Dominique Thread!

[topdog24]

Topdog: I'm guessing you meant single and rose comb? I've never had a purebred Dominique with a single comb, but I have heard they happen occasionally. I've also been told that single comb Dominique hens lay every bit as well as their correct rose combed sisters. I have also heard that the single comb cockerels are delicious, though I have no personal experience with that either. Since they're from a different source, if all the new chicks have a single comb, they might be barred Plymouth Rocks or Marans which are another popular barred breed. What color are their legs?

Clucknbell: Around here, the higher protein Purina Gamebird starter with animal based protein costs a whole $2.30 more a bag, and for the extra expense, I've found the birds feather out and grow faster. That's not a big deal if you have a few chicks, but can make a world of difference if you're raising several dozen and would like them out of the brooder pens ASAP.

They will also do fine on Purina Flock Raiser or chick starter Crumbles (both all vegetable protein), but if you can supplement with some animal protein, so much the better.

Their legs are dark, I am thinking Barred Rock also, actually, according to research, all true Doms have rose combs, all single comb barred chickens belong in the Plymouth Rock catagory. I will wait and see, their adult size, egg size will be the decidpng factor in the end.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Their legs are dark, I am thinking Barred Rock also, actually, according to research, all true Doms have rose combs, all single comb barred chickens belong in the Plymouth Rock catagory. I will wait and see, their adult size, egg size will be the decidpng factor in the end.

Dominiques will still throw the occasional single comb chick. At one time most Dominiques were single combed.

 

[Alaskan]

 
Topdog: I'm guessing you meant single and rose comb? I've never had a purebred Dominique with a single comb, but I have heard they happen occasionally. I've also been told that single comb Dominique hens lay every bit as well as their correct rose combed sisters. I have also heard that the single comb cockerels are delicious, though I have no personal experience with that either. Since they're from a different source, if all the new chicks have a single comb, they might be barred Plymouth Rocks or Marans which are another popular barred breed. What color are their legs?


Clucknbell: Around here, the higher protein Purina Gamebird starter with animal based protein costs a whole $2.30 more a bag, and for the extra expense, I've found the birds feather out and grow faster. That's not a big deal if you have a few chicks, but can make a world of difference if you're raising several dozen and would like them out of the brooder pens ASAP.  They will also do fine on Purina Flock Raiser  or chick starter Crumbles (both all vegetable protein), but if you can supplement with some animal protein, so much the better.

Their legs are dark, I am thinking Barred Rock also, actually, according to research, all true Doms have rose combs, all single comb barred chickens belong in the Plymouth Rock catagory. I will wait and see, their adult size, egg size will be the decidpng factor in the end.

The coloring, crispness of the barring, and general body type are different between Dominique and Barred Rock. So, there are other things to look for too.

 

[Sylvester017]

? re: egg stats. When you mention x number of eggs/year, I'm assuming that you're basing your year on POL to the same date the following year??? How do you fit broodiness into those stats? Thanks. I'm learning a lot here, and really enjoying the conversations from experienced breeders/keepers, both as it relates to Doms, which we all love, but also as it relates to other breeds. Keep on keeping on!!!

That is how I base my numbers. From POL to the next 365 days because usually moult or broodiness will hit in there somewhere. At least that's how I base my Silkie counts. For each successive year poultry reports say hens will lay approximately 20% less eggs each year. If she lays 200 her first year, then expect approx 180 her next year and approx 144 her next etc if there are no illnesses or other factors to interfere with her laying. Sandhill Preservation once noted that the Ameraucanas (not EEs) are one of the few breeds that don't diminish 2nd year egg counts. My Silkies have done very well their 2nd year also which is why I don't mind when they go broody and I let them have their broody time to "rest" from laying so many big eggs for such a lightweight bird (2.2 to 2.5-lbs average hen weights who lay 1.25 to 1.5 oz egg sizes - I once had a Leghorn that didn't lay larger than 1.5 oz so those Silkies have impressed me). I got these little Silkies as pets and was pleasantly surprised at their hardiness, foraging industriousness, and productivity. Their fluffy butts are always up in the air because their beaks are always foraging the grass and weeds for tasty morsels.

As much as I love a lot of breeds of chickens I will stay away from the ones that only average 60-100 eggs yearly. I don't expect big eggs but I DO expect more than THOSE totals LOL! Many backyarders are disappointed in Jersey Giants because with a breed name like that you'd expect Jumbo eggs yet their average egg size is Med at 3 eggs/week. Pays to do research on breeds before investing in them only to find out they are not compatible with certain other breeds' sizes or temperaments or don't give the result of what one expected in a backyard flock - meat birds, layers, dual-purpose, ornamentals, pets, breeding stock, etc. Our personal delight is to have lightweight birds with good feed-to-egg ratio, good temperaments to mix with our pet Silkies, alert and predator savvy, and my DH and I love fowl with immense conversational abilities that desire human interaction. Size of eggs or eating our flock is not a consideration. In fact my DH will find homes for the bullies rather than send them to the soup pot LOL!

 

[Sylvester017]

The Qestion i have is about single and double cones, i bought 5 DOMs from a feed store, all are double cone, i took 4 more from a person that was not allowed to keep them, should i get rid of the single come chicks or just separate them later when they get grown?

Post photos of the grown birds and that will help the experts assess your stock.

 

[topdog24]

The coloring, crispness of the barring, and general body type are different between Dominique and Barred Rock. So, there are other things to look for too.

Yes, Alaskan, you have a point, i do have Berred Rocks that are 17 weeks old, it seems to me the barring on the Doms is kind of irregular where as the BRs bariing is more defined, I know for a fact the 10 week olds are Doms and that is what matters most, even the younger ones seem to have a more squat dainty look to them, I will be looking for a Dom Roo come spring if i decide to breed them.

 

[topdog24]

Post photos of the grown birds and that will help the experts assess your stock.

I plan to as soon as my assistant shows up to take the photos while i pose the birds for the shots, they wont set still long enough to get a good photo, the rose cone ones are 10 weeks and the others i am guessing to be about 6 weeks old.

 

[Sylvester017]

For a bird that is as efficient as the Dominique, 150 eggs - is reasonable - and that assumes breaking up their broodiness. For a barnyard fowl, efficiency is as important as overall production. A foraging bird is a bird that is less expensive to maintain. Another Dominique virtue appears to be longevity with a surprising percentage of Dominiques aged three and over still active as layers.

What has really impressed me about The Keystone Koop is their superb egg quality. The shells are thick and strong, the whites and yolks stand up. I gave some to a friend who majored in animal science and knows how to judge and grade eggs. She told me that the Dominique eggs were quite literally the best she had ever eaten.

(The Keystone Koop is named after Mack Sennet's Keystone Studios comedic troupe, the Keystone Kops.)

I once had two Leghorn varieties and the White one layed 2.25 to 2.5 oz eggs with thin shells. The Buff Leg layed smaller 1.75 to 2.0 eggs with sturdier shells.

IMO - a fowl that lays 5-6 XL eggs a week doesn't have the egg spend enough time to get a good calcium layer before the egg is layed - the XL egg also has a larger surface to cover than the Med-LG smaller egg surface of the other hen.

Since Doms don't lay 5-6 XL eggs a week IMO that gives their Med-LG eggs more time to get a good/sturdier calcium coat on the smaller surface of the egg before it is layed. Am I talking through my nose or what think you?

 

[wsmith]

Dominiques will still throw the occasional single comb chick. At one time most Dominiques were single combed.

Last year 2013, nearly 1/2 of my dom chicks had single combs. This year none. And yes, they are all Dominiques. The single comb gene is in my flock, which is OK, as single comb cockerels are delicious. They are all Dominiques, though I don't use any single combed birds in my breeding program. Sometimes it just happens. The "Single comb=Barred Rock" concept was started after the two breeds were defined and split in the APA standards in the 1870's. Before that there were a lot of single combed Dominiques, based on type and color/pattern.

As far as measuring egg production, the reason I use the calendar year method is that for me, its easier. I'm not so concerned with an individual hen's lay factor, but with that ot the whole flock. For me, it gives me a better overall judge of flock production, and where my particular line is going. This year the lay factors are slightly lower, mostly due to the fact that I didn't keep many pullets from last year, and my older hens are dropping off a little in production, which brings the overall numbers down a bit. That's OK. Again, I am measuring the flock as a whole, and don't want just first or second year layers. As the year progresses, and this year's pullets start laying in earnest, the overall flock egg numbers will come up a bit. Eventually I would like to have a line that lays just under 200 eggs per year per hen, but not more than that. That would be an overall lay factor of .548 for the year. Just a goal at this point.

My dom eggs average 2.0 for mature hens. That's barely in the "large" category. A couple of them lay a larger egg, but they aren't the norm. One of them my daughters named Patty McFatty....... LOL

I will start looking for a coorelation between high egg numbers/larger eggs and thinner shells. Interesting thought.

Some of the eggs are thinner shelled than the others. Not sure why. they have ground up shell free choice at all times, plus regular layer feed. Some have very thick hard shells. Hopefully the shell thickness will even out for the flock as a whole...

Fun projects!

 

[Alaskan]

As to shell thickness.....

My young white leghorns (just now a year) lay very close to 7 eggs a week, the eggs are large to Xlarge, and the shells are good, no thinner than my slow laying Marans.