CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[thedragonlady]

Their tail angle will rise as they mature. The ones that look like they have too low of tails may end up having the correct 45 degree angle. I know Walt doesn't like the fluff at the base of the tail. Wings look like they are nice & level. I like the nice rounded, forward chest on the one in the first photo.
This breed is very slow to mature, so you won't see the finished product until they are much older.

If the cockerel on the left of the steps, and the bottom photo, are the same, check his back. He carries his tail canted to one side, or the other.Good breast on the boy though. Lots to eat there.

 

[pysankigirl]

I am thrilled too that you are on dorkings. I cant wait to see them!!!! What you don't see in pictures is their lovely temperament! I wish my birds were older...I only have 5 adult birds and the girls are hatchery & the boy has white earlobes. (DQ?)

 

[Prospect Farm]

I'm wishing my birds were a bit older. I'd love to get some ideas. But know I will learn tons, just reading!!!!

 

[aveca]

vry excited to see the dorkings! i love the whole english group..

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Post them anyway. There is lots to learn from birds of all ages.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

In Stoddard's, "Brief Monograph" he states concerning inbreeding:, "
INBREEDING.
Avoid inbreeding. No fowls deteriorate more rapidly when inbred than the Dorkings. Fresh blood is indispensable, if size and hardiness is to be kept up. The breeder of Dorkings should either keep enough pens of breeding stock to insure the introduction of fresh blood annually, or should each year purchase a good male bird from the yards of some responsible breeder. It will pay him to do so. He will get more and better chicks by so doing. If we were to condense the subject of the successful breeding of Dorkings into three principles, we should name them as follows:

First. Fresh blood!
Second. Fresh Blood!!
Third. FRESH BLOOD!!!





Nothing is of greater importance than this, and too much stress cannot be laid upon it."

Fascinating. Why is new blood necessary every year? What happens if the flock doesn't get it??
Thanks,
Karen

 

[capayvalleychick]

The breeder of Dorkings should either keep enough pens of breeding stock to insure the introduction of fresh blood annually, or should each year purchase a good male bird from the yards of some responsible breeder. It will pay him to do so. He will get more and better chicks by so doing. If we were to condense the subject of the successful breeding of Dorkings into three principles, we should name them as follows:...
Nothing is of greater importance than this, and too much stress cannot be laid upon it."

Fascinating. Why is new blood necessary every year? What happens if the flock doesn't get it??

Maybe that was written back when there was enough good, standard bred Dorkings available. Now, that is not the case, and I think if you followed that advice, you would be asking for trouble.

FWIW Here is something, written to me a couple years ago, by Phil Bartz, a breeder of Dorkings:

"The biggest killer of good "lines" is not staying with those lines by right away putting this line with that and ending up with more junk than you can imagine. Why? You have just made hodge podgegenetics and unknowns that have laid dormant for years can reveal themselves in huge percentages even though both lines didn't show any signs of having issues. You slowly introduce new male or sometimes females to your current breeding line by small pen matings of what you hope to accomplish by the intro with your line and then see what happens. It will take three years to know any sure continuation of successes of the cross to continue breeding true to that improvement staying put. You stick with your main line and when you feel comfortable the cross is worth the risk then you can switch to keeping this new intro improvement as your main "line" while always keeping a few of your originals just in case you ever need to go back to that or use it for vigor improvement crosses back into the "new improved line" five to seven years down the road."

 

[cluck-cluck]

Wow, 3riverschick, you've given me a TON to read tonight!

But I thank you! LOL

I too am excited to read about dorkings. My husband wanted to get dorkings, maybe we will some day

 

[Lacy Blues]

Hi everyone. I'm a complete newcomer to dorkings and took a shotgun approach to try and get decent "beginnings" of breeder stock with eggs and chicks from a couple different sources. My youngest group are 3 week old Troxel reds and the oldest group is the hatchery silver grey dorkings (sgd). They are only 4 months old and really too young to evaluate, but I have a specific question regarding tailset. 4 of the 5 cockerals all have "high" almost identical tailsets. The 5th has a much lower tailset no matter what his pose (alert, scared, roost, eating, running, etc.). In these pictures, he is on the left.






And one by himself (not sure what happened to his eye in this picture? He's fine in person!) Again, he shipped 2/10/13 so he's almost 5 months old (19 weeks).

He appears to be hanging his tail off to his left. If you stand out in the yard and he walks by, looking down on him from above, do you see his tail going off to the side? He appears to have a hump in the middle of his back as well. Maybe his back is crooked, or roached?

 

[fowlman01]

Maybe that was written back when there was enough good, standard bred Dorkings available. Now, that is not the case, and I think if you followed that advice, you would be asking for trouble.

FWIW Here is something, written to me a couple years ago, by Phil Bartz, a breeder of Dorkings:

"The biggest killer of good "lines" is not staying with those lines by right away putting this line with that and ending up with more junk than you can imagine. Why? You have just made hodge podgegenetics and unknowns that have laid dormant for years can reveal themselves in huge percentages even though both lines didn't show any signs of having issues. You slowly introduce new male or sometimes females to your current breeding line by small pen matings of what you hope to accomplish by the intro with your line and then see what happens. It will take three years to know any sure continuation of successes of the cross to continue breeding true to that improvement staying put. You stick with your main line and when you feel comfortable the cross is worth the risk then you can switch to keeping this new intro improvement as your main "line" while always keeping a few of your originals just in case you ever need to go back to that or use it for vigor improvement crosses back into the "new improved line" five to seven years down the road."

I'm with Phil Bartz.

Walt