D'uccle breeders Database

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
I have a coop with a thin amount of shavings, and the run is playground sand. I let mine out to play in the grass as many afternoons as I can, after work. I guess I've just been lucky because I was looking at all the millie feet last night and they are all looking good. One of my millie girls couldn't turn around without falling over because she kept stepping on her own foot feathers.

I've been selecting for heavy foot feathers when I breed because I think that duck walk of their's is adorable! Nothing is cuter to me than to see tough old Tennessee, my rooster, lalloping across the grass as he checks on his girls.

Does anyone besides me really up the protein for their d'Uccles?
Mine get regular meat fat mixed with oatmeal, and even the trimmings from pork or beef roasts when I do a crock pot Sunday dinner (we have a local grass-fed pork & beef guy in the area, so there are no hormones or antibiotics in this meat).
This is in addition to the bugs they eat free-ranging, and sunflower seed treats.
I don't even consider the protein that they get from the layer feed. I just watch how they act when they eat the leftovers, and if they're fighting over meat scraps I add more for a while. Like now, as they complete their molt. I think giving them the extra protein as they form the feathers may make a difference in feather strength.
My young birds get these treats too.

Interesting... thanks so much for the suggestion, maybe I'll try that. And I agree... the duckwalk is AWESOME. As is the bantam cochins' waddle.

Just offering what I've seen in my birds. I know too much protein is considered a bad thing by some, but in these heavily feathered breeds I can't help but wonder if it's a different level. I know it appears to be working well for me!

 

[k0r1nag]

I had recently posted some questions about how to "breed up" from a wide assortment of lesser quality stock. In doing some more research, I found these notions posted on the Polish Breed website (http://www.polishbreedersclub.com/tipsandideas.htm). Are these tips true for the D'Uccles as well?

*Something to consider when breeding is the comb on the hen. Pull the crest back. Check to see if she has a comb. The hen without a comb is the one you want to use to keep the comb off the cockerel. (from Polish breed site)
– Obviously a D'Uccle should have a comb, but my question is does the conformation of the hen's comb have a greater effect on the offspring than the roosters?

*The hen decides the form. Pay particular attention to her. The rooster adds the color. (From Polish breed site)
– Again, do the traits of the D'Uccle hen's shape, tail carriage, etc. have a greater effect on the offspring than the roosters? Will a rooster with better coloration "bring up" the quality of the offspring when paired with a female of lesser desirable color?

Another question I have is whether some characteristics are so dominant and wrong for type that I should not breed from them at all. For instance, I have a gold laced Polish roo with a lopsided top knot and good color, but a hen of the same color with a good top knot and a more bleached out coloration. Dare I cross them to get all gold laced progeny with mostly better coloring and top knots. Or am I likely to get mostly bad top knots because the trait is so dominant? And one of my nicest Porcelain D'Uccles has great feet feathers and good color, but my hen has very small feet feathers and has already (at just over a year) bleached out to white. Should I cross these two and expect mostly good feet feathers but poor coloration? Should I wait until I can find another hen as the bleaching out so young is so heinous a problem that it will override the good traits of the roo? Basically, are there some defects that should be kept out of the breeding program no matter what other desirably qualities that bird might bring to the gene pool?

I am a definite newbie, and I realize that the genetics of both parents make up the offspring. I have even looked over a few Punnett squares

, so I have a basic understanding of the percentages of breeding for some traits and colors. What I was wondering is if they are some traits from either the male or female parent that seem to have a greater preponderance in the offspring such as suggested above. Is the roo's beard and muffs more important than the female's? Do females with heavily feathered feet "make up" for a male with feet feathers of lesser quality? And are there some defaults that are so dominant that those birds should be left out of the breeding pens no matter what other good traits they have? I know there is always a chance of a few better chicks, but I hate the idea of hatching a bunch of birds in the hopes of 1 or 2 "accidentally" good offspring. I would like to make appropriate pairing decisions to get mostly better babies and not litter the world with more poor quality birds. I am also trying to use the birds I currently have to educate myself before investing in some high quality birds – most likely from the breeders on this site

If anyone has a suggestion for a book on breeding and genetics of poultry or a great website, or even anecdotal information from their own breeding program, I would be grateful for any advice.

 

[wegotchickens]

k0r1nag, I'm not sure that d'Uccles follow the same rules as Polish. Someone who has both would have to confirm that.

I do know that a hen with a small comb and a rooster with a moderately large comb produced a rooster with a moderately large comb in my goldneck flock. But I don't know what the gradparents of this bird looked like since his parents came to me from another source.

The general idea with d'Uccles is to take the best birds of each gender, breed them, and cull heavily for the characteristics you want.
A bare middle toe is a bad thing, so if I have a chick with no fluff on the middle toe I 'hard cull' and donate it's body to a local raptor rehab center. If I have very few chicks of a particular type, then I grow them out a few weeks, keep the best and work from there to improve them.

Things to evaluate on breeders are their foot feathers, vulture hocks, beards and muffs. Pick the birds with the best of all 4. After that consider color. I've heard it expressed, "You have to build the barn before you can paint it." I try to think that way when I'm picking birds. If I have 10 young birds with perfect physical features, then I will make up a quad with the best 4 for color. Does that make sense? The other 6, since they are perfect except for color, I sell for someone else to work with.

I don't if I've helped you, but thought I'd give it a try

 

[k0r1nag]

Quote:
Thanks so much for this info. Very much the type of information I was looking for.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Spook, on another thread I saw where you were asking about breeding pens. Can't remember where I saw it but thought I'd answer here...

I have a 10x16 shed that I bought from a repo place.
We sectioned off 5 coop areas approx. 4'x4' and put pop doors in the shed wall. We have 3 runs off the long side of the shed, each approx. 4'x12'. the short end of the building has to runs approx. 5'x10'. We modified the following drawing as needed.

This gives me ample room for 5 different breeding groups of 4-5 birds.

I also have a 10'x10' "summer coop" that I use as a grow out space. It has no winter protection or nest boxes.

On the long wall that has no coops I have the brooder built in. I can also use it for isolation (without the light) if a bird is recovering while I don't have chicks.


I know there are some people who breed to show that only use cages, keep the birds in a small area, and often the birds never touch the ground. There are both advantages and disadvantages to that approach. I've chosen to let my birds play in the dirt, chase bugs and free-range when I'm home to supervise. I think mine are hardier and happier. They have good foot feathers, but they also get dirty and can get sun-bleached. I've never had to trim a claw or beak, but I do have to work with the birds before a show so that they are calm in that environment.


As far as lineage; take good notes, date them and band or otherwise mark the birds so you can tell them apart later in life.
I have a good MF roo, so he's stayed with 'his' girls. His fertility was good this summer. It was better last summer so he will 'retire' this fall in favor of another roo I just picked up from another line. I won't rehome my oldtimer, though. He's a good caretaker and will have a pen of 'teenagers' to watch over. He'll help me watch for danger as they learn to free-range. I think my oldtimer is a better rooster than his replacement. I just want the new blood. I will have too many roosters for a while as I work towards a spiral breeding arrangement. That's where good notes and banding practices will be critical.

 

[shay20]

ok here is the turn out so far on my Frizzle d'uccles
He is a FRizzle milli fluer d'uccle, hopeing his beard coem in good, he has one starting with pin feathers, and he has the hock feathers too

 

[k0r1nag]

I have posted before regarding "breeding up" for better quality in my flock and have gotten some very helpful information so far. I thought I would post a few pictures so that we could discuss "real" birds, in the hopes of broadening my limited understanding.

Here is a potential roo and hen pair I am considering breeding from in the spring. The hen will be two years old, then. She is the only mille fleur D'Uccle hen I currently have. She has moderate feathering on her feet, no crooked toes or beak and a moderate beard and muff. All the chicks I (accidentally) hatched from her this year, when crossed with a clean faced roo, had lovely, full beards and muffs. The roo was a dark mahogany mille fleur and heavily colored. All the roos hatched are dark as well. Is this normal for the breed? Are all the hens light colored (practically orange)? Are they supposed to be?

The new roo will be a year old in the Spring and is unrelated. He has very small feathers on his feet, but has muffs and a little beard. He is 5 months old. Can I expect a possible filling out of his beard, muffs and feet feathers? For those who cull heavily, when can you determine if the beard, muffs and feet feathers are going to be satisfactory to keep a bird? He has reasonble coloration from what I understand, but it is not as nice as a second roo that I have with no beard or muffs. The second roo also has better foot feathering at the same age, but no beard or muffs. Neither roo has bad toes or beaks. Both roos have feathers on all toes.

Would I be better off using the second roo with better color and feet feathers, even though he has no beard or muffs, because the hen has them? I am hoping to increase the size of the beard and muffs in my birds, as I have looked at photos of award-winning birds and realize mine need to be improved. I also want to keep the feet feathers large, and ensure that I improve or at least keep a decent color in the birds I hatch.

Are there any immediate, observable disqualifications I have missed? I know it is hard to see the vulture hawks and their relation to the angle of the wing (one handed photo taking is not as easy as it seemed

), but when I watch them in the pasture, they seem to be on the same angle and the vulture hawks look long enough (compared to other photos of SQ birds I've looked at). Should I not breed from either bird and simply wait until I can get my hands on some better stock?

I appreciate your input and expertise.

 

[k0r1nag]

I don't wish to hijack this thread, but I just wanted to post my Porcelain roo for some feedback. He is a year and a half old, he is pastured so his foot feathers are filthy, and the photos don't do justice to how crisp his chevrons are. Of all my D'Uccles, he is the best looking. Great big feathers on his feet, nice large beard and muffs. Good comb – not too big, not too small. And the right body conformation. Much better than any of my mille fleurs.

My question is, should I dump the Mille fleur roos I have (see my previous post) and breed my only mille fleur hen to this lovely gentleman to improve the physical characteristics of my flock? I understand you can breed between colors and still end up with mille fleurs (and possibly porcelains if the hen is split - which I do not know for sure). And I have been reading about breeding mille fleurs back into porcelains from time to time to try to improve the feather structure (not too loose and tatty looking). My hen is so light in color, I am concerned about further color degradation. But I also am concerned about breeding a bunch of poor quality chicks.

Are there any obvious defects with this roo that I am missing? I am really trying to understand the desirably traits in order to be a conscientious breeder. I do a lot of online research at the breed club sites and I love this forum for all its useful information. But I live far away from any "real" poultry shows with knowledgeable judges, so I am unable to compare birds, up close and personal.

Thanks for taking the time to educate a newbie like me!

 

[spook]

Thank you very much Wegotchickens, I did ask to see what folks had for breeding pens and I truly like your style.
Shay, that frizzle is bad....LOL now this is not for you to take personally and everyone loves frizzles, but holy hannah she certainly is homely and beauty IS in the eyes of the beholder!!! LOL (still)
Also, I too have picked up a Porcelain rooster in a show barn at the fair. He is a handsome guy and looks a lot like yours so it will be very interesting to hear how he is critiqued. This is not a good photo of my P D'.

2 days ago I had one of my MF girls put down, she developed a terrible lung infection (I assume), no other bird shows any signs of health issues, put her on antibiotics with no luck. She would "cough" and it would sound like she was calling for danger. Sad, but she was not really great breeding stock.
Here are a couple pictures of what I have at this point... I believe it was the girl in the middle that was culled.

These are chicks from the rooster with to dark of a head, one toenail stands straight up...? any clues?

Thank you so much everyone for asking questions and the answers, I too am new at breeding for show/genetics. I've always thought of as a crap shoot. You might get what you want or perhaps you didn't know what you wanted.
Now I know what I want, but unsure of how to get it! Thank you everyone.

 

[Celtic Hill]

k0r1nag, its hard to judge your birds because they are not in any kind of pose.

So guys, first show tomorrow with my birds! When i washed them i realized that the wire they were on ate their foot feathers, but there are some there !

But i guess it's a learning experience! Im also getting a new hen tomorrow from a breeder!