Thank you for this advice! D'uccles are one of my favorites, and that is one of the ones that I am considering. I am glad to hear that they did good for you in showing, and that they do give an advantage. One thing I was curious about though, is the maintenance for the bird. Is it very hard to keep their feathered feet clean, or do they not get very messy? I have not yet had a bird that has feathered feet, so I have no experience with that sort of feature. Ok, I will look around in those and see what I find!
I didn't have any trouble getting their feet clean for shows, but they do have the tendency to get dirty if its muddy out, or their pen isn't clean. Most of everything washes out with some dish soap and water; stained feathers may require a little more effort though. There are multiple methods people use, laundry bluing, cowboy magic, and bleach alternative are three of the most common methods. I use toning shampoo; its just the easiest thing for me to use.
