Dominique Thread!

[Zone3Dakota]

Tank.

 

[Alaskan]

Do you have a full body shot of tank? He does have a lovely comb.

 

[Sylvester017]

Mad Max, 21 weeks. Best of six cockerels, very bad comb, tho. He carries his wing down and tail high when i'm in there stirring up the hens. He's also second in command, so is always watchful for the boss. The boss is called tank, because of his grace, is way too big, but the hens love him and he was kept because he had the best comb, so that hopefully we are not cursed with those gorgeous walnut combs!

Tank.

Ahhhhh! The never-ending battle to get that PERFECT Dom! Love your boys. Tank has a nice comb - how's the rest of him? Mad Max looks like his comb is half-size of a Derbyshire Redcap's comb. Redcaps - what another incredible-looking breed! Nothing like having a Dom personality though!

 

[Zone3Dakota]

Tank, just a sprig for a tail, so many faults right now that i won't even get into it. Hopefully, he'll stop growing and start filling in a tail. Maybe even lighten up his beak with time...

 

[Alaskan]

Not sure on your cockerel choices. They are all a bit -meh- but we all have to work with what we have.

I would try to grow them out as long as possible and then keep the best two.

Sometimes as they grow they can surprise you as to which is best.

 

[Zone3Dakota]

We only HAD six to choose from. Culled the others, already, before we went on vacation. This is it. I'm just hoping that Max doesn't end up with a Buttercup topper.

For those of you who are on the facebook site, i have started an album.

Anyway, i don't totally regret the hatchery decision, as, unless i wanted to jump through vetting hoops AND drive hundreds of miles it was the choice, considering finances, etc. I'm interested in production and hardiness, especially invulnerability toward waterfowl borne viral diseases. They have to survive in the THE waterfowl breeding center of North America, just a few hundred feet from a pond that hosts more than a dozentypes ducks, plus geese, seagulls, and other water birds. We still have to see how many survive until spring... In general, they fit the standard...Most anyone can tell right away, that they are not 'another' breed.

Anyway, i said that i would keep folks posted on the hatchery birds, and i do see lots of good things, just not all together on one bird. Now down to 2 cockerels and 8 pullet/hens. There is little chance of hitting a perfect bird out of an order of 25.

Oh, the females have started laying...started on week 20. We love these pretty little eggs!

 

[Alaskan]

Yep, you just have to work with what you have. And yes, they ARE clearly Dominiques, which is a very good thing.

I had a couple of impressive predator hits this summer (first time in several years) and am down to ONE male in two different breeds... How is that for being able to select a good specimen?

All of my Dominique cockerels were also taken, so I am stuck with my old cock. He is pretty good, I am happy with him, but I had hoped to upgrade. Ah whatever. As long as he doesn't die I can raise up a new crop next spring. My old cock is actually from Cackle.

 

[islandgirl82]

For those keeping Dominique cockerels/roosters, are they slow to mature? I just acquired a 5 month old cockerel last week and was told he'd begun to crow but since I brought him home, he hasn't even made an attempt. He only chatters and even then is very soft-spoken. It's been a couple of years since I've had a cockerel around and don't remember but I'm sure he had started much younger than this boy. I'm not complaining if I ended up with a very quiet one but I do miss the sound of a rooster crow.

 

[Zone3Dakota]

I should write these things down. My cockerels are about 21 weeks old. They've been crowing for a couple of weeks, at least. Culled before vacation (@17th of July, some were crowing, some were not. Had one that still had pink undeveloped comb on the 17th...so it can vary.

 

[islandgirl82]

Thank you for your reply. Yours were a little younger than mine when you culled. My boy's comb is still fairly pink and seems to still be filling out. The woman I got him from said he was just starting to crow and trying to mate with her hens but hadn't been successful yet (with the mating). Perhaps because he's still new to my flock (ranging from 1.5 years to 7 years), he's taking his time settling in before attempting either here. He's very friendly with everyone and the girls accepted him right off. No one is squatting for him but they're not excluding him either. Some stay with him always and will lead him back to the rest of the flock when he strays too far and the first night one of them tried her best to encourage him to follow her into the coop but he wouldn't go without a little assistance from me just by closing him into the run after a day of free ranging.