Chickens Available Now
General
Chicken and Egg Information
Dominique Chickens- General
Brabanter Chickens- General
Farm and Health Books for Sale
To learn more about poultry:
Storey's
Guide to Raising Chickens is available at our sister site, Health Treasures.DOMINIQUE CHICKENS
Dominique Chicks
& Chickens for Sale
We
sell Dominique chicks and chickens. We do not ship. Chicks and chickens have to
be picked up in person. Hens cost more than roosters. Hens that are just beginning
to lay eggs cost the most. Contact us for pricing.
America's
First Chicken
The
exact origin of the Dominique chicken is not known, but they probably came from
European chicken breeds and later in its refinement, some Asian breeds. The name
of "Dominique" probably came from birds imported from the French colony of Saint-Domingue
(Haiti). Early names of these poultry include Blue Spotted Hen, Old Grey Hen,
Dominico, Dominic, and Dominicker.
Dominique fowl was common on American
farms as early as the 1820s, where they were kept as a dual-purpose chicken. In
1871 the New York Poultry Society decided that only rose combed Dominiques would
be the breed standard. The single combed Dominiques were folded into the barred
Plymouth Rock breed- a larger breed common in New England which were created by
crossing large, single comb Dominiques with Java chickens. In 1874 the Dominique
breed was officially admitted to the American Poultry Association's Standard of
Perfection.
The Dominique was popular until the 1920s but then interest
decreased. The breed survived during the Great Depression of the 1930s because
it was hardy and easy to keep. By the end of World War II, as the industrial poultry
industry began to increase, the Dominique again declined. By 1970 there were only
four known flocks owned by: Henry Miller, Edward Uber, Robert Henderson, and Carl
Gallaher. From 1983 with reports on the breed by American Livestock Breeds Conservancy,
until 2006, Dominiques steadily increased in numbers. As of 2007, they are once
again beginning to decline.
Physical Characteristics
The Dominique chicken
is a medium-sized black and white barred "cuckoo" patterned bird. This pattern
makes the Dominique less visible to predators. Dominique fowl have a rose comb
with a short upward curving spike. The roosters average seven pounds and the hens
five pounds. The Dominique's tightly arranged plumage keeps the birds warm in
winter and provides plenty of feathers for pillows and featherbeds. Dominiques
carry their heads high up on well-arched necks. Their body is broad and full with
long and full tail feathers that are held the highest of the American breeds.
Their legs are yellow.
Good
for Meat and Eggs
The
Dominques are a dual-purpose breed (meat and eggs), but are mostly kept for being
good egg producers. Hens average 230-275 small- to medium-sized brown eggs per
year. Dominiques are self sufficient and will scratch for their own food, making
them less expensive to maintain than many of today's specialized breeds of chickens.
Dominiques are good foragers. The hens are good mothers and easy going with humans.
A book about Dominique's is available: "The American Dominique: A Treatise
for the Fancier" by Mark A. Fields. There also is a Dominque group you can join
Dominique
Club of America.
Eggs for Sale: Eating and Hatching
We sell eggs for eating and hatching. We do not ship. You have to pick up your
eggs. The Dominique hens lay light to medium brown eggs that are medium in size.
We feed our chickens organic feed including flax to increase the omega-3. They
have access to pasture during the day. At night we close them in the coop for
safety.
Prices
and availability of chicks and chickens. If you bring your own egg
carton, we give a reduced price.