D'uccle Thread

[ESofVA]

I can't attest to winter as I didn't own d'Uccles last winter.. I bought her at the end of last March and she laid an egg the next day! She hasn't laid in 22 days. That is when I took the last egg to put in the incubator. She raised the 1st 15 chicks by herself. I don't know how she managed to keep all of them warm enough.

 

[K Epp]

How cold hardy are D'uccle? This is my first winter having one. Is there anything I need to do extra for it?

 

[CGinJCMO]

They didn't seem to have a problem with the cold, but they wouldn't go out into the snow (and I shoveled more than three feet from their door so they could go out and go under their house where there was absolutely no snow). I had the food and water in the coop with them so I guess there was no incentive to go out.

CG

 

[mstricer]

Thanks, good to know! I guess fertility doesn't matter to me too much since I probably won't be hatching eggs - just want them to lay regularly. My mille fleurs from McMurray laid probably 5 eggs a week, and didn't quit in winter, but I have heard such mixed thing regarding D'uccle laying ability I don't know how normal this is, and whether only mille fleur D'uccles lay that well, or if other color varieties lay less/quit in the winter.

Mine will lay like that in the late spring to early/mid summer, or until they go broody which if you have non-hatchery birds will do a lot. I have 3 still now 2 on with 1 baby each and one with 6. They do not lay in the winter, until the light changes and I might get a batch around the winter solstice. but then nothing.

 

[ESofVA]

What is a "cold climate"???? How cold is cold supposed to be before it is considered a cold climate? We live in planting zone 7b-8a. Our lowest temps in the winter is 5° F. Is that considered a "Cold Climate" for chickens???? I keep seeing that this or that breed of chicken isn't very cold hardy. So what is cold? How cold????

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

What is a "cold climate"???? How cold is cold supposed to be before it is considered a cold climate? We live in planting zone 7b-8a. Our lowest temps in the winter is 5° F. Is that considered a "Cold Climate" for chickens???? I keep seeing that this or that breed of chicken isn't very cold hardy. So what is cold? How cold????

I think of a cold climate as when winters hover at 30 degrees or less over a long period (allowing for serious snow accumulation) We don't have a cold climate since we may get 20 degrees for only a couple of weeks, then back to our regularly scheduled 40-50 degrees.

Now for the tinier Seramas people discuss less than 40 degrees as being stressful.

These are just my opinions.

 

[ESofVA]

My smallest are Sebrights and next would be d'Uccles. What climate??

 

[PheasantsFirst]

What is a "cold climate"???? How cold is cold supposed to be before it is considered a cold climate? We live in planting zone 7b-8a. Our lowest temps in the winter is 5° F. Is that considered a "Cold Climate" for chickens???? I keep seeing that this or that breed of chicken isn't very cold hardy. So what is cold? How cold????

I would consider a cold climate as a place where it'll be bellow freezing over a week or when you get over 4" of snow accumulation.

 

[QuoVadis]

I would consider a cold climate as a place where it'll be bellow freezing over a week or when you get over 4" of snow accumulation.

And all the people from WI are out without coats in that kind of a winter... haha

Its usually around 20 most the winter here, some weeks where its below 0 for days, and our d'uccles were fine

 

[ESofVA]

And all the people from WI are out without coats in that kind of a winter... haha

Its usually around 20 most the winter here, some weeks where its below 0 for days, and our d'uccles were fine

My husband would love it! That is what I would call a cold climate. Most of the winter we are 30-50°. We had 2 or 4 "snow storms" last winter. We got 1-3" each time!! LOL!! Our winter storms usually consist of rain and we get lots of that. Our house sits about 6 miles from the Atlantic and 8 miles to the Chesapeake Bay in the most eastern part of VA.