A Heritage of Perfection: Standard-bred Large Fowl

[chickadoodles]

Really excited today: Ordered to be shipped 7/22 one dozen Silver Grey Dorkings.
Dick Hortsman Cock over Duane Urch hens.
I'm in NW La and they are coming from bethbug74 in NW Ar. So close. Wish me luck

Good Luck!

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Really excited today: Ordered to be shipped 7/22 one dozen Silver Grey Dorkings.
Dick Hortsman Cock over Duane Urch hens.
I'm in NW La and they are coming from bethbug74 in NW Ar. So close. Wish me luck

Congratulations and good luck!!!
Do you know why she crossed strains?

 

[LindaB220]

Congratulations and good luck!!!
Do you know why she crossed strains?

No idea at all.

 

[3riverschick]

Congratulations and good luck!!!
Do you know why she crossed strains?

Maybe Mr. Horstman's birds originally came from Mr. Urch?
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
When I was working with the Black Breasted Red Marans, I was real interested in shafting.
I found a lot of education in the 1920's era Light and Dark leghorn breeding info. That was
about the time they were double mating the 2 colors and were working toward establishing
the 2 separate varieties (breeds?) which would be single mated. Counched in all this breeding
info is a lot of color balancing info on eliminating shafting. It can be confusing tho because
the breeders don't always explain whether they are discussing Light Or Dark Leghorns and
the 2 are bred to feather differently. The more you read tho, the clearer the differences in breeding
become until it gets real easy to figure out which color they are discussing. I found most all
the info via Google Books Advanced Book Search.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Thank you, Joseph.
Thank you for telling me to keep an eye open for shafting. I will add
that to the pullet selection criteria, along with egg size and shape.

Best wishes,
Angela

Hi, Angle,
These Silver Grey Dorkings remind me of the Silver Salmon Marans. Here's
an interesting read on the White and Silver Grey Dorkings:
How to Raise Poultry for Pleasure and Profit: A Practical ... - Page 43 thru 46
books.google.com/books?id=sQtDAAAAIAAJ
William M. Lewis - 1895 - ‎Read
Notice they discuss the importance of culling for feather in the SGD chick down.
I found this to be of critical importance in the Golden version of this color (BBR).
I found the chick down was absolutey definitive for proper adult coloring. What I
originally thought was "just natural variances in chick down hue and color
placement" always, always ended up manifesting as unwanted color genes in the
adult birds. Nature was warning me in the chick down something was "off" in the
gene color genome.
Also found it was very helpful to know the gene names and formulas when discussing
the chick down as the genetics gurus use those terms whe discussing chick down color.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Interesting Vintage Dorking Lit
Using the Google link, click on the book image. Or use
tinyurl to go straight to the book.

Suburban Life, the Countryside Magazine - Page 264
books.google.com/books?id=CikwAQAAMAAJ
1912 - ‎Read - ‎More editions
http://tinyurl.com/lmy9dua
Why I Breed the Silver-Gray Dorking PRAISE OF THE OLDEST
KNOWN PURE-BRED POULTRY BY A WOMAN FANCIER
=================
The Journal of the Department of Agriculture of Victoria
books.google.com/books?id=c305AQAAMAAJ
1907 - ‎Read
http://tinyurl.com/l4qhzz2
The Silver Dorking
A detailed explanation of the color. The author seems to say the Grey and the
Silver Grey are 2 different colors. Note they say shafting can be bred out the
same way as in the Partridge Cochin. I think reading up on that will say to
breed out mealiness in the PC ground color and the shafting will disappear.
I am pretty sure that is right.
=================
The Book of the Dorking: A Brief Monograph Upon the ...
books.google.com/books?id=sCpDAAAAYAAJ
H. Hudson Stoddard - 1886 - ‎Read
http://tinyurl.com/lf2b9xg
===================
The Dorking fowl
books.google.com/books?id=F0EDAAAAQAAJ
John Baily (poulterer.) - 1851 - ‎Read
http://tinyurl.com/lg6l7gj

===================
The exhibition Dorking
books.google.com/books?id=c0kDAAAAQAAJ
Thomas Coke Burnell - 1875 - ‎Read
http://tinyurl.com/kqrqycq

=====================
Fowls; a treatise on the principal breeds. With which is ...
books.google.com/books?id=w0sDAAAAQAAJ
John Baily (poulterer.) - 1876 - ‎Read
includes 8th edition of "The Dorking fowl"
http://tinyurl.com/ocu5vhj

===================
A hand book of Dorking
books.google.com/books?id=Xq0HAAAAQAAJ
John Dennis - 1855 - ‎Read
http://tinyurl.com/m2tkreo
Hum, better download this one if you want it. Hathi Trust is showing it as published
in 1974 and has it on limited search, not full view. Google has a tendency when they
find this out about a public domain book, to do the same thing. Tell your Dorking frends.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Hum, Burnell writes of a rose combed blue cuckoo Dorking.
Wow, that's a bird of a dfferent color.
Best,
Karen

 

[Wisher1000]

I have an interesting development, well, interesting to me. I have found that I have come full circle in my view of my birds.

At first, I was looking for faults, and found them....lots of them! I was fairly certain that there were no birds worth keeping and that I would just have to select the best of the worst and inch forward. As time went on and the birds matured, I started looking for strengths....and found them. I find myself looking at the ones that are still in the "possible breeders" pen and thinking, "that one doesn't look too bad!" I know about being coop-blind, and I hope that is not what is going on with me. I hope that as they mature, they are showing their good genetics.

Anyone else go though this? Have you seen it in most beginners? What do I do to combat coop-blindness? I know the answer to the last question is to get another eye on them and let that person critique with me, but, alas, there are no large fowl breeders anywhere near me whose opinion I would trust. Most breeders here in my area are raising bantams, Old English Game Bantams, to be exact. I would have to import a breeder or judge to help me.... What else could help? I'm not sure there is a good answer for that.....oh well, I will just make a conscious effort to be objective and keep kicking the can down the middle of the road..........



On another note, I dreamed last night that I was away for a week and when I returned, the people keeping my birds had culled (killed) all the birds in the "possible breeders" pen because they had developed a bad case of mites and they didn't want them to spread to the layer flock.

 

[brahmabreeder]

Alrightie I got the pictures and will post them when i get home later. I did however find something very intriguing while I was taking them.I noticed that the buff Columbian males have a much lighter under color than the females. The females that I got pictures of had that nice slate under color. Is it normal for the males to be lighter than the females? Is under color a paint issue that must not be ignored when building the barn?