Dominique Thread!

[buffalogal]

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You're saying you believe his Doms *are* adapting, right? After a short, hot spring (temps in the 90's in April), we've had over two weeks of triple digit temps (103, 105, 107...) and I have yet to loose any birds to the heat. Mine are mostly free range, the only birds I keep confined are artificially hatched and brooded peeps under six months old, and breeding pens, but only while I'm saving eggs. They find their own shade, though I do set out shallow pans of water out they can stand in if they feel the need to go wading.

 

[centrarchid]

Yes.
Potential at least their if brood stocked based only on local birds and import of birds for other areas not excessive. That is one of the advantages of closed flocks where performance criteria figure highly in terms of who breeds. There, hatcheries with all their short comings in respect to the standard excell. For my selection methods, performance first and SOP is second.

Just because all members of flock survive does not mean all reproduce equally well, especially in regards to hens (egg number and hatchibility if you track). Does not hold up so well with roosters where once selected as brood stock, they are almost certain to sire next generation. That is were potential for fertility issues of males arise.

 

[buffalogal]

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In a word, no. All the adults male and female are out together on several acres They divide up the hens and the territory, and once they settle the pecking order there is no fighting, though you can see some lovesick swain getting chased away from an older male's hens. I have one clever Dom cockerel that decided to "adopt" a broody; he stayed nearby until the eggs hatched, and now escorts her and the peeps everywhere. As he's a young bird, he wouldn't have a chance against the older cocks to garner a harem, so he's apparently chosen monogamy as his ticket to get a girl.

As for the territory, I have birds that do not ever leave the backyard, birds that won't stray past the house in the front, there's a "mini flock' of a dozen or so that claim the west end of the pecan orchard, and some that spend their days in various goat pens. It's been my experience that if you can give them enough "elbow room" they don't waste their time fighting because they don't have to.

 

[centrarchid]

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In a word, no. All the adults male and female are out together on several acres They divide up the hens and the territory, and once they settle the pecking order there is no fighting, though you can see some lovesick swain getting chased away from an older male's hens. I have one clever Dom cockerel that decided to "adopt" a broody; he stayed nearby until the eggs hatched, and now escorts her and the peeps everywhere. As he's a young bird, he wouldn't have a chance against the older cocks to garner a harem, so he's apparently chosen monogamy as his ticket to get a girl.

As for the territory, I have birds that do not ever leave the backyard, birds that won't stray past the house in the front, there's a "mini flock' of a dozen or so that claim the west end of the pecan orchard, and some that spend their days in various goat pens. It's been my experience that if you can give them enough "elbow room" they don't waste their time fighting because they don't have to.

Very cool, same thing I have been seeing! Social groups and territories exhibited in juveniles as well. They have separate roost and overlapping ranges near feeding stations. Only resource they seem inclined to share is water.

Your breeding system very likely to lead to landrace / locally adapted doms if allowed to go long enough.

 

[buffalogal]

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If they didn't produce, they wouldn't be here. (yes, I do keep up with stuff like that for both sexes)

 

[centrarchid]

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If they didn't produce, they wouldn't be here. (yes, I do keep up with stuff like that for both sexes)

I have a few dom hens that lay very well but hatch rate is an embarressment, regardless as to who they are bred to. Required me to isolate hens or use layer traps to detect.

 

[buffalogal]

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Wouldn't that end up being a self limiting trait, one that would "correct"itself over time?
If the hen lays well, she stays and produces eating eggs. If they don't hatch, I don't use her again in the breeding pen, but even if i weren't paying attention and insisted in setting her eggs, if they didn't hatch, the fault dies with her.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Wouldn't that end up being a self limiting trait, one that would "correct"itself over time?
If the hen lays well, she stays and produces eating eggs. If they don't hatch, I don't use her again in the breeding pen, but even if i weren't paying attention and insisted in setting her eggs, if they didn't hatch, the fault dies with her.

Yes you are very corrrect. What some and I have been tempted to do that keeps poor producers in gene pool is save more eggs from particular hens to compensate for reduced fertility. This done because hen producing such eggs otherwise very good looking. Actually not only tempted, I have been putting more effort into one of my rare strain hens that are very old (some 8 years old) to get chicks out of them. So far productivity of female offspring seems good but they will be watched.

 

[Gallusfarm]

Quote:
In a word, no. All the adults male and female are out together on several acres They divide up the hens and the territory, and once they settle the pecking order there is no fighting, though you can see some lovesick swain getting chased away from an older male's hens. I have one clever Dom cockerel that decided to "adopt" a broody; he stayed nearby until the eggs hatched, and now escorts her and the peeps everywhere. As he's a young bird, he wouldn't have a chance against the older cocks to garner a harem, so he's apparently chosen monogamy as his ticket to get a girl.

As for the territory, I have birds that do not ever leave the backyard, birds that won't stray past the house in the front, there's a "mini flock' of a dozen or so that claim the west end of the pecan orchard, and some that spend their days in various goat pens. It's been my experience that if you can give them enough "elbow room" they don't waste their time fighting because they don't have to.

Where do they all end up in the evening? Do you have a central coop or barn or do the mini flocks have separate evening quarters? _

 

[buffalogal]

I see, you're talking about the (for lack of a better word) "Pet Factor"; this or that one is special so you go out of your way to save eggs or keep pairing a certain male with new females hoping "this time it's gonna work..."

I don't know how you could not have that happen if you're doing your job as opposed to just letting everything run together and reproduce mongrels willy nilly. (Although that would get someone a landrace going in a hurry.

) But the very nature of breeding to the SoP means that everyday we're selecting what traits we want to see passed on, and what we want to see die out, favoring one (from the bird's PoV) superficial point over another. (perfect markings, comb, skin color, etc.)

I will give even the most (to my eye anyway) perfect bird only two chances in the breeding pen, and if it doesn't work out, they become lawn ornaments. The males especially; since they are confined with what I have chosen as suitable females and are safe from harassment from the other males (None of that "Hey! That's MY woman you got there!"), I expect minimum of 90% fertility. Not every egg hatches, but they better all have that blastoderm.