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Dominique Thread!
- Thread starter Dixiedoodle
- Start date
First, I personally love the U-shape back on the Doms with little or no cushion or fluff. Next I like the leader (spike) at the back of their rosecomb. Lastly, I look at the feather color/pattern and leg color. Much too large combs or uneven wattles is a turnoff. A perfect bird? Who has one? I've seen close contenders but there will always be some little point that doesn't fit the SOP but the closer the better. Don't breed wry tails or mis-shaped combs/wattles and use them as pets or table meat if you eat your birds (we don't). Even non-SOP Doms will be sweet birds - curious, outgoing, unafraid, people- and/or flock-friendly hens. There is always the exception but overall a good lighterweight breed to have in a backyard environment. Never had a Dom male so can't speak of males.
- Jul 9, 2014
- 112
- 15
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I would say that they have a good natural instinct to protect the flock. When young, ours would just RESPOND...instinctively. But as they started to reach the age where they were mounting the pullets, they seemed to have overcome those instincts. We never held and hugged our birds, but did wander around them often, feeding and taking photos and such. Even when strangers to the birds were in the run, things were good. Even when strangers were nabbing pullets, there were no attacks(that i saw or heard about, as i was helping tote pullets to crates)
About the most 'special' treatment that we ever did with the birds, was to feed them garden yummies through the fence. They love kale and chard, i think that it's that 'crunch' when they munch.
One afternoon, the boss cockerel was making such a fuss that i heard it from the house and hubby heard that cockerel from the shop and we both went running to see what predator was trying to get the flock. We could find no hungry coyote pack or badgers or...but there was a lot of lightning in the far distance...and it knew better than to mess with HIS flock.
Anyway, after the sale of most of the hatchery pullets(to make room for breeder/show stock) i was down to a reverse trio, and was not sure how that would go. Before, the boss would keep a good eye on the pullets and the other had been sneaky(i had to laugh about how sneaky and the different things that he would try. I was learning that chickens are not as dumb, as i had thought) Mostly the boys had gotten along, but there were some occasions that the sneaky one was chased around the run three times and then put in the far corner of the chicken house for 'time out'. To my surprise, the reverse trio did well. That pullet was treated like a queen. That situation only lasted a few days before the new flock arrived and i got to evaluate the two hatchery males against the two show males.
I could meander the run with the two new cockerels, right away.
About the most 'special' treatment that we ever did with the birds, was to feed them garden yummies through the fence. They love kale and chard, i think that it's that 'crunch' when they munch.
One afternoon, the boss cockerel was making such a fuss that i heard it from the house and hubby heard that cockerel from the shop and we both went running to see what predator was trying to get the flock. We could find no hungry coyote pack or badgers or...but there was a lot of lightning in the far distance...and it knew better than to mess with HIS flock.
Anyway, after the sale of most of the hatchery pullets(to make room for breeder/show stock) i was down to a reverse trio, and was not sure how that would go. Before, the boss would keep a good eye on the pullets and the other had been sneaky(i had to laugh about how sneaky and the different things that he would try. I was learning that chickens are not as dumb, as i had thought) Mostly the boys had gotten along, but there were some occasions that the sneaky one was chased around the run three times and then put in the far corner of the chicken house for 'time out'. To my surprise, the reverse trio did well. That pullet was treated like a queen. That situation only lasted a few days before the new flock arrived and i got to evaluate the two hatchery males against the two show males.
I could meander the run with the two new cockerels, right away.
Your hatchery stick was Cackle?
What show stock did you get?
How big of a difference?
What show stock did you get?
How big of a difference?
jbraswell
In the Brooder
- Mar 29, 2016
- 30
- 2
- 29
Thanks. I was considering fertile eggs but I've never hatched before. I am still new with chickens.
Hatching is a lot of fun. I hatched eggs in my classroom for 12 years before I ever considered owning chickens. The leghorn chicks were always donated to a local farm when we were done with the unit. One year I hatched a "rainbow egg mix" that a friend obtained for me. The chicks were so tame that I wanted to keep them. The law had just changed allowing backyard hens in our town, so lucky me. My chicken adventures began! * Be warned, hatching is very addictive! Also, shipped eggs are a big variable. If you can drive to pick the eggs up, you'll get much better results.
- Jul 9, 2014
- 112
- 15
- 79
Yes, Cackle, and i would not hesitate to get stock from them, again, and may do so, if/when egg production becomes a main concern. Those gals can put out the eggs! They are nice birds, just would need a few more generations of work to get to where the show stock is. Of course, i only started with a couple dozen to choose from. The hatchery stock actually had shorter beaks and pullets with really sweet faces.
Temperments seem similar.
I was warned that the show stock will not come close to the hatchery stock in terms of egg production. If i want to provide fertile eggs for local 4-Hers and the like, i needed to go with show stock, to begin with. Show stock came from South Dakota, a fella that was letting his Doms go, so that he could concentrate on hybrid layer breeds. He had started with some hatchery stock from a feed store and then switched to show lines from a couple of breeders(Ellington/Rhodenback). He's worked on those lines for a few years. We got ten birds, two of which are cockerels, one was show champion.
The new birds have much better beak and skin color, and that is pretty consistent. Whereas, the hatchery stock had 24 of 25 birds with way too much dark in the beaks and legs. New stock has smaller combs, but one cockerel that i had from hatchery stock had a smoother comb than either of the show cockerels. Well, since we live in a really cold state, the smaller combs are what i want. The show stock look more 'elegant'...a little longer looking neck and legs. I'm a newbie, and a dope about feathering and barring, so won't begin to try to explain, but some of the breeder stock are much better, i think.
Hubby likes to hand-feed the birds, so is missing his Cackle birds....these don't trust us THAT much, yet. They had run of the farm at their last home, so are not quite as trusting of us....it will just take a few days, lol.
Temperments seem similar.
I was warned that the show stock will not come close to the hatchery stock in terms of egg production. If i want to provide fertile eggs for local 4-Hers and the like, i needed to go with show stock, to begin with. Show stock came from South Dakota, a fella that was letting his Doms go, so that he could concentrate on hybrid layer breeds. He had started with some hatchery stock from a feed store and then switched to show lines from a couple of breeders(Ellington/Rhodenback). He's worked on those lines for a few years. We got ten birds, two of which are cockerels, one was show champion.
The new birds have much better beak and skin color, and that is pretty consistent. Whereas, the hatchery stock had 24 of 25 birds with way too much dark in the beaks and legs. New stock has smaller combs, but one cockerel that i had from hatchery stock had a smoother comb than either of the show cockerels. Well, since we live in a really cold state, the smaller combs are what i want. The show stock look more 'elegant'...a little longer looking neck and legs. I'm a newbie, and a dope about feathering and barring, so won't begin to try to explain, but some of the breeder stock are much better, i think.
Hubby likes to hand-feed the birds, so is missing his Cackle birds....these don't trust us THAT much, yet. They had run of the farm at their last home, so are not quite as trusting of us....it will just take a few days, lol.
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My cockerel's comb is still filling out and I'm pleased to see the point becoming considerably more prominent and the hollow even less so. I didn't have high expectations for it but it's turning out better than I thought it would. Photo quality isn't great but the basic idea/shape can be seen.
I have two Dominique hens who are here for retirement and I think my cockerel is better matched with the one pictured. She has a much smaller comb with a tiny point, smaller wattles and less fluff than the other (who also doesn't have a point to her comb at all) but the other has better barring, particularly on the hackles. This one looks a bit muddy in that area. This one is also a better layer and though they both have very nice dispositions, this one is much more personable. I'm hoping their offspring will have better balanced combs and wattles than their parents. I believe both hens are hatchery stock (I acquired them just this summer) but the cockerel originally came from a breeder. All are very easy to handle and great with their flock mates.
They're certainly not the greatest specimens but they're what I have to start with.
I have two Dominique hens who are here for retirement and I think my cockerel is better matched with the one pictured. She has a much smaller comb with a tiny point, smaller wattles and less fluff than the other (who also doesn't have a point to her comb at all) but the other has better barring, particularly on the hackles. This one looks a bit muddy in that area. This one is also a better layer and though they both have very nice dispositions, this one is much more personable. I'm hoping their offspring will have better balanced combs and wattles than their parents. I believe both hens are hatchery stock (I acquired them just this summer) but the cockerel originally came from a breeder. All are very easy to handle and great with their flock mates.
They're certainly not the greatest specimens but they're what I have to start with.
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My cockerel's comb is still filling out and I'm pleased to see the point becoming considerably more prominent and the hollow even less so. I didn't have high expectations for it but it's turning out better than I thought it would. Photo quality isn't great but the basic idea/shape can be seen.
Your Dom cockerel is not standing in the U-shape back stance so it's hard to tell his body shape but that girl in the photo mid-stride with the Wyandotte(?) has a beautiful U-shape. Your Golden Hamburg is a beauty too!
Do remember that with older birds, they can have lost the back comb spike either by fighting or cold...so just be ause she doesn't have one now, doesn't mean she didn't have one originally. 
Also, you want cuckoo coloring, not barring.
Also, you want cuckoo coloring, not barring.
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