Oh I would have to respectfully disagree. It sort of depends why you want chickens. If you want a show bird, then Rocks, Reds, NHs & Wyandottes are probably what you go with, for sure. There's more of them, a bigger gene pool to play & more breeders. However, if you want a hardy, tough farm/ homestead fowl, the Dominique is probably one of the best. Certainly, having four toes instead of five is an advantage. For eggs, meat, sitters or mother hens, a Dominique has it all. Their cuckoo feathering is predator resistant; appearing almost bluish & confusing at a distance, they blend into the background. They are a good size & the oldest of the American breeds. And I have seen many a Dominique rooster rule the yard. IMHO, the Royalty of the farm, of the rural life are the hardy, tough breeds that free range well & can hustle a lot of their own food (and some of the ones that do not get as much attention), such as Dominiques, Buckeyes, Chanteclers. When you see good ones of these breeds, you know you've seen something rare. Just my thoughts.
Well, in the name of friendly banter, I'd have to say not at all.
"Hardy, tough farm/homestead fowl" is any breed you want it to be, so long as you're going to select for it to be hardy and tough. Barring the disadvantage of single combs in wet, cold weather, every breed I've mentioned and you mentioned is equally capable of being bred to be hardy and tough. The Chanteclers might have a step up in Quebec, where I used to live so I understand the meaning of
il fait frette, but Quebec notwithstanding, the only breed that might be able to lord "hardy and tough" over another breed
as a breed characteristic as opposed to a strain characteristic is--perhaps--the Games. Incidentally, the Dominique was historically found to be less hardy than the Barred Rock, which was considered in all ways its superior. However, hardiness, as I mentioned, is a trait for selection, and although the Rock was considered superior, the fact is that both can be equally selected for general hardiness.
Four toes
versus five toes is of absolutely no importance at all. There is no advantage or disadvantage to one or the other.
"For eggs, meat, sitters or mother hens, a Dominique has it all" Every hen on this page should be broody, and quality of broodiness is a strain characteristic, not a breed characteristic. You're selecting for it, or you're not. As for eggs, the Dominque does have a good body type for eggs, is it better than the RIR's body type? Probably not. Does it equal the Rock or NH for meat? No. Is it better for eggs type-wise, probably not, equal perhaps.
Predator resistant coloring? I'd say absolutely not. I put zero credence in feather color in most chickens to be of any value at all, and if I were to, it would go to a Partridge Rock. And if the Dominique were feather promoted, it wouldn't make it better than the Barred Rock to whom it is inferior for meat and no more than equal for eggs.
They are a good size? This is completely subjective. I agree with you, but then I think that well-bred Mediterranean fowl are of a good size, too. Neither rivals Dorkings, Sussex, Rocks, RIRs, or NHs in this department.
They are the oldest American breed? Sure, but this is not a virtue of quality; it's a fetish of preference--one I understand, mind you, I'm a Dorking lover, but it doesn't mean squat quality-wise.
Ruling the yard in any cockbird is of little value, and there's nothing in a Dominque make-up that makes it genetically more powerful or more capable of "ruling the yard" than a RIR. One could, however, say that RIRs and NHs, deriving their color and hardiness from the Malay have much more actual genetic potential to rule the roost.
Now, historically, Dominiques, Buckeyes, and Chanteclers do not belong together. Dominiques are the only breed of the three that can make claims to the old-school kind of hard knocks farming career to which you make reference. Of those three, only the Dominiques have any true claim to length of history and proof of metal. The RIR and the NH outshine the Buckeye in type and always have. Buckeyes were never more than a marginally popular breed with very little favorable said about it in the old literature. It's current popularity is due to the ALBC who did an awesome job with it, but this is the best lime light Buckeyes have ever seen. Chanteclers certainly made a splash, but in an isolated way. They were a late arrival on the scene, and have barely more history than Delawares, Hollands, and Lamonas.
Plymouth Rocks, RIRs, and NHs are by a huge margin the most popular American fowl and their type explains why. Their standard is what makes them powerful, and their history reflects the benefit of that standard. They, especially the Plymouth Rock and the RIR, most resemble the Dorking and Sussex, which are the two oldest dual-purpose fowl in the English speaking world, comfortably older than the Dominique, and the Buckeye and Chantecler aren't even a blip on their historical radar. It is the superior length, breadth, and depth of the fowl I mentioned that give them the genetic potential to out-distance the others.
At the end of the day, though, if you want make claims for the test of time "For eggs, meat, sitters or mother hens, a
Dorking has it all", and there are three hundred years of bountiful, unequivocal literature to speak for it.
At the end of the day, though, they're all good chickens.
