Heritage White Dorking Thread

[Yellow House Farm]

You know, though, I think it's much easier to tame excess than it is to produce surplus. My general experience is that qualities are lost much more easily than they are gained. Given the inverse scenario, Nick, I think you're luckier where you are just trying to reign in the fluff. Moreover you have nice breast muscling? That's not so shabby either. How much more often is the reverse of that the case?

 

[N Bohemia]

Thanks Joseph, you're right of course, I am lucky that they have most of the necessary genes, just need to apply moderation in some points. My foundation stock didn't have good Dorking type but they did carry abundant breast muscle. Despite selecting with type foremost in my mind they have thankfully retained their table qualities.

The smaller cocks tend to have the superior type and the shortest legs. When exhibiting Dorkings in the UK size is very important but I've found that the heaviest birds are not necessarily those carrying the greatest amount of meat. As there is practically zero competition when showing the whites over here, maintaining utility along with type seems to be the common sense approach.

 

[clayhillcoo]

It's been busy spring for me. I've hatched over 100 white dorking chicks so far with more due in a week.

A few of my hens decided they wanted to go broody...so I let them. First experience with momma's so we'll see how it goes.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

It's been busy spring for me. I've hatched over 100 white dorking chicks so far with more due in a week.

A few of my hens decided they wanted to go broody...so I let them. First experience with momma's so we'll see how it goes.

Awesome to hear that numbers like that are being hatched!

 

[StephWind]

I have my first set of RC white Dorking eggs in the incubator, and ordered another set that will ship on May 31. It is tough to hatch shipped eggs here (6300' elevation, high plains CO), but well worth the investment. Both flocks that I have ordered eggs from have said they are Yellow House Farm and Sand Hill lines. I sure hope I get a decent hatch! I raise my birds (and everything else) strictly organic, and while I am mostly raising for meat and eggs, I see no reason not to breed to improve the stock and meet SOP! Thank you to everyone that has contributed the wonderful information in this thread!

 

[Sydney Acres]

I have my first set of RC white Dorking eggs in the incubator, and ordered another set that will ship on May 31. It is tough to hatch shipped eggs here (6300' elevation, high plains CO), but well worth the investment. Both flocks that I have ordered eggs from have said they are Yellow House Farm and Sand Hill lines. I sure hope I get a decent hatch! I raise my birds (and everything else) strictly organic, and while I am mostly raising for meat and eggs, I see no reason not to breed to improve the stock and meet SOP! Thank you to everyone that has contributed the wonderful information in this thread!

Good luck with your hatch. Even if you don't get a high percentage hatch, you can still use SOP guidelines to work with what you get and improve your flock step by step with every generation. It can be slow going but well worth it. They are a wonderful breed.

 

[Sydney Acres]

It's been busy spring for me. I've hatched over 100 white dorking chicks so far with more due in a week.

A few of my hens decided they wanted to go broody...so I let them. First experience with momma's so we'll see how it goes.

With you having so many brooder raised chicks, it'll be interesting for you to compare how your brooder chicks do compared to your hen-raised chicks. While it is somewhat impractical to use broodies if you want large numbers of chicks, I find that my RD broodies are amazing mothers, and their chicks outperform their brooder counterparts. And watching them always puts a smile on my face.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

With you having so many brooder raised chicks, it'll be interesting for you to compare how your brooder chicks do compared to your hen-raised chicks. While it is somewhat impractical to use broodies if you want large numbers of chicks, I find that my RD broodies are amazing mothers, and their chicks outperform their brooder counterparts. And watching them always puts a smile on my face.

And you don't have an incubator electric bill, a heater lamp electric bill, a heater light safety concern, picking and cannibalism, they can go out on forage more quickly, the roost more quickly.....

We've been artificially based for a long time, but sometimes I wonder....

 

[StephWind]

My first 5 white Dorking chicks hatched yesterday! <3

 

[AnthNDacula]

It's been busy spring for me. I've hatched over 100 white dorking chicks so far with more due in a week.

Hi there Clayhillcoo,

I was just wondering what your Dorking status is at the moment? Are you shipping eggs, chicks, etc.?

Anthony