B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Mrs MIA]

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We don't want you to lurk, your input is valuable. But you're not taking into account that the birds are not confined to those 64sf 100% of the time. There is enough roost space for that many birds at night, but at 6am they are all out in the run. I agree that if an 8x8' coop was all the space I had for them, then I would only have 8-10 birds. Total space inside the run (including the coop) is 448sf.
But they do just fine in the space I have, truly, and stay nice and toasty warm at -35F in the winter.

 

[greenhorn]

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Thanks rtroxel. Yes, I want to have separate coop areas and runs divided off for dorkings only. I hadn't realized that i would have to keep separate areas for roosters and hens until this morning when I was reading through this informative thread. I'm almost done reading it and will probably start over once I'm done lol. Have been writing names and information down. I want to have a clue before I ask too many questions and sorry for asking questions there are already answers to.

It won't be a problem dividing the field into different sections for hens, roosters and different dated batches. Knowing all this stuff helps me figure out what i need thanks for the advice!

Since I should have been able to cull twice by the time they are 10 weeks the original 100 chicks numbers will be somewhat diminished. Might take 3 or more batches to end up with 100 finishers. That would be 6 different runs. It would probably take me a year or 2 to get to the point that I can even kick out enough chicks to end up with 100 finishers. I guess I'll just have to build something big enough to grow into.

I'm not an expert on free ranging by any means but I was thinking that 120 sq feet per bird would allow enough space for birds to feed on bugs and grass etc. Wasn't sure, that's why I asked, sorry to have started such a stir folks.... Kind of want to create a more old school traditional kind of farm set up similar to how Yellow House free ranges if possible. I know not everybody has the space to offer 100 birds to properly free range while not overworking the land. The more I think about it, it's probably not enough to sustain a flock for 6 months. Of course we will feed them before roost time but want them to work the land like a heritage breed is supposed to. To me it seems just as important to give the birds the kind of environment and life they were bred to have and live, like real utility birds....

I also believe the birds mostly need to use the coop as a roost but it's also where I have always kept my birds feed and water. When it's cold and snow is on the ground my birds have never cared for venturing out of the coop unless we toss table scraps into the run area. I also know if you make the coop too large the birds will get cold during the winter months. So the 1 bird per 2-3 sq feet rule works pretty good here for winter, just wondering it that would be sufficient for dorkings. I will definitely need to keep the breeder birds in smaller coops for the winter. Will I still need to keep the different batches separated through the winter months?

Sorry If I'm being too pesky and thanks again for your advice.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Is anybody at the Crossroads show, with a laptop etc., that can give us an update on the Dorking status at the show??? I want to see photos!!!

Rudy, I thought you were going?

Kim

 

[ki4got]

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ok i'm curious why you would separate sexes?

I'm free ranging and it's a bit difficult to tell them " ok boys you go downhill and girls, you go up. no fraternizing now. "

edit: oh and breeding pairs would be kept in breeding pens so i can control which roos/hens, but that would only be while collecting eggs for incubating. the rest of the year they'd be 'barnyard art' LOL and any eggs collected would be potential mutts/table eggs tho i'd be tempted to hatch more anyways, just to see what comes out, and to sell the muttbaby chicks locally too - who'd have thought i could get $4 each for muttbaby bantams??? all the ones i just hatched are spoken for and they're not even a week old yet.

 

[Mrs MIA]

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I want to know, too!! I asked a BYC member (who's also a FB friend) to check them out for me. I'll go check with her... she's there, and posting pics of the ARBA convention, too!!

 

[rtroxel]

Sorry. It's 8x8 for the coop and a run of 16 x 24. You have to add everything up for living space. It's not coop space. It's available floor space and that would include the run.

There is no reason for you not to comment and go back to lurking. We aren't running you off. But no one here is a factory farm. Even the so-called factory farms aren't as evil as many people make them out to be. They provide millions of people with low-cost, reliable quality food. If we all went back to backyarding it, lots of people would go hungry in this world. I personally oppose the terminology. You just stepped on my scientific foot, my technology foot, and my modern agriculture foot. No need to worry. I still have the 2 I walk with in fine shape.

 

[rtroxel]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

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I want to know, too!! I asked a BYC member (who's also a FB friend) to check them out for me. I'll go check with her... she's there, and posting pics of the ARBA convention, too!!

Frankly, there were 6 total birds entered. All LF, no Bantams. 3 were mine and I scratched 2. This is a pretty poor inaugural showing for the Dorking Club.

I think total birds were about 9500 entered, which is down about 2000 from 08.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

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I think it's awesome if you can give them that much room. They will love you for it.

And I'm a tad envious of that much space!

 

[capayvalleychick]

I just spoke to the person that I paid to drive from CA to the show and bring back some SGDs from Craig Russell. He spoke with CR and he told him that there are only 2 Reds entered, no SGs at all. He was shocked at the lack of Dorkings at this show. There are some Coloreds, an off type Dark Gray and Reds for sale.

The SGDs that I was supposed to get were killed by a mink.

Kim

 

[Mrs MIA]

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OH Kim!!!! I'm so sorry.

What a sucky turnout!!!

We need to get more Dorkings into the shows!!