Dominique Thread!

[centrarchid]

Look at feet and color of bill. If males present then you would also likely see to foot sizes relative to overall size of bird.

 

[centrarchid]

One of my hens slipped into broodiness. Eggs were still transferred to incubator. After 36 hours she is walking about clucking and causing probblems with a game hen tending chicks. Game hens typically do not go "clucky" until near the end of the incubation cycle. Egg production will slip for a while but I will an close to changing cocks in breeding pen anyway.

 

[centrarchid]

Anyone have pictures of older American Dominique hens? I have an older (5 years old) hen that is looking more gray as her feathers fade from sun exposure.

 

[Alaskan]

Anyone have pictures of older American Dominique hens? I have an older (5 years old) hen that is looking more gray as her feathers fade from sun exposure.

My oldest are only from last year...


But I have a genetics question...

My Dominique rooster, I hatched out eggs from my mixed flock (a bunch of Dominique hens and a few other breeds).

The black color was dominant over everything except white.


I had a SEPARATE pen with one brown Olive Egger (1/2 Black Copper Marans) and a Black Copper Marans rooster and hens.

One of the olive eggs hatched out a chick that is cuckoo, but with a SINGLE comb, fluffy cheeks, and sparse feathering on the feet.



Did my rooster somehow get some sperm into that Olive Egger (yes, they were separated for more than 3 weeks before I incubated, not sure how it would have happened)?

I can't get a cuckoo patterned chicken out of a Black Copper Marans and a brown Olive Egger (looks like a typical EE), can I?

But, the idea panics me, because that barred and fuzzy faced chick has a single comb! I know the Olive Egger has only one copy of the Rose Comb gene... but I REALLY thought that my Dominique rooster was homozygous for rose comb.

So.......

do you all vote for:

1. my Dominique managed to fertilize the Olive Egger, the rooster is heterozygous for rose comb, suck it up

2. a Black Copper Marans rooster and an Olive Egger that is 1/2 Black Copper Marans and looks like a brown EE can produce a cuckoo patterned chicken.

 

[centrarchid]

Simplest possibility is #1.

 

[centrarchid]

My oldest are only from last year...


But I have a genetics question...

My Dominique rooster, I hatched out eggs from my mixed flock (a bunch of Dominique hens and a few other breeds).

The black color was dominant over everything except white.


I had a SEPARATE pen with one brown Olive Egger (1/2 Black Copper Marans) and a Black Copper Marans rooster and hens.

One of the olive eggs hatched out a chick that is cuckoo, but with a SINGLE comb, fluffy cheeks, and sparse feathering on the feet.



Did my rooster somehow get some sperm into that Olive Egger (yes, they were separated for more than 3 weeks before I incubated, not sure how it would have happened)?

I can't get a cuckoo patterned chicken out of a Black Copper Marans and a brown Olive Egger (looks like a typical EE), can I?

But, the idea panics me, because that barred and fuzzy faced chick has a single comb!  I know the Olive Egger has only one copy of the Rose Comb gene... but I REALLY thought that my Dominique rooster was homozygous for rose comb.

So....... 

do you all vote for:

1. my Dominique managed to fertilize the Olive Egger, the rooster is heterozygous for rose comb, suck it up

2. a Black Copper Marans rooster and an Olive Egger that is 1/2 Black Copper Marans and looks like a brown EE can produce a cuckoo patterned chicken.

Your situation is why I recommend serious efforts at conserving a heritage breed involve only one or two breeds. Your setup is a dead end for dominiques going into it because you cannot devote the needed resources just for breeding them true, let alone maintaining a concerted selection effort so that birds you have will ultimately be of interest to others into dominiques..

 

[Alaskan]

Yes, I agree.

To do justice to a breed, one needs several pens all for that one breed, and breed up a LARGE number of chicks each year.


I really don't have as much interest from the people in my area for my Dominiques as I do for my Marans, and I would much rather focus my time and pens on my Dominiques... but there is little interest in them.



It is sad. Marans are NOT a practical breed or well suited to Alaska....

 

[centrarchid]

Yes, I agree.

To do justice to a breed, one needs several pens all for that one breed, and breed up a LARGE number of chicks each year.


I really don't have as much interest from the people in my area for my Dominiques as I do for my Marans, and I would much rather focus my time and pens on my Dominiques... but there is little interest in them.



It is sad.  Marans are NOT a practical breed or well suited to Alaska....

That problem is not restricted to Alaska. The majority of poultry keepers here more into the assortment. This business of breeding to the standard and good productivity is tough. I am also skeptical of the benefits realized when few parties in a given region are investing in dominiques. My efforts for promoting good free-range performance are not likely to have same benefits when birds moved to a wetter, drier, warmer or colder climate. I need neighbors of similar interest for this to be sustainable.

 

[Zone3Dakota]

I'm wondering if Doms are my best bet for NW North Dakota. (probably colder and windier than Fairbanks, Alaska.) It's the combs and wattles on the cocks that I worry about...and I probably wont be out there rubbing oil on them every night.

What does the group think about dubbing?

I don't really want a mixed flock, but am considering dom hens with an Orloff roo... (lol, the variety that could result!) ...or going to JUST Orloffs. (See me teetering, while sitting on the fence???)

The attached, floor heated, garage- pigeon- loft has room for a chicken or two, for the winter, but I'd really rather not.

 

[THeelChickinKY]

Dominiques are wonderful and are cold hardy overall, but yes, even here in Kentucky all 3 of my roosters lost half of their waddles and tips of their combs to frostbite this winter when we had a cold snap that dropped us from 20 degrees to -11 one night. I have never dubbed, so someone else will have to speak to that. I am biased to Dominiques, but I would also suggest you look at Swedish Flower Hens. We tried that breed last year and on the coldest days when the Doms were in the coop, the SFHs were out foraging as if it were spring. Plus, they have similar personalities to Doms - inquisitive and sweet.