Keeping Belgian D'uccles..

Jasper · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:11 pm **Posts:** 38

Hi everyone, I currently have a trio of pure black Belgian D'uccles almost laying age, also have a porcelian young rooster, and a Mille fleur young rooster they both 4 months old. Just having trouble working what is the best option for me they are in a 2m x 2m avairy, housed with 2 sebright hens (laying) & a pair of young pekins (not old enough yet)..I wanna breed them, But having trouble deciding which to keep and which to sell too many roosters..but its hard because they are all stunning..any suggestions? I thought about locking up the roosters & alternating? Or maybe have to cut back on a few..

Also another question whats a good flooring for them that is easy to clean because the shed is right near the house so dont wanna have mouse problems, already caught a few of them..??

They get let out in a BIG yard every afternoon and all day on weekends. They hang out with my dog. LOL.

Jasper · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:11 pm **Posts:** 38

Avairy is on a concrete slab, but has a thick layer of soil on it that is wearing down as I keep removing the poo & they dig a little..

b&p · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:26 am

Hi Jasper,

Opinions will vary on your flooring.Due to a mite outbreak I now just have dirt floors in my aviaries (no concrete slab). Come winter I'll no doubt give then some sugar cane mulch though nice and thick.

If you can make your decision between the mille fleur and the porc cockerals you will be halfway there as you need the mille for your porc colour.If you can source some porc and mille hens than you could move on either cockeral.

If your porc is too light than you will need the mille to darken it and vice versa if your mille is to dark.

I know both of these colours can be difficult to obtain as I have been sort of trying for ages to get them. You can also create porc by putting mille over lavendar. I would be keeping both cockerals if they are both nice and than sourcing some mille hens for both of them and ultimately seperating them into their respective coloured pens with same coloured hens.

If you get in touch with Irene Hannan at the Belgian Club of Aust she is a wealth of knowledge and more than happy to assist people with the breed.The club also has a great colours/genetics booklet (as well as a heap of other booklets)available for around $10 (think the price is right).

Hope this helps out.

Jasper · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:11 pm **Posts:** 38

Great. I just bought a bag of sugar cane mulch to use. I have another pen I made its just on dirt, would it be better to put the cane on that or clean out the avairy with the concrete slab & make a thick sugar cane base in it?

Anyone wanna swap a nice pair of young Buff/Golden pekins for 2 Belgian pullets? They are very nice IMO show quality. Have been vaccinated.

Jasper · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:11 pm **Posts:** 38

Photos of my Belgians, & Pekins. You can see better photos of my sebrights on my sebright thread.

b&p · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:40 pm

I got a couple of black belgian pullets I'll swap for your pekins. Where are you?

Bourke · **Posted:** Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:04 pm

Jasper wrote:

I thought about locking up the roosters & alternating?]

Good idea for the D'uccles if you don't want to cross breed them? I would keep the Pekins seperate if you can they look like a nice pair or swap them for more D'uccles.

Bourke

Jasper · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:11 pm **Posts:** 38

Thanks Bourke,

I've decided today that I will swap my pekins for belgians & serperate the two colours. So also need to sell one young Sebright hen laying now, & also one of my spare Belgian cockerals. These are all up for swaps for d'uccle pullets, must be quality & healthy, as mine are!

1x Pekin Pullet (Buff)
1x Pekin Cockeral (Buff)
1x Sebright young hen (Gold)
1x Belgian D'uccle Cockeral (spare unsure which colour yet)

Will Swap all for Belgian D'uccle's or D'watermael pullets. (Quail, or Mille Fleur prefered, may...swap for Porcelain, Lavender or Blacks.)

Cheers!

(p.s I find the sugar cane mulch works great! & smells good too.)

Anyone else with experience & advice please your welcome to share, I'd be interested to hear!

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

Hi Jasper , We Breed Millefleur D'Uccle and Porcelaine and have finally found the spot for them , "In our Hay Shed" we used to keep them on concrete floor avierys , then on the grass , But the hayshed is ideal , Take B&P's advice and talk to Irene Hannan she's a great help , She will also be able to sell you a copy of the " Handbook of The Belgian Bantam Club of Australia" a Wealth of information if you wish to breed Really good Belgians .If you want to breed something that is very popular and help contribute to your feedbill Then Millefleur d'Uccle are the answer

They are also a beautiful freindly Bird for kids to raise that won't eat you out of house and home . Our daughter has one she has hand raised that sits on her shoulder comes in the house and has even been to school among other places :lol:

Good Luck and we hope to see some Millefleur photo's down the track .

Jasper · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:11 pm **Posts:** 38

Hi bunyanuternie,

Do you only keep those two colours? I have 3 roosters 1x Mille Fleur, 1x Porcelian & 1 x Black. But sadly only 2 black pullets...

None have layed yet..anyone know the average eggs per year Belgians lay?

My Sebrights are the only things laying, & they only started the other week. (got a dozen eggs in an incubator now but they will be cross with my Belgian Black & an OEG Red/Black which I have recently sold.)

Hay shed sounds like a nice idea, but its way too far away from the house & I'd be concerned about snakes, foxes, Butcher birds & whatever else may harm them. Because couldnt keep an eye on them. Plus we use stables as hay sheds so there are openings that would need to be meshed off.

What was the main trouble you had with concrete avairy floor & dirt floor?

Can anyone do a quick explanation of colours you get with crossing Blacks, Mille's & Porcelain's?

THANKS!

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