D'uccle breeders Database

[acid_chipmunk]

Once I have more than just the MF's, I will use a computer program. I have a program that my hubby found called Kintraks. You can use it for any kind of animal that you want to keep track of them. There is a free version and there is also a pay version. We have the free one for now and may get the pay one later, once we really need it for the Polish.


Are everyone else's roos as fertile as mine? Every single egg we put in the bator develops and we have 100% hatch rate on them. I am curious to see how well they do when shipped.


Everyone, I am still looking for any kind of d'Uccle eggs and would like to get them before it is too cold to ship. Please let me know if you are willing to sell or trade! Thanks!

 

[Celtic Hill]

I will have to look into it!

 

[wegotchickens]

I keep track on a notebook, followed up by an Excel spreadsheet.

We started off with an A-frame, but really worried when the temps dropped below 20 for any length of time. Those feathered feet made it hard for them to cuddle close on the roost. We ended up moving them into the garage on really cold nights those first 2 winters.

A lady I used to compete against lost almost all of her millies last winter. We had a bad one, colder than usual. I was glad I had the shed this time, and could close it up. A small space heater kept it around freezing in there. The water bottles still froze but I didn't lose a single bird.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
How late are you willing to hatch?
My girls are currently finishing their molt. If they are true to the pattern of last year, they will lay again next month until around Thanksgiving when the temps drop more.

 

[Celtic Hill]

Quote:
Hummm, well i had a very basic set up for my first millie years ago and she was all by herself and did fine. I think if i position them between the barns, facing to the south, they will be good. I dont think the CT winters are as bad as the TN winters!

 

[acid_chipmunk]

Quote:
How late are you willing to hatch?
My girls are currently finishing their molt. If they are true to the pattern of last year, they will lay again next month until around Thanksgiving when the temps drop more.

We will be hatching all winter, as long as my Buff Laced Polish are laying. We just acquired them and want to get some babies out of them. I have no problem hatching all winter, as we have an enclosed porch to brood in, where the babies won't freeze and if need be, I can bring them in the house. I am just worried about it getting too cold to ship eggs. I am very interested in getting eggs from you! Thanks!

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
How late are you willing to hatch?
My girls are currently finishing their molt. If they are true to the pattern of last year, they will lay again next month until around Thanksgiving when the temps drop more.

We will be hatching all winter, as long as my Buff Laced Polish are laying. We just acquired them and want to get some babies out of them. I have no problem hatching all winter, as we have an enclosed porch to brood in, where the babies won't freeze and if need be, I can bring them in the house. I am just worried about it getting too cold to ship eggs. I am very interested in getting eggs from you! Thanks!

No prob! I'll post on here when they're laying again. I pack well, and have babies in GA, OR & AK. Can't remember where hhammack lives, but he hatched some of my babies, too.

 

[acid_chipmunk]

Quote:
We will be hatching all winter, as long as my Buff Laced Polish are laying. We just acquired them and want to get some babies out of them. I have no problem hatching all winter, as we have an enclosed porch to brood in, where the babies won't freeze and if need be, I can bring them in the house. I am just worried about it getting too cold to ship eggs. I am very interested in getting eggs from you! Thanks!

No prob! I'll post on here when they're laying again. I pack well, and have babies in GA, OR & AK. Can't remember where hhammack lives, but he hatched some of my babies, too.

Awesome! Would you like some of mine in return? I only have the MF. I posted pics of them a couple pages ago.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Wish I could, but I'm 'not allowed' to hatch again until spring

I still have about 30 young 'uns growing out, so I really don't have the space right now.

I'm happy though, because of my 20+ MFxLav crosses, almost all are feathering nicely, with great beards, hocks & foot feathers coming in.
A long-time SQ d'Uccle breeder I talked to recently was telling me that serious judges want very feathery feet, without a lot of breakage. He's been showing a lot longer than I have, and in MUCH bigger shows. The kind of shows I want to work myself up to next year

Let me see if I can find a couple of pictures for you...


Not his best pic, but it shows Tennessee's awesome foot feathery-ness:

Again, bad pic but you can see the foot feathers:

And here are my little project birds. Can't see their foot feathers really well, and I took these pics last week and I think they look better this week... The center bird has the most white of all of them:

And here are a couple of my younger millies (with TN keeping an eye on them in the background):

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

We are keeping them in larger coops subdivided into smaller pens. Each pen has a run and we have 5-6 Hens per Roo.
Currently we have one pen of all MF, one with MF hens and Lavendar Roo, one with Blue MF and Lavendar Roo, And lastly I have a Lemon Roo with Blue MF, MF and a Golden Neck Hens.

We have all of ours subdivided in order to ensure we know what comes out of who. We also use food coloring on the vent to Id the hen the egg came form. A small amount of food dye droped on the vent will leave a bit of color on the egg.

We have them in the coops and in the winter the only thing we heat is the waterer. We have tried a heatlamp on them and I also use heated dog bowls.

If you have crested breeds or breeds with large wattles you have to make sure they are not sticking the crest or wattles into the water bowl.

Most people in our area are using the heated dog bowls now. If you have crested breeds just ut the galon waterer in the water dog bowl and the resevoir on the waterer will keep the crest and wattles out. Otherwise you run the risk of frostbite.
You should have seen my polish running around with ice on the crest of the birds. The kids had fun trying to round them up to melt the ice off.