Dominiques - Part 2
I think it’s time to confess that I began the research for this article for personal reasons. For several years now, I’ve been adapting our small operation to include America’s heritage breeds whenever possible. I took my time to learn about the species in general, and then concentrated on learning more about specific breeds that might work for us. In the henhouse, I’ve kept a mixed flock of Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, and Buff Orpingtons. I learned enough to know that I want to continue to keep hens, that I could successfully hatch and raise chicks even when the hens didn’t turn broody, and I learned what traits I did and didn’t want in a home flock.
This winter, I decided that it was time to take the next step. Pick a breed and get serious. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that the breed I chose was the Dominique. It fit the major criteria on my list for general type, hardiness, thriftiness, and mothering instincts. Of equal importance – the breed needs more serious breeders to ensure its survival.
Mark Fields of the Dominique Club of America defines a serious breeder less in terms of years or intent than in terms of performance. A serious breeder, under his definition, will have been working with a breed long enough to have replaced the flock three times with chicks he’s raised. Large operations can have a tremendous impact, but small farm flocks have, through the years, been the true treasure chests of genetic material. “While the hobby breeder cannot mass produce chicks, they are generally more critical of their birds and their production. All of the old Dominiques lines were saved in hobby flocks,” Fields said.
Hobby breeders who commit to sticking with the breed can have a positive impact on the breed’s survival. “The difficulty here is getting to hobby breeder to understand that controlled in-breeding is not bad. All of the old lines are severely in-bred but continue to produce. The newbie often listens to someone who tells them they need a ‘new’ rooster every few years, and in no time they have diluted the good traits of the original stock,” Fields explained.
He
believes the number of birds in the flock is less important than the breeder’s
commitment to eliminating the ”sub-par” specimens.
He recommends the new fancier to start with a minimum of 10 hens and 3
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