D'uccle Thread

[carcar80]

It depends on the bird. I have some that will get their flowers when they are only a few weeks old, and for others it takes months. I had one chick a couple years ago that didn't get her flowers until she was close to laying age.

Ok thanks for the reply!! I'm just relieved you don't think they scream, "NOT mille fleur!"

 

[bertgwen]

Any ideas when my milles might begin to "fleur"? They're almost five weeks old now. A couple have hints of white dots from certain angles, but...

Do some just take longer than others? I do LOVE their base color.

Here's a pic of the younger four just for fun (different breeder).. These are about 2 weeks old

 

[FairLeaBantams]

Some pics of some of my favorite birds:
Biscuit

Won Ton and chicks


Grayson

 

[carcar80]

Great example, thanks!!

 

[QuoVadis]

I love d'uccles! Along with Dutch bantams they are my favorite of all breeds. (Though LF Sussex, EE and Brahmas are also great.)
I live in the city and I have a flock of all bantam hens + two LF, and most are d'uccle. But anyway I have found many hatchery d'uccles (Dutch too) are very good egg layers. Like surprisingly good and consistent egg layers, and their egg size is just gigantic compared to how big they are. In addition they seem to have less health problems than many LF breeds. Has anyone else noticed this? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore how a nice show quality d'uccle looks, but for an average backyard flock I think hatchery ones are great!

Which lead to my question, has anyone ever tried to breed for production and disposition in d'uccles, instead of to standard? Such a bird would be really great for people with limited space who want a bird that also really lays well. In addition the great personality would be bonus in a backyard type flock. I am interested in eventually experimenting with this (though I can't now because I can't have roosters in the city). I think it would be a fun experiment, maybe even breeding in a bit of LF like Sussex or Salmon Favorelle to add tiny bit more size and laying conistentency. I say this because we once hatched out a d'uccle New Hamp cross and though that hen was not much bigger than her mother (the d'uccle) she layed eggs almost full size, and layed extremely well.

Thoughts?

 

[ambabya]

My very first D'uccle. I think she's 3 weeks old.

 

[dsfrango]

I love d'uccles! Along with Dutch bantams they are my favorite of all breeds. (Though LF Sussex, EE and Brahmas are also great.) 
I live in the city and I have a flock of all bantam hens + two LF, and most are d'uccle. But anyway I have found many hatchery d'uccles (Dutch too) are very good egg layers. Like surprisingly good and consistent egg layers, and their egg size is just gigantic compared to how big they are. In addition they seem to have less health problems than many LF breeds. Has anyone else noticed this? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore how a nice show quality d'uccle looks, but for an average backyard flock I think hatchery ones are great!

Which lead to my question, has anyone ever tried to breed for production and disposition in d'uccles, instead of to standard? Such a bird would be really great for people with limited space who want a bird that also really lays well. In addition the great personality would be bonus in a backyard type flock. I am interested in eventually experimenting with this (though I can't now because I can't have roosters in the city). I think it would be a fun experiment, maybe even breeding in a bit of LF like Sussex or Salmon Favorelle to add tiny bit more size and laying conistentency. I say this because we once hatched out a d'uccle New Hamp cross and though that hen was not much bigger than her mother (the d'uccle) she layed eggs almost full size, and layed extremely well.

Thoughts?

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

 

[ofeycat123]

i have a quail Belgian bearded d'anver bantam cock

 

[nothingbutbirds]

a new development in my 'splash' d'uccle chicks. i was handling one of those that hatched this week and noticed its leg. i tried to wash it off but it is in the skin and some feathers on the area are also black. yes, camera is crappy-its my cell phone, i swear i will find the other soon. my question is -do splashes have pigment spots on their pale skin? this may be a one off, i wont know till more are hatched. and then i wont be able to guess about other genetic options for this phenotype until i breed them. this will be difficult as i will wait till they are a year old to breed them as they are highly susceptible to Marek's and I am trying to breed this out, I am told it takes 3 generations. i have had birds nearly a year old first show symptoms and die soon after, that is why I want to wait to breed them. I am hatching large numbers and also selling eggs to others to help develop this colour. it would be cool if these turned out to be paints instead of splashes! i just dont know the genes hiding behind the parents phenotypes. these, i believe, all come from my 'DMIX' breeding group which has two brown red roos (ideal hatchery) covering 5 golden necks (second generation bred by me from ideal stock), 2 black mottled and 2 white hens (all also from ideal).

They're really cute chicks! I don't know if anyone answered your question, I didn't see it, but a couple of my splashes have had the pigment spots, and one of my splits as well. Do you have any adult splashes, I would be really interested to see someone else's birds? Plus, your chicks look really nice from what I see, so the parents must be beautiful.

 

[alibabba]

I love d'uccles! Along with Dutch bantams they are my favorite of all breeds. (Though LF Sussex, EE and Brahmas are also great.)
I live in the city and I have a flock of all bantam hens + two LF, and most are d'uccle. But anyway I have found many hatchery d'uccles (Dutch too) are very good egg layers. Like surprisingly good and consistent egg layers, and their egg size is just gigantic compared to how big they are. In addition they seem to have less health problems than many LF breeds. Has anyone else noticed this? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore how a nice show quality d'uccle looks, but for an average backyard flock I think hatchery ones are great!

Which lead to my question, has anyone ever tried to breed for production and disposition in d'uccles, instead of to standard? Such a bird would be really great for people with limited space who want a bird that also really lays well. In addition the great personality would be bonus in a backyard type flock. I am interested in eventually experimenting with this (though I can't now because I can't have roosters in the city). I think it would be a fun experiment, maybe even breeding in a bit of LF like Sussex or Salmon Favorelle to add tiny bit more size and laying conistentency. I say this because we once hatched out a d'uccle New Hamp cross and though that hen was not much bigger than her mother (the d'uccle) she layed eggs almost full size, and layed extremely well.

Thoughts?

Hey, just agreeing, that my 2 who I'm sure must be hatchery, are awesome layers! Now still their first year, but they keep time with the Wyandotte and EE's. 6 out of 7 days. And they are sweet as pie, don't destroy the yard, fly up to my hand... I can see going to all bantams in my future.

Oh and the two just went broody, first hatched every fertile egg (3 SF, 3 D'Uccle) and is a perfect momma! Love them!