D'uccle Thread

[hdowden]

Well, as you can tell, I am not a good photographer, plus I think I have the world's oldest digital camera. But I wanted to contribute more pictures of some of my birds, since you all are being so nice as to show yours!

Taking some of the knowledge I obtained from reading through all the posts up to this point (it did take a while, and I've unfortunately forgotten some of the good bits already), I redid my d'Uccle's little pen. I now have it covered in pine shavings, put together a nifty little gravity crumble feeder from ABS pipe for them, and built a sort-of coop. I still need to replace the branches I gave them to roost on with 2x4s so they will stop sleeping in a heap on the ground. I also gave them a pan with sand mixed with DE for dust baths which they aren't using.

The ground here is so hard due to being pretty much all clay, that I think that's why their foot feathers are all tattered, not to mention that the ground in their pen is lined with chicken wire. With the softer shavings, already new, long (!) feathers are growing in, including on the all-important middle toe.

I so appreciate the information that has been shared here. I recommend going through the entire thread to anyone new to these birds - I've learned tons.

After the new feathers on their feet have grown in, I'll take more pictures (maybe borrow a decent camera) and post them for any evaluation people care to make.

why do you have chicken wire on the ground of the pen?

 

[coffeekittie]

That's a good question! I used to use the entire 30ft by 45ft pen for my meat rabbits, before caging most of them. The little diggers needed a barrier to keep them in, thus, the wire on the ground. It will have to rust away, as it's partially buried now, and sort of sewn together with wire.

 

[FairLeaBantams]

Hi,

I am hoping you guys can help me with some info on D'uccles. They are gorgeous and I have a mille fleur d'uccle pullet that is close to POL. My neighbor is getting out of d'uccle that he has been breeding for 20 some years. I saw them yesterday adn fell in love. Dont have alot of space right now. But...

Can you tell me how loud roosters tend to be? (I only want one rooster of a bantam breed that is fairly gentle.. I currently have a silkie that is nice to the ladies but not my kids)
Are there colors that are more desired. Would you only get a roo of the same color type as the girls? He had lavenders(only sex linked to his roos)red/white and mille fleur and maybe a mille fleur blue.
Hens he had a gorgeous 2 year old black and white mottled, mille fleur, mille fleur blue, a yellow and white and a red and white.
Most of those were juveniles. WOuld you get the older gorgeous bird or the younger, yet to fully develop birds?

thanks

Hey! I am pretty sure I have quite a few D'Uccles from the same guy! He has so many fun colors and when you breed his birds, you never know what might come out. He told me that he had even had barred (Cuckoo) d'uccles pop up now and then, I would be soooooo excited if that randomly happened for me Anyway, I say go for the variety of colors, the only thing you should really look out for are small wattles. He really liked bigger wattles and bred for them because he didn't show and just produced what he liked. I'm trying to breed the wattle size down a bit, other than that, I'm pretty happy with what I got from him. All the birds I got were adults and fit in well with my flock and have bred and produced good little babies. Have fun!

 

[hdowden]

That's a good question! I used to use the entire 30ft by 45ft pen for my meat rabbits, before caging most of them. The little diggers needed a barrier to keep them in, thus, the wire on the ground. It will have to rust away, as it's partially buried now, and sort of sewn together with wire.

oh ok that makes since lol

 

[coffeekittie]

some updated pics


100% d'uccle



75% d'uccle and 25% silkie beard is growing in but has been plucked out







50% d'uccle and 50% silkie

Are the lavender girls your chicks from the lavender/porcelain cross? They look healthy (and pretty) so far! I hope they don't have that lethal gene come up!

 

[coffeekittie]

cutest penguin you ever saw, Isn't it kick butt cute

Ah, found the picture! mstricer, do you have any updated shots of this cutie?

 

[phoebs]

omg that is adorable i have a levender mottle chick around a wk old ill get some pics

 

[coffeekittie]

omg that is adorable i have a levender mottle chick around a wk old ill get some pics

So is this the way a mottled chick looks when teeny tiny? Shoot, I'll take one million, please!

 

[coffeekittie]

Does anyone know what happened to the Shagbark Bantam d'Uccles? They seemed to have some of the best looking birds I can find on the web, but apparently aren't selling them anymore. I drool over the pictures of the birds they had...

 

[coffeekittie]

Yikes, I seem to have driven everyone off this thread!

Well, taking the chance that I'm just talking to myself, I have yet another question. What size leg bandettes do the d'Uccles wear? Put another way, what is the measured size of the band - something like 9/16? I've searched the web several times and am not finding anything definitive.

Hello? oh? oh? oh?.......