Anira wrote:
OMG, YES! Just because that's what the hatchery or feed store or whoever labeled them as, doesn't make it so! I guarantee you you aren't going to be paying $3 for a TRUE Ameraucana.
D'Uccles are my most favorite breed, so it really bugs the hell out of me when people call them "Mille Fleurs".
I finally snagged some from the bantam bin this year at the feed stores. I know the cockerel isn't a d'Uccle, he's just a booted bantam. But the pullet, and another pullet, are d'Uccles. My first one that made me fall in love with the breed unfortunately died because the person who took her, and the rest of my chickens, didn't provide proper care and shelter for them through winter (and in general, he had WAY too many and wouldn't cull all of his roosters that ran loose everywhere). Needless to say I was very upset to hear that when I asked if I could have her back, along with my Silkies....
Sorry to hear you lost yours. I too lost my first D'Uccle that also made me fall in love with the breed. His name was Baby Boy. He was really fond of me, liked to be carried around and even perched on my head or shoulder as I went about doing chores. 'Like a parrot' my mother said. Never once pooped on me. He was in a mixed assortment of bantams that I bought. Was the first time I ever saw the breed, did some research, and learned what I had.
His loss was rather tragic. I am firmly against any sort of fabric around my chickens (even those 'chicken saddles') because at the time we used a small blanket in the coop in the nesting box, and he managed to get a hold of a loose thread from that very blanket, which then wrapped around his esophagus and when he struggled, he ended up pulling everything out. He was still alive when we found him, but nothing could be done to save him. Hardest thing we ever had to do.
However, his death prompted me to go out and buy a small flock of D'Uccles specifically, mille fleur and a few other colors. Haven't had any parrots like him, but they all have their own quirks. I have a mottled rooster that just cracks me up. He's in his own little coop with a couple of ladies. When he sees another rooster walk by (I have my extra roos I couldn't find homes for free-ranging), he fluffs himself up as big as he can and shuffles back and forth. He actually reminds me of a miniature turkey tom when he fluffs up.
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