Dominique Thread!

[flitter]

I've added a vitamin pack to the chicks feed and the Rooster Booster is ordered. I had Sav-a_Chick left from when the chicks came (day olds) and I added that to their water. They get BlueSeal chick starter. They get a scratch mix of cracked corn/BOSS, lots of greens, yogurt or boiled eggs twice a week. I will certainly not breed this guy and I'm thinking I'll cull the entire group. I'm really thinking he might have genetic problems. His comb is starting and it's not right, it's a rose comb but the front looks hollow.

If I change feed my other choice in Dumor. Any other suggestions for feed changes?

Should I definitely plan to cull all the chicks that hatched from his group? They are all roosters. I need a rooster and that will leave me with a limited choice (1-2 possibles from a later egg order).

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

 

[buffalogal]

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I didn't say anything about breeding that chick; in all likelihood, a cock with feet like that would be unable to tread a hen anyway. I was writing in reply to center's writing that "Individuals fed diets with adequate level seldom exibit health issues or depressed growth but as nutrient level decreases an increasing proportion but usually not all individuals are affected. Only at extremely low nutrients are all individuals affected. "

If you've got a vitamin deficiency bad enough to literally curl a bird's toes, it's already affecting the other animals eating it. When you start seeing feet like that, it's time to take the crippled chick to the feed store and let them know something is wrong with their chick starter. It won't help that chick, but they need to alert the mill so they can review their manufacturing process and make sure it doesn't happen again. It could be something as simple as poorly mixed feed, or that an ingredient was unintentionally added at the wrong levels or inadequately blended that would interfere with the absorption of a particular vitamin(*), but the mill will never know if you don't tell them. If someone wants to consider it a genetic defect of the individual bird that shows gross deformity when nutritionally challenged, that's up to them. But it doesn't do the flock any favors to remove the worst affected birds and think that the rest are superior genetically because they appear to be "thriving" on an inadequate ration.


(*) for example, the amprolium in medicated chick starter is a well know thiamin blocker; it's why we don't use it to treat goat kids for cocci. Goats present with very obvious neurological symptoms when thiamin challenged, so when you have one individual staggering and stargazing, you treat that one with thiamin, but the whole herd gets a dose or multi B.

 

[buffalogal]

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Are your chicks confined or free ranging (pastured)? I'm seeing a couple of potential problems; the chick starter is a complete ration, but you're supplementing with something that is known to be deficient (scratch), IOW, giving the chicks something to eat *instead* of their regular ration, so they aren't getting as much of what they're supposed to. When you give this extra feed, are all the chicks getting some in equal amounts, or does that leave a few to fill up exclusively on what could potentially be a badly mixed commerical mix?

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A hollow comb is a fault, but I don't think it's particularly evidence of genetic problems. what other symptoms are you seeing?

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If the birds aren't free ranging, don't supplement if you're giving a complete commercial ration. Occasional treats are fine, but only a few, (not enough to 'fill up"on, and not often, otherwise you're diluting the vitamins, minerals and possibly medication. If the birds are foraging, and the chick starter is considered the supplement, I would make sure it's available all the time. Edited to add; if you're using a medicated feed, it's best not to add anything to the drinking water.

Quote:
I think that would depend on what the other cockerels look like as they mature. If it turns out you don't like any of them because they have such an accumulation of faults that using one for breeding would be going backwards, then definitely start over.

 

[matthewjam72]

Just throwing this out there thinking of listing a trio of dominique chicks just wondering if there would be any interest

 

[flitter]

Buffolgal wrote:
Are your chicks confined or free ranging (pastured)? I'm seeing a couple of potential problems; the chick starter is a complete ration, but you're supplementing with something that is known to be deficient (scratch), IOW, giving the chicks something to eat *instead* of their regular ration, so they aren't getting as much of what they're supposed to. When you give this extra feed, are all the chicks getting some in equal amounts, or does that leave a few to fill up exclusively on what could potentially be a badly mixed commerical mix?

My adult birds are free range. The young ones are confined. They have the BlueSeal chick starter always available. Sometime during the day I throw something green (lettuce, weeds, strawberry caps) and @ 1/2 c scratch in their run. There are 19 chicks. It's scattered all over and they all get a fairly equal amount.

Buffologal wrote:
A hollow comb is a fault, but I don't think it's particularly evidence of genetic problems. what other symptoms are you seeing?

No other problems. He's growing... in fact he and his "brothers" are very large Doms, compared to another batch of the same age.

Buffolgal wrote:
If the birds aren't free ranging, don't supplement if you're giving a complete commercial ration. Occasional treats are fine, but only a few, (not enough to 'fill up"on, and not often, otherwise you're diluting the vitamins, minerals and possibly medication. If the birds are foraging, and the chick starter is considered the supplement, I would make sure it's available all the time. Edited to add; if you're using a medicated feed, it's best not to add anything to the drinking water.

I can stop all treats, including the greens. Thanks for the tip about the drinking water, their feed is medicated.

Buffolgal wrote:
I think that would depend on what the other cockerels look like as they mature. If it turns out you don't like any of them because they have such an accumulation of faults that using one for breeding would be going backwards, then definitely start over.

Good because the other two are beautiful Doms... so far. Early days.

 

[buffalogal]

Quote:
You don't have to stop all treats; just don't feed enough at one time that they'll fill up on them. I give my chicks treats; two cups of scratch scattered over the regular feed, (for between 30 to 70 birds), maybe several cabbage leaves, or when they're tiny, I give them a few pieces of broccoli. (not the whole head)

It's easy to overdose them on the medication to prevent cocci; even sulmet will interfere with the absorption of B2, so if you're feeding medicated feed, you won't need to medicate the water too.

 

[centrarchid]

In my breeding rotation, I am now hatching from inbred matings of my F1 Voter strain dominiques. A few hatchlings are much lighter in coloration. Does anyone have pictures of white dominique hatchlings?

 

[WallTenters]

White Dominique chicks will have yellow down - like any other white bird. There are some VERY lightly barred Doms that will look like regular dom chicks marking wise but the markings will be extremely light - more of a very light grey.

 

[buffalogal]

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I'll see if I can't find a picture, but they're the same color as Rosecomb white Leghorn chicks. Not buff, not lightgray; lemon yellow with clear yellow legs, feet and beak.

 

[Delight in Dominiques]

here is some pics of this years cockerels. What do you think? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.