Mille Fleur Booted Bantam ( not D'Uclle ) Breeders and Hatcheries

[CraziChknLady]

Does anyone know of any good breeders or hatcheries for the Mille Fleur Booted Bantam ( not D'Uclle). I just recently got 4 ( 1 roo, 3 hens) and thought they were D'Uclle but they have no muffs and beards. I would like to try to stay with the same group and not introduce the beard &muffs if possible. Unless those are some sort of recessive gene or something?

Has anyone got anything from a hatchery and it turned out the opposite, such as ordering the D'Uclle but then getting just a booted?

Anything I should be aware about for this breed? Is the ratio of roo to hen good or should I look into getting more hens? I have had cochin bantams before but not this breed.

 

[Folly's place]

Years ago we bought Belgian d'Uccles from MurrayMcMurray hatchery, and their catalog then stated that some of the birds would have beards, and some not. That's what arrived, and because we wanted those cute muffs, we selected for that trait and bred out the beardless ones.
Recently i bought some porcelain d'Uccles from a feed store, I believe from Townline hatchery, and all six chicks are beardless. The Townline website shows their porcelains as beardless too.
Either way, they are really nice birds! Broody, so they are likely to raise chicks for you, very cute, reasonable layers of small eggs, and worth having IMO.
Mary

 

[CraziChknLady]

Years ago we bought Belgian d'Uccles from MurrayMcMurray hatchery, and their catalog then stated that some of the birds would have beards, and some not. That's what arrived, and because we wanted those cute muffs, we selected for that trait and bred out the beardless ones.
Recently i bought some porcelain d'Uccles from a feed store, I believe from Townline hatchery, and all six chicks are beardless. The Townline website shows their porcelains as beardless too.
Either way, they are really nice birds! Broody, so they are likely to raise chicks for you, very cute, reasonable layers of small eggs, and worth having IMO.
Mary

That is good to know that they can come either way. Maybe if I ever ordered some I could keep the D'Uccle flock separate and have both. I'm just starting out with these, so we will see what winter brings. I'm coming to the conclusion that the ones I got are young, probably on first molt, and have sadly, never been kept in a aviary type pen, only a small cage which had probably led the feather picking on the smallest hen. I also have a cochin bantam hen w/ chicks (7) and she's a good mama, so maybe they can learn from her. They are all super sweet though. Im used to dealing with larger chickens ( had about 4 bantys in last flock), but it's odd to have them all be bantys. Definitely have to adjust the food portions I give them! I really appreciate the info! It helps more than you know.