D'uccle Thread

[Cherstin]

Hi, guys! I'm so embarrassed of my brooder ... all your photos are so clean and pretty. It's been a rough day for these little ones, so I didn't want to disturb them too much for photos. I snapped a few pictures from the top of the brooder, but I tried to get some of everyone. For some reason, the other emails haven't arrived to my email yet.

In this picture, I'd call the top chick porcelain, then the second row is a very canary yellow chick next to a white chick next to a blue. I am so curious about the whites and yellows because I ordered these chicks from Stromburg's and I can "place" everyone according to what I ordered, but the yellows are being counted as whites. Thanks to BYC, I've become very interested in d'Uccle genetics as of late, so I'm considering doing some projects, and if these stay "some white, some yellow," then all turn white when they get older, maybe these will be the projects I start on.

Here is another picture with a cluster of porcelain bottom left, some more blues, two MF's, and a yellow and a white (or 2 whites). I just can't say enough about them. I'm so pleased with everything about them, and I'm really excited to keep learning more and to join some of the d'Uccle clubs that are out there. I looked on the website and saw that there were two shows in 2011 that were near me, but I think one had been in January, in which case I don't believe my new chicks will be ready, but I'm looking forward to learning all I can about the breed and hoping I can get involved in the showing and breeding, too.

Thanks for looking! I'll post more tomorrow when they get some clean towels down and I can feel more comfortable getting in there and getting more "hands-on." They had a rough trip from Minnesota to southwest Florida, but I'm happy to say that all arrived alive, plus extras.

 

[Jloeffler]

Very cute Cherstin! My porcelain chicks were a grayish yellow while my miles were a yellow brow. I could tell them apart when their wing feathers began to come in. I'm interested in seeing what your white chick ends up looking like. It's like getting presents! You just have to wait to know what they are! Keep us posted as they grow, which they do FAST.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
The club president lives in North Caroliina

He's a nice man. Go to any poultry show and you'll prbably find him around the Booted Bantams. he's not so much into d'Uccles any longer, but bred them for quite a while!

 

[NateinFL]

Quote:
How cool! I don't think I've ever seen a chick with actual WHITE down that is stunning for sure.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
Sounds like a fun day. Congrats on your blacks!

I love a black bird and this may be something I can work on later but for now I still need to learn the breed. I bet you and Janelle are having a blast around all those gorgeous birds.
MF can be a difficult pattern and color to work with. We are creating it in the bantam Cochins and have a real challenge going on but so well worth it!

I have had my form filled out to join the club for about 2 weeks but haven't sent it in. It takes me forever to get anything done, I swear!

The website does need some work and I am excited that it may take a change in a positive direction. I was bummed when I found some things did not work when I was researching the breed. There is just not enough written about these awesome birds.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
I know! I was/am bummed about the millies. But since my goal was to earn a trophy, it all ended okay. I wish these trophies could talk!!

The club will get rolling, it HAS to. If it doesn't, I'm afraid our d'Uccles will fall deeper into obscurity. A drawback is that the folks with the time to travel and indulge in showing are older and of limited technical expertise. The young people are in love with the breed, but by the time they could take on responsibility they often drift away from showing and owning birds. The folks in the middle are just too busy living/working/raising families to do a lot. I caught a bit of static from DH over committing myself to the time investment, but he knows it's needed. At the moment, if Karl dies then the club dies

So action is required NOW.

I've set up a small website with multiple pages, but overhauling this one may be beyond me. I'm going to ask around and see if I can find an 'expert' to donate the overhaul or offer a discount on it. Then it would just be regular maintenance and I know I can handle that! I am just going to throw myself into this and learn all I can as fast as I can. Then there will be a back-up if anything happens to Karl (Heaven forbid).

Me, standing with Karl and his friend Joe. I am holding my trophies

The judge working the d'Uccle row.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Thanks!!

Janelle isn't here yet. She arrives tomorrow and THEN we'll have some fun! She's staying after I leave, for the bunny show.

The website update is critical. In this day and age, it is the first view of the club and I hate it that the site is so dated. I'd also like to have more interaction on breeder boards on the club site. Then we could get input from breeders that might not participate in BYC. Of the club members in the room, I was the only long-time BYC member in the room, and there was a lady and her daughter that are new to BYC and d'Uccles. Everyone was very nice!

I hope I didn't hurt the lady's feeling that was there with her daughter. She wanted to call on BYC for volunteers to help the club. While I like the idea, I also know that there are a lot of people that join BYC but some of them fall away after a few months or so. That could set the club back if someone doesn't fully realize the amount of time and commitment involved. It wasn't that I didn't think her idea was a good one, and that I might ask a few of you to do the random favor.

But right now the biggest thing EVERYONE can do is to show their birds and join the club.

 

[Jloeffler]

Quote:
The club president lives in North Caroliina

He's a nice man. Go to any poultry show and you'll prbably find him around the Booted Bantams. he's not so much into d'Uccles any longer, but bred them for quite a while!

How serendipitous! Very cool. Thanks and I look forward to an updated site. As others have already said, it was very difficult to find information on this breed and I for one think they are far under rated!

 

[teddiliza]

Quote:
Sounds like a fun day. Congrats on your blacks!

I love a black bird and this may be something I can work on later but for now I still need to learn the breed. I bet you and Janelle are having a blast around all those gorgeous birds.
MF can be a difficult pattern and color to work with. We are creating it in the bantam Cochins and have a real challenge going on but so well worth it!

I have had my form filled out to join the club for about 2 weeks but haven't sent it in. It takes me forever to get anything done, I swear!

The website does need some work and I am excited that it may take a change in a positive direction. I was bummed when I found some things did not work when I was researching the breed. There is just not enough written about these awesome birds.

Well, I have my check for the club ready to mail on tuesday when I get paid. (It's been sitting there for a week till 'payday'). I agree that the more of us who show our birds, the better. I must say that showing isn't for everyone, but I think it will help get the word out about this breed. I know at least 2 people I got interested in raising d'uccles after showing mine last weekend, and the kids are really liking them too this year. I was bummed that I was the only adult showing d'uccles, but it really encouraged me that the junior show had 6 total d'uccle entries from at least 3 different competitors. The main reason I show is not because I am good at it or have prize winning poultry, but to try and get some other locals interested in the breed, hopefully pick up a few tips at the shows, talk chicken all day, and find buyers for some of my flock's offspring. It amazes me how many people think d'uccles aren't hardy or are fragile little things, based on what the chicken charts say. My experience has not been that they are fragile. Now, keeping their foot feathers beautiful- sure that's a bit higher maintenance. They can't run as fast with their big fluffy foot feathers, but if they have already been worn down from free ranging, that is not an issue. I met some show peeps that said they quit d'uccles because they didn't like having to mess with the foot feathers. I brought mine anyways, even with imperfect broken foot feathers. I figure when one of my favorites gets old enough to stop being a breeder, I can keep them in a constant pampered state so their foot feathers grow fabulously. Babymama might be my first, as I found scabbed calluses on the bottom of her feet tonight, and now she is in a 'get well' cage getting her feet washed and neosporined daily.

By the way, I agree that the website needs an update, perhaps moving the bulletin board part of it to a facebook page or yahoo groups page. It would be nice to know other members in my state. I feel like our local poultry show here in Missouri might have had a better showing if there was more of an online presence. I wish the breeder list and links were updated as well, since many of the people on the list aren't breeding d'uccles anymore. I like having BYC for talking about our d'uccles, but would like to have a more 'breeding tips' specific resource and contact list from some of the more experienced generation who aren't techies. It would be really cool to have a breeding tip of the month in part of a newsletter that discusses a different aspect of breeding with input from the more experienced that is discussed (For example, when to introduce new blood, picking the best for breeding, how to correct d'uccle flaws). For example: you could have a 'breeder/exhibitor of the month' in each newsletter, a 'show tip of the month' which discusses an aspect of showing d'uccles and describing the standard with more details and pictures. (overall conditioning preparation/posture/feet care/grooming/showmanship tips for JR's/Good wings vs bad wings/good color vs not as good color&pattern/ etc. For me it is hard to 'visualize' what a d'uccle should look like by reading the standard when I'm not saavy on chicken breeder lingo yet. I know there is probably a great printed book out there that has all this stuff, but it would be nice to have a particular resource that the club endorses. I think it would also be handy if the club had a paypal address for those who want to join online. If they paypal, it already has their name and address for mailing newsletters.

Nov 12th is right before opening day for rifle deer season....I hope you all have a great time! More pics, more pics! By the way, did you get any indication of why your milles didn't do as well as you'd hoped? Any feedback you received will help the rest of us. How many d'uccles were at the Crossroads show you attended? I have that exact same BYC shirt, by the way, I'm going to have to start calling you my chicken twin.

 

[hdowden]

facebook paige for d'uccles lets let everyone know about this great breed!!!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-d...e-duccle-chicken-page/268529153188380?sk=info