I currently have Silver Grey Dorking eggs available. There IS a waiting list for these eggs, and orders have been claimed until the shipping date of May 6th.
Dorkings are thought to be one of the oldest extant breeds of domestic poultry. Columella wrote about birds that fit the modern description of Dorkings very closely, when Roman armies invaded Britain. They are a great dual-purpose, utilitarian breed that is completely sustainable once a flock is established.
Dorkings have 5 toes, white skin, and very fine textured meat. They have stubby little clean legs, keeping them short despite their large, brick-shaped bodies. The Silver Grey Dorking is the only variety with an exclusively flat, single comb - other varieties generally have rose combs.
Silver Grey Dorkings are good mothers, lay 5 to 6 round white eggs per week, and mature to about 7 lbs in around 6 months. They do not eat voraciously, so do not grow rapidly, but the extremely high quality of meat produced is worth the wait. They are beautiful, traditional-looking farm fowl, and are very good foragers that keep feed bills low.
Silver Grey Dorkings can be sexed at hatch. Pullets have a dark "V" on their heads, along with their duckwing (chipmunk) color pattern, and cocks have a lighter head, sometimes with a faint light "V" barely visible. Side by side, it is very easy to differentiate boys and girls, the day after hatch.
The single most fantastic quality of Silver Grey Dorkings is their phenomenally user-friendly personalities. I have never kept such calm, intelligent, friendly birds. They are extremely docile. Our young rooster happily sits next to us in the garden, on his own chair, and talks to us much like a parrot. I have never heard such unique, happy noises from any other breed of poultry. He has never once offered harm to any human, but is a very watchful flock protector, quickly sounding the alarm and ushering his girls to safety if he spots a threat. Our young pullet as absolutely gorgeous and very sweet as well.
Silver grey Dorkings are at the top of my list for anyone wishing to start a small backyard flock, regardless of poultry care experience. They seem very hardy and will quickly win over anyone with an "Eww, chickens are ugly, gross and dangerous" mentality, which unfortunately, is common in these Times of Tyson. They will provide a family with completely sustainable meat, eggs, and entertainment, indefinitely.
Our pair is young and very healthy. They are on 18% NatureWise All Flock, and their water is supplemented with Red Cell, daily.
I am setting their eggs myself, but only have a single small incubator going at any given time, so I have a couple weeks out of each month during which I can collect eggs for others.
Since I only have the pair, I am currently selling eggs by the "each." Each egg is $3, or I can send you 6+ for $15.
Shipping is $15 to just about anywhere. No shipping to Alaska or Hawaii...that just doesn't work out well for anyone.
I can ship about 6 eggs per week right now, tops, before hatchability will be affected by the age of eggs. I will happily include any extras I have on hand when your order is shipped. I always date hatching eggs the day they are collected, and turn them daily, after candling for cracks. Eggs are never washed.
No, I don't ship chicks. I may later on, but not right now.
I can ship as few or as many eggs as you'd like. I only have the single hen right now, but get an egg almost every day. You are welcome to order 1 egg if you want to, but shipping is $15 to anywhere in the contiguous U.S. I'm not able to send you more than 6+ at a time, right now.
I am getting good fertility right now, though not absolutely perfect. Our roo is still young, and his aim isn't quite spot-on sometimes, but I'm getting good fertility rates of about 80%.
I don't have pics of my shipping yet, but I pack in a double-layered box with packing peanuts or newspaper shreds in between, and lots of peanuts for the eggs to swim in, after they are each wrapped in bubble wrap. I do NOT label the box "EGGS." I label it "EXTREMELY FRAGILE- PLEASE HANDLE WITH CARE." I do my best to protect the eggs from extreme temperatures (since this can quickly affect viability) with lots of insulation.
I DO have a WAITING LIST for the birds' eggs. I cannot put you on the OFFICIAL calendar for shipment until I receive your payment. This policy keeps me from holding onto eggs for people who aren't serious about them and letting serious buyers miss out because of it. PM me for the PayPal address. As soon as I receive your payment, yours will be the next order collected. I can put you down for shipment on any date you'd like, as long as that spot isn't already taken. I am currently collecting for paid orders until the end of April, but all dates after that are open. These birds are extremely difficult to find.
Some Dorking History:
"Dorkings are recognized as the only purely British breed, possibly the oldest pure breed lineage, and historically have served as foundation stock. The Light Sussex and Faverolles are two breeds which boast of having Dorking blood in their ancestry. While most giant poultry originated in Asia, there is no real evidence that Dorkings have Asiatic blood.
Although they are classified as an English bird by the American Poultry Association, Dorkings have their own unique history with strong Italian and American ties.
A five-toed rooster with plumage typical of Dorkings accompanies the god Mercury in a third century AD mosaic found in Carnuntum, the Roman capital of the Pannonian Province on the Danube, known now as Austria.
While Julius Caesar was reigning over the Roman Empire, Italian writer Columella described chickens closely resembling Dorkings in his text Rei rusticae libri. He described the breed as "square-framed, large and broad-breasted, with big heads and small upright combs...the purest breed being five-clawed."
The Dorking remained a prominent breed in Italy for some time, Ulisse Aldrovandi, an agricultural historian of the Italian Renaissance, referred to the White Dorking as an ancient fowl.
The Roman armies brought this versatile fowl with them as they made their way north to England. The city of Dorking was known in the seventh century as the settlement of 'Deorc Ingas', or the place where Deorc's people lived, and the regular discovery of Roman pottery and other artifacts supports that it may haven been a Roman settlement on Stane Street, the main highway from London to Chichester on the English Channel.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, Dorking’s poultry market was the largest in England. The Dorking breed’s very white, fine-grained, flavorful and juicy breast meat was favored by the Queen, who was also partial to the delicate texture of their eggs.
Today, this Surrey city delights in its heritage with a ten-foot high steel statue of a Dorking cockerel located on the Deepdene roundabout. The esteemed bird also graces their coat-of-arms.
Dorkings first appeared in the 1845 British Poultry Show, and immediately bounced across the pond. The Dorking has a long history in America, coming over with early settlers. Many early American homesteads benefitted from the superior qualities of the Dorking, and the Silver Dorking variety was developed in America in the 19th century.
Captain Morgan of the London packet ship Victoria, attempted for several years to import the birds to America, and finally succeeded with the assistance of a former passenger, Dorking clergyman, Mr. Courtney, in 1847. Capt. Morgan arrived in America with a noble cock and five superb pullets of the Dorking breed. Morgan bragged that the pullets laid nearly the whole voyage, a feat unmatched by any other breed of fowls crossing the Atlantic with him.
Morgan sent a note with the birds, apologizing for the high price, suggesting: "The chicken breeders of Dorking have adopted a sort of principle, that they will send away no birds alive, except capons, as they desire to retain them as much as possible amongst themselves, in which, by caponizing, they carry on quite a profitable trade, and they can only be had by particular favor. They have very much improved them of late years. The old white sort is altogether bred out, and the speckled and grey varieties are now all the rage. They are larger and better formed than they formerly were, and altogether are perhaps the best barn-door fowls in existence, at least these people so esteem them."
Today Dorkings are one of the most recognizable breeds of chickens in the world. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia’s Frontier Culture Museum and Massachusetts’ Plimoth Plantation's Rare Breeds program include Dorkings as they were one of the most common fowl in America prior to the Civil War. However, with the advent of commercial birds the Dorkings have become a “threatened” breed according to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. "
Edited by bethbug74 - 3/9/13 at 9:57am
Dorkings are thought to be one of the oldest extant breeds of domestic poultry. Columella wrote about birds that fit the modern description of Dorkings very closely, when Roman armies invaded Britain. They are a great dual-purpose, utilitarian breed that is completely sustainable once a flock is established.
Dorkings have 5 toes, white skin, and very fine textured meat. They have stubby little clean legs, keeping them short despite their large, brick-shaped bodies. The Silver Grey Dorking is the only variety with an exclusively flat, single comb - other varieties generally have rose combs.
Silver Grey Dorkings are good mothers, lay 5 to 6 round white eggs per week, and mature to about 7 lbs in around 6 months. They do not eat voraciously, so do not grow rapidly, but the extremely high quality of meat produced is worth the wait. They are beautiful, traditional-looking farm fowl, and are very good foragers that keep feed bills low.
Silver Grey Dorkings can be sexed at hatch. Pullets have a dark "V" on their heads, along with their duckwing (chipmunk) color pattern, and cocks have a lighter head, sometimes with a faint light "V" barely visible. Side by side, it is very easy to differentiate boys and girls, the day after hatch.
The single most fantastic quality of Silver Grey Dorkings is their phenomenally user-friendly personalities. I have never kept such calm, intelligent, friendly birds. They are extremely docile. Our young rooster happily sits next to us in the garden, on his own chair, and talks to us much like a parrot. I have never heard such unique, happy noises from any other breed of poultry. He has never once offered harm to any human, but is a very watchful flock protector, quickly sounding the alarm and ushering his girls to safety if he spots a threat. Our young pullet as absolutely gorgeous and very sweet as well.
Silver grey Dorkings are at the top of my list for anyone wishing to start a small backyard flock, regardless of poultry care experience. They seem very hardy and will quickly win over anyone with an "Eww, chickens are ugly, gross and dangerous" mentality, which unfortunately, is common in these Times of Tyson. They will provide a family with completely sustainable meat, eggs, and entertainment, indefinitely.
Our pair is young and very healthy. They are on 18% NatureWise All Flock, and their water is supplemented with Red Cell, daily.
I am setting their eggs myself, but only have a single small incubator going at any given time, so I have a couple weeks out of each month during which I can collect eggs for others.
Since I only have the pair, I am currently selling eggs by the "each." Each egg is $3, or I can send you 6+ for $15.
Shipping is $15 to just about anywhere. No shipping to Alaska or Hawaii...that just doesn't work out well for anyone.
I can ship about 6 eggs per week right now, tops, before hatchability will be affected by the age of eggs. I will happily include any extras I have on hand when your order is shipped. I always date hatching eggs the day they are collected, and turn them daily, after candling for cracks. Eggs are never washed.
No, I don't ship chicks. I may later on, but not right now.
I can ship as few or as many eggs as you'd like. I only have the single hen right now, but get an egg almost every day. You are welcome to order 1 egg if you want to, but shipping is $15 to anywhere in the contiguous U.S. I'm not able to send you more than 6+ at a time, right now.
I am getting good fertility right now, though not absolutely perfect. Our roo is still young, and his aim isn't quite spot-on sometimes, but I'm getting good fertility rates of about 80%.
I don't have pics of my shipping yet, but I pack in a double-layered box with packing peanuts or newspaper shreds in between, and lots of peanuts for the eggs to swim in, after they are each wrapped in bubble wrap. I do NOT label the box "EGGS." I label it "EXTREMELY FRAGILE- PLEASE HANDLE WITH CARE." I do my best to protect the eggs from extreme temperatures (since this can quickly affect viability) with lots of insulation.
I DO have a WAITING LIST for the birds' eggs. I cannot put you on the OFFICIAL calendar for shipment until I receive your payment. This policy keeps me from holding onto eggs for people who aren't serious about them and letting serious buyers miss out because of it. PM me for the PayPal address. As soon as I receive your payment, yours will be the next order collected. I can put you down for shipment on any date you'd like, as long as that spot isn't already taken. I am currently collecting for paid orders until the end of April, but all dates after that are open. These birds are extremely difficult to find.
Some Dorking History:
"Dorkings are recognized as the only purely British breed, possibly the oldest pure breed lineage, and historically have served as foundation stock. The Light Sussex and Faverolles are two breeds which boast of having Dorking blood in their ancestry. While most giant poultry originated in Asia, there is no real evidence that Dorkings have Asiatic blood.
Although they are classified as an English bird by the American Poultry Association, Dorkings have their own unique history with strong Italian and American ties.
A five-toed rooster with plumage typical of Dorkings accompanies the god Mercury in a third century AD mosaic found in Carnuntum, the Roman capital of the Pannonian Province on the Danube, known now as Austria.
While Julius Caesar was reigning over the Roman Empire, Italian writer Columella described chickens closely resembling Dorkings in his text Rei rusticae libri. He described the breed as "square-framed, large and broad-breasted, with big heads and small upright combs...the purest breed being five-clawed."
The Dorking remained a prominent breed in Italy for some time, Ulisse Aldrovandi, an agricultural historian of the Italian Renaissance, referred to the White Dorking as an ancient fowl.
The Roman armies brought this versatile fowl with them as they made their way north to England. The city of Dorking was known in the seventh century as the settlement of 'Deorc Ingas', or the place where Deorc's people lived, and the regular discovery of Roman pottery and other artifacts supports that it may haven been a Roman settlement on Stane Street, the main highway from London to Chichester on the English Channel.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, Dorking’s poultry market was the largest in England. The Dorking breed’s very white, fine-grained, flavorful and juicy breast meat was favored by the Queen, who was also partial to the delicate texture of their eggs.
Today, this Surrey city delights in its heritage with a ten-foot high steel statue of a Dorking cockerel located on the Deepdene roundabout. The esteemed bird also graces their coat-of-arms.
Dorkings first appeared in the 1845 British Poultry Show, and immediately bounced across the pond. The Dorking has a long history in America, coming over with early settlers. Many early American homesteads benefitted from the superior qualities of the Dorking, and the Silver Dorking variety was developed in America in the 19th century.
Captain Morgan of the London packet ship Victoria, attempted for several years to import the birds to America, and finally succeeded with the assistance of a former passenger, Dorking clergyman, Mr. Courtney, in 1847. Capt. Morgan arrived in America with a noble cock and five superb pullets of the Dorking breed. Morgan bragged that the pullets laid nearly the whole voyage, a feat unmatched by any other breed of fowls crossing the Atlantic with him.
Morgan sent a note with the birds, apologizing for the high price, suggesting: "The chicken breeders of Dorking have adopted a sort of principle, that they will send away no birds alive, except capons, as they desire to retain them as much as possible amongst themselves, in which, by caponizing, they carry on quite a profitable trade, and they can only be had by particular favor. They have very much improved them of late years. The old white sort is altogether bred out, and the speckled and grey varieties are now all the rage. They are larger and better formed than they formerly were, and altogether are perhaps the best barn-door fowls in existence, at least these people so esteem them."
Today Dorkings are one of the most recognizable breeds of chickens in the world. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia’s Frontier Culture Museum and Massachusetts’ Plimoth Plantation's Rare Breeds program include Dorkings as they were one of the most common fowl in America prior to the Civil War. However, with the advent of commercial birds the Dorkings have become a “threatened” breed according to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. "
Edited by bethbug74 - 3/9/13 at 9:57am
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