Dominique Thread!

[Poop Cleaner]

So cUte! Thanks! Are they the same color as barred rock eggs?

 

[Faraday40]

So cUte! Thanks! Are they the same color as barred rock eggs?

I never had a barred rock, but my Dom's eggs definitely have a pinkish color. It's hard to see the subtle diff in the pic.

 

[Sylvester017]

Do any of you have pictures?

Asking a person with chickens if they have any pics is like asking a mom to see a baby photo. LOL

Pictures? Did someone ask for pictures? Here are OUR baby pics!

 

[centrarchid]

A pullet hatched in April of this year went broody after laying at most 20 eggs. She went straight to normal eggs, no pullet eggs. Nutrition was not geared for sustained egg production so incubation will be allowed to progress. Nest box will be modified to help keep eggs from loosing too much heat through bottom. This will provide opportunity to vet rearing facilities of new barn. Winter expected to be mild so this will be easier than typical.

 

[Alaskan]

My Dominique hens have NOT come back on line as quickly as I think they should have.

I am quite put out..... I almost think I need to get a different Dominique bloodline.

I even have one hen that is molting now, in the most horrid way (no parasites, I did check quite thoroughly). Little miss molt was NOT put in the breeding pen.

 

[centrarchid]

My Dominique hens have NOT come back on line as quickly as I think they should have.

I am quite put out..... I almost think I need to get a different Dominique bloodline.

I even have one hen that is molting now, in the most horrid way (no parasites, I did check quite thoroughly). Little miss molt was NOT put in the breeding pen.

Did you increase protein levels in diet?

Generally, my American Dominiques molt later than games under similar conditions. Nutritionally, they are managed accordingly where diet is switched away from a layer formulation to one higher in protein without additional calcium. I bump protein up to between 18 and 20% for duration of molt when body feathers are being replaced. If they are stressed by egg laying during this interval the molt tends to be harder which I do not like. I have taken to restricting feed intake at this time that takes them out of lay so more resources devoted to feather replacement. Approach not most economical but in long-term I think promotes longevity.

 

[Alaskan]

Except for the one molting badly right now, the rest molted at the end of summer.

I am feeding them either 18 or 20% layer...I can't remember which I picked up last time I bought feed.

My leghorns.... rose comb dark brown, a few other colors, and three three year old production white leghorns have ALL come back on line.


Though I did find one "wanting to die" rose comb dark brown leghorn pullet last night. We brought her in, hand fed her, let her sleep in the house over night. Odd. She has some very mild sign of leg mites, but no other parasites, no congestion, no prolapse, no anything. Her crop was completely empty.

Anyway, we will kill her and necropsy her in about an hour since she did not improve at all. I was thinking that perhaps she had been bullied off of the feeder, and with the cold and darkness that is a fast death.

We did check EVERYONE else after finding her on the ground last night, and everyone else had a nicely full crop.

Luckily, her color is bad, and her comb is most horrid.... So she wasn't a breeder.

 

[Alaskan]

Update on the chicken

A real puzzler.

No parasites in the intestines.

Liver looks good.

Nothing stuck in wind pipe or trachea

No broken bones.

Son that was continuing dissection said that there was some "tapioca" pudding on the lungs that quickly disappeared before we could take a photo.

Lungs looked good to me.

A normal amount of internal fat.

Spoiler: Warning: Lung photo

[/IMG]

Reproduction area looked normal.

no idea.

I guess I will go to the "must have been bullied off the feed" theory.

As a result, I will increase light for those chickens and put up a wind block for the feed and water. Still though,

 

[THeelChickinKY]

For the egg color question, comparing my Dominique eggs to the BR eggs from my neighbor, they are not the same color. The BR are the typical tan of the brown eggs you get at the grocery store. Dominique eggs are lighter and more of a pinkish cream/beige. In my opinion, the Dom eggs are much prettier. Hope that helps!

 

[Poop Cleaner]

Yes that does help! Thank you.