Dominique Thread!

[Delight in Dominiques]

I don't know why Dom breeders hesitate to ship live birds.  I received 4 rare birds (not Doms) in two separate shipments last year from an excellent breeder on the East Coast who was experienced at shipping and receiving live juvenile and adult bird orders - I paid extra because I was so appreciative.  We both don't especially like chick shipments and not everyone can incubate eggs to get unwanted roos that are difficult to rehome - especially when there are city ordinances against roos and there are hen limits.  I was perfectly willing to pay the shipping cost which was 3x more than the price of a juvenile but I got exactly identifiable sexed pullets - at 3 to 4 months old they are hardy enough to make the overnight USPS trip.  I always got my live birds the very next day from the breeder.  I also always order two birds at a time to keep each other company on the trip. I did lose a pullet less than a month after receiving it but as the buyer I assume that risk and can't blame the breeder - hatchery shipments have disclaimers after the first 24-48 hours not to be responsible for deaths that occur after that period.  My breeder and I didn't have that disclaimer in writing but it was just understood.

Dom breeders won't do this - how they can promote Dom interest when they are so tight-fisted about releasing their juvenile stock via shipping is beyond me.  I'm sure they have a lot of culls that still would make excellent backyard pets when people are willing to settle for pet quality - I'm sure after 3-4 months the breeder can tell which ones they'll keep and which can be shipped out as pets but they won't do it.  The only really nice guy I spoke to on a Dom site is no longer a Dom breederwn .  Hence I revert back to Cackle Hatchery or my local feed store and the picky Dom breeders can eat their birds.

Like I said there are probably a lot of nice Dom breeders out there but the policy stinks of the ones I had contact with.  If they really want to promote interest they've got to bite the bullet and start shipping some live birds instead of culling those precious pet quality ones that don't quite make the show standards.
 

. I remember a couple of months ago on the Dominique Clubs website how two of our veteran breeders are working with a hatchery by introducing their own stock and will continue to be involved in selection and culling to improve stock for anyone interested in quality LF and Bantam Dominiques. The club has made progress by leaps and bounds over just the last couple of years in membership and breeder info. Regional coordinators along with elected members volunteer their own time to help anyone interested in working with the Dominique. A good breeder will not ship culls. It is websites like this that will give him a bad name real quick if the buyer is not satisfied with what comes out of the box. Dominique breeders are a great group of people who are working very hard to improve the breed for egg laying capabilities and longevity in the breed characteristics that it was so popular years ago. It is more than just for pretty, cause the judges look right past color.

 

[PheasantsFirst]

This picture should have all my 6 dominique in it

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[Sylvester017]

. I have never seen a Dominique Cock or Cockerel fight predators to the death. The predators eat them just as fast as the hens. I have had hens free range fine with out a male.

That is exactly what I meant - the roos will sacrifice themselves for the flock. The only roo I've ever known to kill a predator is the Legacy roo. He stands about 3 feet tall. Someone in Maine breeds them and I've only seen one photo of one and they are BIG.

I agree - my hens are doing fine without a roo for 3 years because we are not zoned for roos - but to be accurate the free-ranging is just in my cottage backyard garden and not in an open field. We still provide a lot of shelters around the yard for hens - we are constantly reorganizing the yard and trying different kinds of shelters, doghouses, yard perches, and canopies for them. I and my surrounding 5 neighbors have chopped down our old trees so there's less hiding perches for aerial predators or for clever Raccoons, etc, to scamper from tree to tree, yard to yard. We made it more difficult for predators to get around all the properties.

 

[Sylvester017]

. I remember a couple of months ago on the Dominique Clubs website how two of our veteran breeders are working with a hatchery by introducing their own stock and will continue to be involved in selection and culling to improve stock for anyone interested in quality LF and Bantam Dominiques. The club has made progress by leaps and bounds over just the last couple of years in membership and breeder info. Regional coordinators along with elected members volunteer their own time to help anyone interested in working with the Dominique. A good breeder will not ship culls. It is websites like this that will give him a bad name real quick if the buyer is not satisfied with what comes out of the box. Dominique breeders are a great group of people who are working very hard to improve the breed for egg laying capabilities and longevity in the breed characteristics that it was so popular years ago. It is more than just for pretty, cause the judges look right past color.

Boy I sure hope so. But in all fairness to pet quality culled - that is how I always get my rare breeds rather than seeing the birds go to waste. I have a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana that doesn't have very slate legs and probably would be DQ in a show - but do I show? No, and I have a wonderful PQ bird that is not intended for show or breeding by me but is a delight to own. I ordered two PQ Buff Legs and got one with an offset tail but is a wonderful layer - I'm not showing or breeding either bird and it helps the breeder place PQ birds rather then going to freezer camp. There are Silkies with 4 toes instead of 5 that go out as PQ because the birds are still useable and will get a good home. If a Dom doesn't have the right feather pattern so what? Someone who wants PQ Doms is not breeding or showing anyway. I mean, as long as the bird doesn't have a missing leg or some other disablement to impair quality of life why not give it a good home? I have ordered my rare PQ breeds, actually bought them AND paid 3x the shipping cost to get them and I haven't been disappointed.

 

[Sylvester017]

This picture should have all my 6 dominique in it

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Such a beautiful sight and lots of tall grasses to hide in! I'd be using that lumber to make a couple lean-to's for hiding/snoozing under in that open field LOL!

 

[gootziecat]

John, you are a real asset to the breed. Thank you for all of your efforts.

 

[PheasantsFirst]

This picture should have all my 6 dominique in it

Sent from my SPH-L520 using Tapatalk

Such a beautiful sight and lots of tall grasses to hide in!  I'd be using that lumber to make a couple lean-to's for hiding/snoozing under in that open field LOL!

That's just to keep the horses of the septic tank. Which is the only reason the grass is so green, it's our drain field. And there's a lot of things behind where I was and a thing or two to three right of the picture.

 

[wsmith]

Our first pullet eggs of this year. These are from pullets that hatched exactly 20 weeks ago.

 

[Alaskan]

Am I seeing total of 10, 5 girls, 5 boys?

I have 17 total, but I could only get ten in that picture.

I think you are right, that 5 in that picture are males.

I have 5 males and 12 females.

I can't wait to see them fill out more.

@PheasantsFirst very pretty, but I can only count 5 very lovely girls

@wsmith wow! Tiny and with speckles! Cute!

 

[PheasantsFirst]

Am I seeing total of 10, 5 girls, 5 boys?

I have 17 total, but I could only get ten in that picture.

I think you are right, that 5 in that picture are males.

I have 5 males and 12 females.

I can't wait to see them fill out more.

@PheasantsFirst very pretty, but I can only count 5 very lovely girls

@wsmith wow! Tiny and with speckles! Cute!

huh, well, I intended to get all six in there, one probably snuck just out of the frame before I took the picture.