D'uccle Thread

[Lorilyn Farms]

I've had the different mille fleur coloring for about two years now, and this is the first chick that has silver wings with black, instead of the buff. What do you guys think? All the chicks from this mating are exactly the same, all blue millies, except one reg millie and then this guy with the silver wings. Never seen this before!

 

[Lorilyn Farms]

Calling goldneck a splash is really a misnomer, IMO.
Now that I've had more experience, I think the black/blue on some feathers is smut, not an expression of blue.

Blue
Blue, on the other hand, when crossed with Black, gives 50% Black and 50% Blue. Blue to Blue will produce 50% Blue, 25% Black and 25% Splashed, while Blue to Splashed should produce 50% Blue and 50% Splashed. Black to Splashed will produce all Blue.
By mating two Blue Millefleur together the same thing happens, with the Blue becoming Black, Blue or White. This latter colour in the d'Uccle the Americans call "Golden Neck" and is a bird with the base colour of a Millefleur with all the black replaced by white or splashed white. We would say it is a homozygous Blue Millefleur. I can't quite work out how they came to call it a "Golden Neck"
This excerpt is taken directly from the Belgian Bantam Club. So really, "gold necked" is a misnomer. The same thing occurs in breeding silkies. The homozygous form of blue is called a "splash." THAT'S why I called my gold-necked a "Splash".

 

[wegotchickens]

This excerpt is taken directly from the Belgian Bantam Club. So really, "gold necked" is a misnomer. The same thing occurs in breeding silkies. The homozygous form of blue is called a "splash." THAT'S why I called my gold-necked a "Splash".

It is my understanding that to be admitted into the Standard of Perfection as a recognized variety, said variety must "have a relatively large sample size." To get to that sample size for the current accepted varieties, breeders used those that bred "true". Meaning that 2 birds of the same color, crossed, result in the same color. Goldneck is a recognized variety of d'Uccle because 2 goldnecks consistently create more goldnecks (in my experience this was proven true), and so breeders all over the US could show a consistent quality of bird in all categories (K,P,C,H) in each sanctioned show for admittance into the APA Standard.

Blue mille is not recognized because they do not breed true. Blue & blue mottled are also not recognized colors, or varieties, in the d'Uccle section (or booted bantam section) of the APA Standard of Perfection. Splash is also nowhere to be found in that section of the APA Standard of Perfection. All can be shown, but only as Alternate of Variety, and they cannot make best or reserve of breed.

So, I hold true to my original statement, while respecting your right to disagree.


I wish I had more time to go back to my poultry genetics book and relocate some cool quotes about d'Uccles and their genetic 'soup'. I think the history behind d'Uccles and their breeding is fascinating!

Sadly, I have other research that is required, for a grade.....


Edited: Because I found my notes from a long ago talk with a breeder who helped get some varieties admitted to the standard in 1996. It was during a discussion on what it would take to get Silver Mille recognized & admitted.

 

[Lorilyn Farms]

Thanks for taking the time to give the info!

I,too, am doing the school thing. Class starts in two weeks! Good luck!

 

[mstricer]

Okay I went through my first round of breeding of my Black Mottled Rooster over one Blue Mottled and two Mille hens. The combination was crazy. I am still wondering if my young maran roo got a hold of my Mille's during this time, because the first round I got Blue and Black Mottled and Mille's one Black with weird neck feathering

front side

backside. still downloading will post others

 

[mstricer]

Okay now I know, those are mixed with marans, that young boy was sneaking in there for a while and stole the mille gene. I have a few of these that a hen in main coop hatched, and as they were coming out this morning, both a marans hen and one of these babies were side by side and that is when I knew, hackle feathers identical. I knew something was wrong when I saw that baby when it hatched, then I got no more mille's, Two girls went broodie and the other started molting. No eggs for over 2 months. I had no idea that Marans was sneaking in until I found him in the run, their was an opening big enough for him to get in. He is gone now. So now I have just the right amount to take the girls back to father and boys back to mothers and all holes are repaired so no one can get in. No what to do with the mixes they are cute, there is a nice boy with a huge full bread, I wonder what would happen if I left him with a few of my Olive Eggers?

 

[mstricer]

Okay here are the babies from the first hatch, before the cheating

went on.

this is the girl in avatar.

her and her sister.

combination of black mottled and mille, you decide, I would say Blue Mille, but what do I know.
These are the Mille's

When I copy and paste it sometimes cuts off the heads unless I use the bigger one, takes up too much space. I have a few others but they were being uncoperative. So what do you think?

 

[kristip]

In showing D'uccle... with the black mottled, what is more desireable- more white or more black. MStricer has much more black then my hen... any thoughts?

 

[mstricer]

I went to this web page http://belgianduccle.hypermart.net/mottled.html and found this

Judging Instructions:​

Black plumage should predominate over all sections of the plumage. The ideal white tip should be from one quarter
to three eights of an inch long on the back, body and thighs. This white should be pure within itself and free from
traces of gray or black, the whiter and sharper the better. An even size tip in all sections of the plumage is the ideal.

Defects:​

Purple barring in black sections of the plumage – Large White mottling, giving bird an overall too white appearance –
Lack of mottling on back, breast and lower body – Solid white feathers in plumage.

 

[mstricer]

The chick in my avatar looks like it would have too much white, right? But here is what she turned out to be