Dominique Thread!

[Chickassan]

Don't i know that! Hobo just steamrolled her way to the top. Nobody messes with her, she gets the food first all the hens get out of her way . I even had to curtain off some roost just for her if i didn't she'd peck everyone off except the cockrel. She loves me though, sweet as pie to me.

My Dom "Bubbles" is great with her humans, but not so gentle with her flock mates. I suppose it's because we have mostly orps who simply don't care about pecking order (unless it's food related). Bubbles is now one of the top hens with our fearless EE, Tyrion. Neither hen bullies much, but they can get pecky when they feel the need to remind others who's in charge. DS hatched a speckled sussex this spring & she also moved right up to the top. I heard that Barred Rocks can be bullies, but I went & hatched a penciled Rock anyway. She's pretty much at the bottom - even below my silkies. LOL

The moral of the story is: Chickens can't read, so they don't always act the way the books say they should.

 

[Amer]

I don't know if we got snow, cause I'm in Columbus Ohio right now. Ohio INTERNATIONAL

 

[Faraday40]

I don't know if we got snow, cause I'm in Columbus Ohio right now. Ohio INTERNATIONAL

Ohh! Are you showing or looking? Take some pics of what you see!

 

[Amer]

Looking. I'll take pics, but I won't be able to show you guys them, since I only have access to my kindle.

 

[Amer]

At all the shows I've been to, there were no bantam Dominiques other than ours

 

[Sylvester017]

The moral of the story is: Chickens can't read, so they don't always act the way the books say they should.

Yep, most breed descriptions/temperaments are pretty much right on target but guess there'll always be an individual somewhere along the way that doesn't fit the bill. Our 3 Dom's are different from each other as I can tell which is which just by their actions/demeanor -- otherwise they're like 3 peas in a pod when running with the flock. So far they've been respectful of the Cuckoo Breda hen. The Breda stands taller than any chicken breed I've had before so unless any of the Dom's grow taller than her I think they'll stay submissive to her. The Breda is very docile but lets the bouncy chicks know if they're getting on her last nerve -- she does it subtly. She gets the first roosting spot on the perch while the 3 chicks are huddled together at the opposite end away from her. Our old Silkie hen is still in-house recuperating from dry pox and hasn't been w/ the flock for over a month. She was alpha hen before her illness so don't know what'll happen when I put her outside again. She'll probably toodle around by herself with the Breda following like before and the chicks off by themselves doing their active exploring. There's so much energy, life, and spark in juveniles that tampers down once they become adults.

 

[Sylvester017]

At all the shows I've been to, there were no bantam Dominiques other than ours

Standard Dom's are rare enough but the Bantam Dom's are very rare. Guess that goes for most of the other bantam breeds being rare too -- other than the popular Silkies -- who are considered mid-size Silkies in the USA while the U.K. has actual smaller bantam Silkies.

 

[Amer]

Yes. I know some people who will by off all your cheap cockerel for meat. It seems they prefer bantams, and silkies for their black meat. It probably is even cheaper then buying chicken from the store, and is much cheaper than growing chickens yourself. It seems that they have it figured out.

 

[Amer]

There were bantam Dominiques at Ohio International. I also bought Buckeye bantams.

 

[Sylvester017]

Yes. I know some people who will by off all your cheap cockerel for meat. It seems they prefer bantams, and silkies for their black meat. It probably is even cheaper then buying chicken from the store, and is much cheaper than growing chickens yourself. It seems that they have it figured out.

Giving away cockerels for free just means someone else will have a free dinner. Better to keep the cockerels for our own table, I say. Although we aren't zoned for roo's in our city we have given them to our farm friend who actually rescues injured or unwanted roo's or battery hens and lets them live a free-range chicken life or gives them special pens if they happen to be blind or disabled to where they can't be in a regular open flock. My DH won't eat/process any of our chickens and works hard to find them forever homes if we can't keep them.