Dominique chicken

The Dominique is an American breed of chicken, characterized by black-and-white barred plumage and a rose comb. It is considered to be the oldest American chicken breed,Template:R and is thought to derive from birds brought to America by colonists from southern England. It was well known by about 1750, and by the mid-nineteenth century was widely distributed in the eastern United States.Template:R It is a dual-purpose breed, but is kept principally for its brown eggs.Template:R It became an endangered breed in the twentieth century, but numbers have since recovered.Template:R

History

The origins of the Dominique are unknown.Template:R It is considered to be the oldest American chicken breed,Template:R and is thought to derive from birds – probably similar to the modern Dorking or Sussex breeds – brought to America by colonists from southern England. Chickens with barred plumage, with either a single or a rose comb, were well known by about 1750, and by the mid-nineteenth century were widely distributed in the eastern United States.Template:R They were known by many names – among them Blue Spotted Hen, Dominic, Dominicker, Dominico, Old Grey Hen and Pilgrim Fowl – but were commonly known as Dominique. Some of the earliest books on poultry include these as a valuable American breed.Template:R Some were exhibited at the first American poultry show, held in Boston in 1849.Template:R

In the 1860s the Plymouth Rock was created by cross-breeding Black Java with large single-combed Dominiques; it was first exhibited in 1869.Template:R It was rather larger than the Dominique, but otherwise fairly similar. At a poultry show in New York in 1870, the organisers ruled that only rose-combed barred birds could be exhibited as Dominiques; those with single combs were to be entered as Plymouth Rocks.Template:R In 1871 this ruling was confirmed in a Standard of Excellence for the Dominique.Template:R In 1874 the Dominique was included in the first edition of the American Standard of Perfection of the new American Poultry Association;Template:R the Dominique bantam was added in 1960.Template:R

Breed numbers declined during the twentieth century, and by the 1970s the Dominique was close to disappearing. A recovery initiative was launched, and from 1983 numbers began to rise again.Template:R Until about 2003 its conservation status was listed as "critical" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (now the Livestock Conservancy), with fewer than 500 breeding birds in North America.Template:R In 2021 it was listed as "watch" by the Livestock Conservancy, and was reported to DAD-IS as "not at risk".Template:R

Characteristics

File:DominiqueHenSweetie.JPG

A six-month-old pullet

File:Dominique Head.JPG

Head of a hen

The Dominique is of medium size, mature birds usually weighing some . The only recognized plumage coloration is cuckoo, sometimes known as "hawk" coloration, a regular pattern of light and dark – but not black and white – barring.Template:R

The head is carried high, and has a rose-comb with a single backwards-pointing spike; the earlobes and wattles are red, and the beak yellow.Template:R The legs and feet are also yellow.Template:R

The plumage is held fairly tight to the body; because of this and the rose comb, it has better resistance to frostbite than some other breeds.Template:R

Use

The Dominique is a dual-purpose breed, but is kept principally for its brown eggs,Template:R of which hens lay about 200 per year, with an average weight of 58 g.Template:R

Further reading

• Tamara Staples, Ira Glass, Christa Velbel (2001). The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Template:Isbn.

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