The Dorking Breeders thread

[Yellow House Farm]

Well, honest questions getting honest answers, if it were I, I would cull them all. Somebody sold you their mess, and that mess has the potential to make anything you do a mess, too. Andthat mess could last for years. There's no reason to keep them.

My impression is that you have aspirations to be a beginning breeder, so in the hopes that you will continue your work for years and years to come and champion this breed, I would impart that one of the first lessons a breeder needs to learn is to cull. Culling is one of the absolutely most important skills of a successful breeder. Indeed, there's very little more important that the ability and willingness to cull.

It's far too early to see anything definitive in these birds. If i remember correctly, you have MMCM birds, i would put every ounce of your effort, resources, and mental energy into those birds and remove these from your equation. The fact that you bought them doesn't mean that you need to keep them.

Good luck!

 

[MacCana]

Well, honest questions getting honest answers, if it were I, I would cull them all. Somebody sold you their mess, and that mess has the potential to make anything you do a mess, too. Andthat mess could last for years. There's no reason to keep them.

My impression is that you have aspirations to be a beginning breeder, so in the hopes that you will continue your work for years and years to come and champion this breed, I would impart that one of the first lessons a breeder needs to learn is to cull. Culling is one of the absolutely most important skills of a successful breeder. Indeed, there's very little more important that the ability and willingness to cull.

It's far too early to see anything definitive in these birds. If i remember correctly, you have MMCM birds, i would put every ounce of your effort, resources, and mental energy into those birds and remove these from your equation. The fact that you bought them doesn't mean that you need to keep them.

Good luck!

Thanks for giving it to me straight YellowHouse, that's the answer I was afraid of.
Culling is something I can do if necessary, but as far as with birds not big enough for the freezer, but not in any sickness or suffering, I prefer to either sell them as Dorking mutts to people with regular mixed flocks or take them to my Mother's house (she has quite a farm & is where my hens will go to retire in the yrs to come).
I just can't see killing it bc someone else made a mess.
I'm not against those who do though, and already believe a critical eye is to be used when deciding on any birds to keep. Plus, I'm sure as years pass (yes I plan on being in this for the long haul ) I will have to cull chicks bc I may not be able to sell them quickly enough, or they have serious problems, etc.
What kills me is the $55 & 4 months of waiting I did for these birds.
I was under the impression they were penned by colors & kept separate from anything not purely Dorking (I even had this conversation with her in initial emails, stressing my want for approved, purebred colors & that I had no use for anything else).
I wanted to start out right. With 2 different bloodlines to mix & create my own....and years later, hopefully have been able to create some nice birds that I can sell in my area to others interested in helping the Dorking as a breed.
But this kinda threw a wrench in the system lol!
Ugh...Well I suppose I will be trying to find these guys homes then, I really don't want to be cleaning up a mess as soon as I get started.
And you are right, at least I have my MCM SGs, but out of those I only have 2 pullets & 3 roosters.
2 of the cockerels are already nice, big, handsome fellows, but only one of my pullets is up to par.
One is a large beautiful gal, and well the other is like a miniature of her. They're the same age though.
Is that fact enough to already give up on her as well, or could I stand to get some good sized chicks from her later, even though she's "runt" sized?

 

[ki4got]

Quote: culling doesn't always mean killing. it simply means removing from a breeding population. some cull by killing early on so they don't have to feed unwanted birds, others sell or give them to people who will only use them as egg layers or, in my case, I keep some of them because they're great broodies, regardless of what they look like.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I agree with YHF's reply. I would keep the one with the beautiful smile in photo #6.

If there is one that you would like to keep, just use her as a layer and don't breed from her. You could order more from McMurray. Or, make an order from Duane Urch or Dick Horstman. I forgot where you are located.
Breeding from a runt will only give you small offspring.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I agree with YHF's reply. I would keep the one with the beautiful smile in photo #6.

If there is one that you would like to keep, just use her as a layer and don't breed from her. You could order more from McMurray. Or, make an order from Duane Urch or Dick Horstman. I forgot where you are located.
Breeding from a runt will only give you small offspring.

Yup! There's nothing wring with retaining one pair and then moving to procure others next season. Travis Wright seems to have some nice SG's. You can save one pair, hatch from them, and then raise out some other SGs procured elsewhere.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

But given the scheisters and simply bad "breeders" around, I'd check in here before placing an order with another source just to make sure and in respect for your money and time.

 

[MacCana]

Aww drats & double drats.
Yes, I will definately come to you guys next time I find a supposed "breeder" to question their reputation. I could've avoided wasted time & money had I done that this time.
Well I may keep little miss mini mama from MCM eggs as a broody, since she's so well tempered.
I plan on putting a broody into my "chick tractor" later, once they started making eggs for me, but I was going to use a Silkie up until this point. I may still. My mom may wind up with her.
So really, I have 2 SG cockerels & 1 SG hen worth keeping....which really means I'll be winding up with 1 hen & 1 cockerel.
Funny how 13 turns into 2 lol.
I will have to go back upstate to get more MCM SG eggs from the place I got my good batch & hope I can hatch off some more pullets? He felt bad that I wound up with so many roosters to begin with, so I'm sure I'll get some more eggs on the house.
Do you know how much Travis Wright sells his for & his location?
I'm located on the southeastern border of TN right above Alabama.
Oh yeah, & I'll prob keep the light haired little one with the pretty smile in #6. She's mama's little "turkey" lol. She actually said "cheese" bc I told her I was taking pictures for y'all. I forgot for a moment & had to go back & look for which "chicken" you meant lol.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Aww drats & double drats.
Yes, I will definately come to you guys next time I find a supposed "breeder" to question their reputation. I could've avoided wasted time & money had I done that this time.
Well I may keep little miss mini mama from MCM eggs as a broody, since she's so well tempered.
I plan on putting a broody into my "chick tractor" later, once they started making eggs for me, but I was going to use a Silkie up until this point. I may still. My mom may wind up with her.
So really, I have 2 SG cockerels & 1 SG hen worth keeping....which really means I'll be winding up with 1 hen & 1 cockerel.
Funny how 13 turns into 2 lol.
I will have to go back upstate to get more MCM SG eggs from the place I got my good batch & hope I can hatch off some more pullets? He felt bad that I wound up with so many roosters to begin with, so I'm sure I'll get some more eggs on the house.
Do you know how much Travis Wright sells his for & his location?
I'm located on the southeastern border of TN right above Alabama.
Oh yeah, & I'll prob keep the light haired little one with the pretty smile in #6. She's mama's little "turkey" lol. She actually said "cheese" bc I told her I was taking pictures for y'all. I forgot for a moment & had to go back & look for which "chicken" you meant lol.

If you're looking for eggs Duane Urch would be a good source.

Get used to 20 becoming 2 if you're doing things right ;-)

 

[Sydney Acres]

Aww drats & double drats.
Yes, I will definately come to you guys next time I find a supposed "breeder" to question their reputation. I could've avoided wasted time & money had I done that this time.
Well I may keep little miss mini mama from MCM eggs as a broody, since she's so well tempered.
I plan on putting a broody into my "chick tractor" later, once they started making eggs for me, but I was going to use a Silkie up until this point. I may still. My mom may wind up with her.
So really, I have 2 SG cockerels & 1 SG hen worth keeping....which really means I'll be winding up with 1 hen & 1 cockerel.
Funny how 13 turns into 2 lol.
I will have to go back upstate to get more MCM SG eggs from the place I got my good batch & hope I can hatch off some more pullets? He felt bad that I wound up with so many roosters to begin with, so I'm sure I'll get some more eggs on the house.
Do you know how much Travis Wright sells his for & his location?
I'm located on the southeastern border of TN right above Alabama.
Oh yeah, & I'll prob keep the light haired little one with the pretty smile in #6. She's mama's little "turkey" lol. She actually said "cheese" bc I told her I was taking pictures for y'all. I forgot for a moment & had to go back & look for which "chicken" you meant lol.

"Cull" Dorking hens make great broodies if they have a nice temperament. I've got three Dorking broodies raising chicks right now. The chicks are growing faster and are more even tempered than brooder-raised chicks, and it's so much less work for me. And if the hens are tame and trust you, then the chicks will be tamer because you've got the hen's endorsement. In the future I'm going to try to coordinate the timing so that all my chicks can have a broody raise them.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

In the future I'm going to try to coordinate the timing so that all my chicks can have a broody raise them.

Hmm....are you going to wait until a hen goes broody to put eggs in the incubator? In 20 years of raising chickens, I have never convinced a hen to go broody at my convenience.
Best wishes,
Angela