D'uccle Thread

[redrooster99]

Yep its true, that is why it is important to know what you are looking for!  That said, I am not looking for perfect birds as I would like to improve them over time. 

Sounds good to me.

 

[redrooster99]

Does anyone here sell blue mille fleur, black/blue mottled d'uccle chicks or eggs for sale?

 

[misfitmorgan]

Thanks, but I have no interest in porcelain. We make time for what we enjoy, and I enjoy showing birds. It certainly doesn't take up that much time anyway! I enjoy breeding to the SOP and sharing birds with others who are like-minded.

Well given that i work 50hrs a week in a regular job, help haul, split and stack firewood to sell, make hay in the summer...and breed rabbits, chickens, 20+ goats and guinea pigs. i do breed to SOP/Standard in all animals i breed i just dont have time to show everything when the shows are all 4+ hours away from me one way. i certainly dont just breed junk and then try to sell it for a quick buck like most of the "dont show my chickens cause they are pet quality crowd" i just have no wish to show as most of the showing in any breed i have shown or watched shown, judge based more on name of the breeder then on their animals. For instance i have watched horses who are miles away from standard win best in show because their breeder was very well known compared to the almost perfect standard in the same ring shown by an unknown, same in the dog showing world. I've also seem people sell goats from enobled lines that were complete garbage that sold for 4 times what they should have because they were from a breeder with enobled bucks that were well known. So no sorry i have no interest in showing my poultry, i hope you find some MF that win you lots of shows.

 

[chisNchickens]

Well given that i work 50hrs a week in a regular job, help haul, split and stack firewood to sell, make hay in the summer...and breed rabbits, chickens, 20+ goats and guinea pigs. i do breed to SOP/Standard in all animals i breed i just dont have time to show everything when the shows are all 4+ hours away from me one way. i certainly dont just breed junk and then try to sell it for a quick buck like most of the "dont show my chickens cause they are pet quality crowd" i just have no wish to show as most of the showing in any breed i have shown or watched shown, judge based more on name of the breeder then on their animals. For instance i have watched horses who are miles away from standard win best in show because their breeder was very well known compared to the almost perfect standard in the same ring shown by an unknown, same in the dog showing world. I've also seem people sell goats from enobled lines that were complete garbage that sold for 4 times what they should have because they were from a breeder with enobled bucks that were well known. So no sorry i have no interest in showing my poultry, i hope you find some MF that win you lots of shows.

I was only commenting appropriately according to your insinuation that folks who show have "plenty of time". Again, you make time for things you ENJOY. I cut back on my breeds/varieties because I want MORE time for those which are my favorites, to keep them in condition AND to improve them. The more varieties or breeds one has, the lesser the quality usually because one cannot concentrate on say ten varieties as well as two. Kind of goes without saying but...
And I can honestly say I do not have time to breed goats, rabbits, or g. pigs....but apparently you do. So please don't insult those who show their birds by implying that they have too much time on their hands...all I'm sayin'.
Also, I wasn't insinuating at all that you breed junk so I have no idea where that came from. I will tell you that you don't know much about poultry shows if you are comparing them to horse shows or dog shows. I know all about dog shows as I used to show dogs. Dog shows are a joke. The dogs are rarely judged, it is the professional handler or breeder with big $ that wins. Judges almost always look at the wrong end of the lead. With poultry no one knows who owns what bird. No names on the coop cages. It is a much more fair style of showing. So, too bad you don't show your birds as it may be more rewarding than you think.

 

[mymilliefleur]

The time of season is a huge factor, but also would like to add, finding a breeder of GOOD QUALITY is harder to come by. I see adds on Craigslist for Milles and even other breeds all the time but only pet quality...

Yes that is very true.
I saw some hatching eggs for sale last year, and the parent stock had no beards, poor booting, and very dingy coloring.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I was only commenting appropriately according to your insinuation that folks who show have "plenty of time". Again, you make time for things you ENJOY. I cut back on my breeds/varieties because I want MORE time for those which are my favorites, to keep them in condition AND to improve them. The more varieties or breeds one has, the lesser the quality usually because one cannot concentrate on say ten varieties as well as two. Kind of goes without saying but...
And I can honestly say I do not have time to breed goats, rabbits, or g. pigs....but apparently you do. So please don't insult those who show their birds by implying that they have too much time on their hands...all I'm sayin'.
Also, I wasn't insinuating at all that you breed junk so I have no idea where that came from. I will tell you that you don't know much about poultry shows if you are comparing them to horse shows or dog shows. I know all about dog shows as I used to show dogs. Dog shows are a joke. The dogs are rarely judged, it is the professional handler or breeder with big $ that wins. Judges almost always look at the wrong end of the lead. With poultry no one knows who owns what bird. No names on the coop cages. It is a much more fair style of showing. So, too bad you don't show your birds as it may be more rewarding than you think.

True. I may very well show my birds at some point. Right now I have only been breeding for about 2 years, and even in that short a time I have seen Major improvement.
These are some of my favorite hens:



I have some pullets from this past summer that I am really pleased with.
I also had some that I wasn't too pleased with that I culled (Sold as pets to some friends who weren't concerned about coloring) since they had too much black around their necks, like the bird in my avatar.

 

[chisNchickens]

True. I may very well show my birds at some point. Right now I have only been breeding for about 2 years, and even in that short a time I have seen Major improvement.
These are some of my favorite hens:



I have some pullets from this past summer that I am really pleased with.
I also had some that I wasn't too pleased with that I culled (Sold as pets to some friends who weren't concerned about coloring) since they had too much black around their necks, like the bird in my avatar.

Ooooh I especially like the girl on top pic, on the left. Really nice beard and I see so many with skimpy beards. I wonder if it is from people mixing the booted bantam with the d'uccle "unintentionally" since I see so many people post that can't tell the difference between the two. Nice birds MyMillieFleur!

 

[misfitmorgan]

I was only commenting appropriately according to your insinuation that folks who show have "plenty of time". Again, you make time for things you ENJOY. I cut back on my breeds/varieties because I want MORE time for those which are my favorites, to keep them in condition AND to improve them. The more varieties or breeds one has, the lesser the quality usually because one cannot concentrate on say ten varieties as well as two. Kind of goes without saying but...
And I can honestly say I do not have time to breed goats, rabbits, or g. pigs....but apparently you do. So please don't insult those who show their birds by implying that they have too much time on their hands...all I'm sayin'.
Also, I wasn't insinuating at all that you breed junk so I have no idea where that came from. I will tell you that you don't know much about poultry shows if you are comparing them to horse shows or dog shows. I know all about dog shows as I used to show dogs. Dog shows are a joke. The dogs are rarely judged, it is the professional handler or breeder with big $ that wins. Judges almost always look at the wrong end of the lead. With poultry no one knows who owns what bird. No names on the coop cages. It is a much more fair style of showing. So, too bad you don't show your birds as it may be more rewarding than you think.

i was not insinuating anything about how much time anyone else has, my exact statement was "i do not show my birds, just no time for it." as in I myself do not have time to show, i said nothing about everyone else having loads of time to show, or anything like that. i also did not try to or intentionally insult anyone who shows poultry, i would show poultry if i had the time or some shows were closer to me. i didnt say you said i have junk or was thinking it, i just know alot of people who dont show generally don't have SOP birds and dont cull to SOP. hence why we have pet quality, breeding quality and show quality. You are correct i know nothing about poultry shows as i have never shown poultry, only dogs, horses, and goats (quite a few year ago now) which is why i am used to the shady judging. Thats also the exact reason i stopped showing anything.

So it seems the implications of both of our comments were likely taken incorrectly. So let me say i am sorry if you felt i was trying to insinuate anything cause i most definately was not, i pretty much always say what i mean and mean what i say and there is no "under lying meaning" behind it. Since you have been kind enough to give me more info on poultry shows and that they are not run like other shows i actually probly would enjoy showing. Maybe i can let OH take over goats and guinea pigs so i can focus on/have time to do poultry showing. i will have to talk it over with him and see what he thinks.

Again i was not trying to insult anyone and i am sorry if it was taken that way.

edited for typos

 

[chisNchickens]

i was not insinuating anything about how much time anyone else has, my exact statement was "i do not show my birds, just no time for it." as in I myself do not have time to show, i said nothing about everyone else having loads of time to show, or anything like that. i also did not try to or intentionally insult anyone who shows poultry, i would show poultry if i had the time or some shows were closer to me. i didnt say you said i have junk or was thinking it, i just know alot of people who dont show generally don't have SOP birds and dont cull to SOP. hence why we have pet quality, breeding quality and show quality. You are correct i know nothing about poultry shows as i have never shown poultry, only dogs, horses, and goats (quite a few year ago now) which is why i am used to the shady judging. Thats also the exact reason i stopped showing anything.

So it seems the implications of both of our comments were likely taken incorrectly. So let me say i am sorry if you felt i was trying to insinuate anything cause i most definately was not, i pretty much always say what i mean and mean what i say and there is no "under lying meaning" behind it. Since you have been kind enough to give me more info on poultry shows and that they are not run like other shows i actually probly would enjoy showing. Maybe i can let OH take over goats and guinea pigs so i can focus on/have time to do poultry showing. i will have to talk it over with him and see what he thinks.

Again i was not trying to insult anyone and i am sorry if it was taken that way.

edited for typos

Okay gotcha, agree with all you said...I apologize for my assumptions as well. We're actually probably more alike than not;-) I definitely think you should give showing a try...we need more quality breeders of this breed. You said there were no shows within four hours? Well, that would keep me from showing much too...I hate driving. Another reason I quit showing dogs. We have a poultry show every spring and fall (not my town but nearby), and one in late August in another nearby town. Too hot to show then, I don't know why they hold it in August. So far I have not made it to any big shows like the Ohio Nationals. But I have only been showing for two years so I hope to get there maybe next November. My first show I was amazed at how "fun" it was...nothing like a dog show. You are given an exhibitor number and you go find the cages with your number on them, plop your birds in and sit back and wait and watch judging. There is a scorecard on each cage. I love seeing all the different breeds and sometimes they hold a pigeon/dove show at the same time. Saw some neat birds I'd never seen before - fancy white doves with collars and feathered feet. Really, I actually look forward to going whereas with dogs, I dreaded it every time. Last year I made a total fool out of myself in front of Shari McCollough (Master Exhibitor and longtime breeder of silkies). I went to see how my birds did after judging and my favorite pullet was missing. I just about had a heart attack. I ran up to Shari saying "my bird is gone!!". She told me she had been taken to "champion row". I didn't even know what that meant lol. But it was only my second show and I am still learning...and enjoying it!

 

[mymilliefleur]

Ooooh I especially like the girl on top pic, on the left. Really nice beard and I see so many with skimpy beards. I wonder if it is from people mixing the booted bantam with the d'uccle "unintentionally" since I see so many people post that can't tell the difference between the two. Nice birds MyMillieFleur!

Thanks! thats Miss speckles, one of my original hens. I really like her beard too, in fact I want to keep a rooster off of her, and then breed him to Sunshine (Bottom picture), since I love her coloring, but she does not have as nice a beard.