D'uccle Thread

[alibabba]

Many people have experimented and mixed. People can do whatever they want. If you want to try to make a giant egg laying bantam for your own flock by breeding for dispositions etc. go for it but it won't be a pure Duccle, it will be a mut. Mine are SQ, very nice to standard and they lay very well. That's what I expect and ever need. There are bantam breeds of layers like RIR's and Barred Rocks. D'uccles are a true bantam, mixing tarnishes the breed and they end up being misrepresented to the untrained eye. There's already 1000 different breeds, pick one or as many as you'd like. I like some big eggs so I put 1 laying hen in each bantam pen. That solves my problem of not getting big enough eggs and I have no desire to change my awesome little D'uccles

I think what the OP was going for was a "true to breed" not necessarily SQ, but chosen for sweetness and production. Just because not SQ, doesn't exclude as a D'Uccle?

Plus, if you keep 2 little hens, they eat much less, need much less space and produce a comparable weight in eggs. (Of course you do have to waste time cracking more, who cares anyway?)

ETA. different facets are injected all of the time when beginning it seems....and then flaws are winnowed out, not all of the time of course, but it is done.

ETA. beginning...or self correcting down the line a bit... and one more thing, I would prefer less early "production" and a longer run of eggs over a garden pets lifetime.... I will prefer from my pet bantam hens 2/3 eggs a week for the whole of their lives. Extended laying, is something to breed for for the pet hen folks.

 

[saltandpepper2]

I know it's a mutt, but this is my Mille fleur D'uccle, and a WHITE Cochin rooster... And I get a black chick.... Talk about disappointments

 

[carcar80]

Hi everyone.. My Mille are about 6 weeks old now and a couple are beginning to "Fleur"! They are also in their brand new run now and loving being "big kids"

 

[alibabba]

Hi everyone.. My Mille are about 6 weeks old now and a couple are beginning to "Fleur"! They are also in their brand new run now and loving being "big kids"

Just the sweetest little faces! Mine are both broody right now, one with chicks, one on eggs...she still flies right up to my hand for treats! They are just a delight. Wish I would have gotten more D'Uccles!

 

[alibabba]

I know it's a mutt, but this is my Mille fleur D'uccle, and a WHITE Cochin rooster... And I get a black chick.... Talk about disappointments

Ahhhh, go to the genetics thread...white in most animals behaves as dominant but behaves very differently(as a mask of a whole lot of colors and patterns, I think) in chickens.... almost like brown eyes in people. They can throw all colors of eyes in children. But 2 blue eyed people can not have a brown eyed child.

ETA,
That is gonna be a beautiful bird. I can tell, you will love love love it. And everyone will want one just like it! So you better get to making some more...Eye color, so cool and that pale silvery lacing is lovely!

 

[tuesdaylove]

I know it's a mutt, but this is my Mille fleur D'uccle, and a WHITE Cochin rooster... And I get a black chick.... Talk about disappointments

She's beautiful! I bet she will grow up to be a lovely, docile, poofy-cheeked, heck of an egg layer. Seeing your bird almost makes me wanna breed my red Cochin rooster to my white d'Uccle hen.

I have a Cochin/Rosecomb cross, she's great. Lays eggs like crazy and is very sweet. She loves to stay broody though, so I guess that's the Cochin in her.

 

[shahtir101]

I just put my d'uccle hatching eggs in the incubator!!! So excited. Don't know how
Long I can wait

 

[saltandpepper2]

Ahhhh, go to the genetics thread...white in most animals behaves as dominant but behaves very differently(as a mask of a whole lot of colors and patterns, I think)  in chickens.... almost like brown eyes in people.  They can throw all colors of eyes in children.  But 2 blue eyed people can not have a brown eyed child.

ETA,
That is gonna be a beautiful bird.  I can tell, you will love love love it.  And everyone will want one just like it!  So you better get to making some more...Eye color, so cool and that pale silvery lacing is lovely!  

Haha, I did. Rooster was most likely a dominate white over a recessive black. She is a spunky little poof ball, and I really do like her. Hoping she gets more lacing! And that she lays as well as her mom!

She's beautiful! I bet she will grow up to be a lovely, docile, poofy-cheeked, heck of an egg layer. Seeing your bird almost makes me wanna breed my red Cochin rooster to my white d'Uccle hen.

I have a Cochin/Rosecomb cross, she's great. Lays eggs like crazy and is very sweet. She loves to stay broody though, so I guess that's the Cochin in her.

Haha, thank you. Yes, her mom lays 5+ eggs a week, so I hope she does as well!

 

[carcar80]

I just put my d'uccle hatching eggs in the incubator!!! So excited. Don't know how
Long I can wait

My guess is around 9 more days.

 

[carcar80]

Eight weeks!

Funny.. Time is crawling it seems, lol. I can't wait for cute little eggs!!

Also funny, in this older group of seven birds, I don't have any that are much more red in the face than the others.. Some have a little more flesh in the comb but even then not obvious.

In my younger group of four birds (different breeder), I have an extremely obvious 2:2 split. Which I'm glad for.