalent in a breed no matter what line/strain they come from, there are dynamics that can cause different experiences for different owners depending on the combination of breeds mixed together, sizes of pens, land/environment conditions, preventative health maintenance regimens, feeding configurations, etc. As stated before I do research on breeds before adding to my flock and then hope for the best when adding the individual bird. Pecking order is natural in an all-hen flock (we aren't zoned for a roo) but one thing I won't tolerate in my group is an overly aggressive injurious bully no matter what breed and then she'll be rehomed promptly.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Leghorn cannibalism was common even in the days when poultry were almost all pastured. Professor James Dryden and others had established by 1910 that birds kept in seemingly identical conditions, in adjoining pens, with plenty of room, from the same strains could have widely varying levels of cannibalism - and a 15% loss to cannibalism although seen as somewhat high, was not unusual. Cannibalism was one reason the Barred Rock was so popular; it seems that they were far less cannibalistic than many other commercial breeds, and easier for farmers to work with because they do not tend to be highly strung.

Losses in mixed flocks containing Leghorns can be even higher. I personally hate them in a mixed flock, and I have noted that keeping them in a homogenous flock they still spent too much time jumping up and down and eating each other until I finally gave up and had someone help me by debeaking the lot by hand.

Debeaking was invented by Ohio researchers in the 1930s, and hailed as a great humane measure for Leghorns.

Ironically, layer cages led to reduced cannibalism - because the bottom hen of two to four only had one to three other hens attacking her.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

A friend had an Australorp so severely injured that she required euthanasia. The attacker? Her cuddliest Buff Orpington.

 

[JediJinx]

I have a pullet that I thought was a cockerel by her lighter color and upright stance (crouching in pic). She is 4 months now and definitely a she.

Also, I wanted to say that I have never had a single mean Dom, My rooster is the sweetest thing and is really only aggressive when he is dealing with unwilling hens. I have 100% fertility. However, they are also not bullied by the other breeds. They are REGAL and do not take bs from the other hens. Love em!

 

[EastNashChick]

Oh no! It just goes to show it really depends on the bird.


O

A friend had an Australorp so severely injured that she required euthanasia. The attacker? Her cuddliest Buff Orpington.

 

[EastNashChick]

I just had one of my two Dom girls jump on my back this morning while I was sitting on the deck. She just lightly pecked at my back and talked for a couple of minutes! First time for that! They are my favorite in my flock!