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How long ago did you get Dominiques from Cackle? I'm wondering if this might be a relatively new strain as I never got eggs anywhere near that dark from the pullets I got from them either crossed on another line or straight; they were all on the lighter side of your scale. (D to F) In fact, some of my eggs get described as "pink" by a certain family member.
edited to add: I should start looking backward through these threads more often instead of only reading the last page...
First, photograph quality not best. Eggs to right (groups E and F) should be nearly white. Second, environmental variations (food) could vary greatly enough between yours and my place to result in my eggs appearing darker.
Cackle strain, which is the most recent acquisition, brought in August 2010. Cackle hatchery sub-contracts at least some of its hatching eggs out. I do not know if more than one subcontractor involved with doms. Cackles birds could vary as result. The Cackle line eggs do run smaller than the even darker Privett line. It is the latter line that I suspect has either barred plymouth rock or black java crossed into it recently. Privett subcontracts for other hatcheries like Ideal. The "pink" egg look might be a little lighter than what doms used to be known for. My sample sizes (number of hens) per line is small but differences between lines in respect to egg size and color are likely real.
My effort was not best but appears I was successful in showing some differences between strains. I hope to do same with adults but will need a back drop other than wifes fancy bathtub.
Another pattern in variation is that many of the show strains are flat out too big and have been selected to have feathering (morphology, not pigmentation) that approximates that of other large fowl breeds. Some dom show lines that in terms of type are more like what a barred plymouth rock should be than a barred plymouth rock does in fact look like. One of the show lines that is so highly promoted by a few on this website supposedly has some barred rock incorporated within the last 20 years or so.
The feathers are a big deal for me. Somewhere along line, we as dom breeders, have selected for feathers that do not repell water as they should. Many of my birds are kept along side American games and California greys where the birds can control exposure to rain. The doms, especially roosters, get soaked to core where covered by hackle feathers. All my strains do this so likely typical of breed. Games and California greys repell water nicely. This fall when molt starts up I will compare hackle feather under a microscope. Old pictures of doms show feathers that are similar to those of American games based on length, width and relative number of sicle feathers to flight feathers of tail. Maybe, as we selected against the smokey look to get better contrast between light a dark bars, we selected for slower growing and softer feathers creating what I consider to be a problem.
I set out to answer question in one sentence. Trying to avoid rain I guess.
How long ago did you get Dominiques from Cackle? I'm wondering if this might be a relatively new strain as I never got eggs anywhere near that dark from the pullets I got from them either crossed on another line or straight; they were all on the lighter side of your scale. (D to F) In fact, some of my eggs get described as "pink" by a certain family member.
edited to add: I should start looking backward through these threads more often instead of only reading the last page...
First, photograph quality not best. Eggs to right (groups E and F) should be nearly white. Second, environmental variations (food) could vary greatly enough between yours and my place to result in my eggs appearing darker.
Cackle strain, which is the most recent acquisition, brought in August 2010. Cackle hatchery sub-contracts at least some of its hatching eggs out. I do not know if more than one subcontractor involved with doms. Cackles birds could vary as result. The Cackle line eggs do run smaller than the even darker Privett line. It is the latter line that I suspect has either barred plymouth rock or black java crossed into it recently. Privett subcontracts for other hatcheries like Ideal. The "pink" egg look might be a little lighter than what doms used to be known for. My sample sizes (number of hens) per line is small but differences between lines in respect to egg size and color are likely real.
My effort was not best but appears I was successful in showing some differences between strains. I hope to do same with adults but will need a back drop other than wifes fancy bathtub.
Another pattern in variation is that many of the show strains are flat out too big and have been selected to have feathering (morphology, not pigmentation) that approximates that of other large fowl breeds. Some dom show lines that in terms of type are more like what a barred plymouth rock should be than a barred plymouth rock does in fact look like. One of the show lines that is so highly promoted by a few on this website supposedly has some barred rock incorporated within the last 20 years or so.
The feathers are a big deal for me. Somewhere along line, we as dom breeders, have selected for feathers that do not repell water as they should. Many of my birds are kept along side American games and California greys where the birds can control exposure to rain. The doms, especially roosters, get soaked to core where covered by hackle feathers. All my strains do this so likely typical of breed. Games and California greys repell water nicely. This fall when molt starts up I will compare hackle feather under a microscope. Old pictures of doms show feathers that are similar to those of American games based on length, width and relative number of sicle feathers to flight feathers of tail. Maybe, as we selected against the smokey look to get better contrast between light a dark bars, we selected for slower growing and softer feathers creating what I consider to be a problem.
I set out to answer question in one sentence. Trying to avoid rain I guess.
