D'uccle Thread

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
My mottled hatched in March I believe, I've gotten maybe a dozen eggs total from her since. The porcelains were also early spring/late fall chicks and I haven't gotten an egg from them since I've had them, about 2 months. Hopefully next spring will show some improvements, I really like d'uccles but can't keep birds that don't lay

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
My mottled hatched in March I believe, I've gotten maybe a dozen eggs total from her since. The porcelains were also early spring/late fall chicks and I haven't gotten an egg from them since I've had them, about 2 months. Hopefully next spring will show some improvements, I really like d'uccles but can't keep birds that don't lay

The real fun is when they start laying well and you get all excited and then you walk in and they've all gone broody at the same time.

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Got to love the broodies as it means you are not running the incubator.

 

[texasgal]

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That's what I'm counting on .. any banty that goes broody becomes an incubator for my LF chicks .. hehe

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
My mottled hatched in March I believe, I've gotten maybe a dozen eggs total from her since. The porcelains were also early spring/late fall chicks and I haven't gotten an egg from them since I've had them, about 2 months. Hopefully next spring will show some improvements, I really like d'uccles but can't keep birds that don't lay

The real fun is when they start laying well and you get all excited and then you walk in and they've all gone broody at the same time.

Correction to this, my mottled is at least a year old, she hatched sometime last fall ('09). But the maybe 12 eggs thing still stands. She didn't start laying until I think May or June. She'd lay an egg twice a week for a little while, then it was an egg a week. I think I've gotten 4 eggs in the past 2 months?? She's really picky about her environment I guess

 

[Gypsylion]

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That happened to me this year!! 5 hens, and 4 were broody and sharing a single nestbox for MONTHS (on golf balls for the first month and a half until I finally gave them some eggs). My d'Uccle was the only one who WAS laying, but that was one faithful egg every day.

Quote:
Most ornamental breeds, d'Uccles included, are not known as layers. It's just simple reality, and thus it's not why we have them... nonetheless, there's a lot of variation from bird to bird and, as I said just above, my MF d'Uccle hen was laying an egg a day for most of the season this year. She only stopped when she started molting (tho unfortunately hasn't picked back up again).

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
That happened to me this year!! 5 hens, and 4 were broody and sharing a single nestbox for MONTHS (on golf balls for the first month and a half until I finally gave them some eggs). My d'Uccle was the only one who WAS laying, but that was one faithful egg every day.

Quote:
Most ornamental breeds, d'Uccles included, are not known as layers. It's just simple reality, and thus it's not why we have them... nonetheless, there's a lot of variation from bird to bird and, as I said just above, my MF d'Uccle hen was laying an egg a day for most of the season this year. She only stopped when she started molting (tho unfortunately hasn't picked back up again).

Yes, I understand that, but I would like to get at least a couple eggs a week from them. This 1 and 2 eggs weekly (not even that lately) thing is ridiculous. I think she laid 2 eggs a week for maybe a month, then went to 1 then to what she's doing now.

 

[GypsyChic]

Don't mean to jump in on everyone...but....It was brought up to me again today, so I thought I'd ask who of us D'uccle people plan to attend the Shawnee OK show Dec 11th-12th? I will be there and wanted to see how many of you will be too.

 

[Celtic Hill]

So im trying to figure out how im going to set up breeding pens for next year. I was planing on doing pairs and trios, but its going to take a lot to make a bunch of little pens. So is their any draw backs on keeping little flocks like 5-7 hens per rooster? Im just trying to figure out what the best plan for me is...anyone have any input?

 

[GypsyChic]

5-7 hens per male is a good number