Dominique Thread!

[buffalogal]

How can you tell it is boy at this age? I need to learn how to do this.

The yellow spot on the head that runs down the back of the neck. On a pullet, that would be small, or at least, have well defined edges. Males have larger, irregular spots.

 

[jklyles1]

Ive read a ton tonight on Dominiques! Here is my daughters baby. We went to the chicken farm and the man let her carry this one around and there was NO separating them!!!

I read the Dominique sexing web page but im still not sure



Around 1 week old. I see the spot but it looks messy to me...




Side view




Leg looks like it had dark pigment but its growing out.

 

[centrarchid]

Everyting I see indicates pullet (female). Legs and bill dark, light spot on head tight and strongly contrasting with adjacent down. Also wing feathers coming in a dominated by dark. Male wing feathers by this point will be at least half light grey colored.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

My money says pullet also.

 

[buffalogal]

Ive read a ton tonight on Dominiques! Here is my daughters baby. We went to the chicken farm and the man let her carry this one around and there was NO separating them!!!

I read the Dominique sexing web page but im still not sure



Around 1 week old. I see the spot but it looks messy to me...




Side view




Leg looks like it had dark pigment but its growing out.

I'd put a pink bow on it.

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

How old can eggs be and still get a good hatch rate? I dont have a lot of birds but would like to have enough eggs to fill the incubator. What is the best way to store eggs before incubating? I was thinking cool dark place like a basement?

Put the eggs in an egg carton, and turn the carton on it's side. Flip the carton once a day (So the eggs are turned 180 degrees). Keep them preferably in a cool dark place (out of direct sunlight, somewhere consistently between 60 and 70 degrees). My basement works ideal.

Their viability will start to drop after 7 days, but I save eggs for up to 12 days with no problems. It is more economical for me to save eggs longer and have a slightly lower hatch rate than too set less eggs at once and get a slightly higher. You will not notice much of a difference between 7 and 14 days as long as you store the eggs properly. After 14-15 days you will start to notice a significant decrease in hatch rate.

This has worked well for me for years.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Just found this thread tonight. I'm looking to get some Dominiques for my yard/meat birds. I've read a few pages and wanted to mark my spot so I could find this thread again.

 

[pia11]

does anyone have Dominique chicks for sale in Midcoast Maine?
Thanks!

 

[DraigAthar]

I'm not sure about Dominique breeders in Maine, but there are at least three of us here in NH.

 

[kinsey228]

My very first Dominiques are still in the incubator, so I don't know all that much about them. I can't wait to see them when they hatch.