B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[capayvalleychick]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

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

What a sucky turnout!!!

We need to get more Dorkings into the shows!!

Thanks.

My concern is that there aren't enough SQ Dorkings out there to even put in a show. I've been trying to tell the long time breeders that I've spoken with, that there isn't anyone breeding Silvers of proper type any more. No one believed me. Now, maybe they will, since there aren't any at THE show.

Kim​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Thanks.

My concern is that there aren't enough SQ Dorkings out there to even put in a show. I've been trying to tell the long time breeders that I've spoken with, that there isn't anyone breeding Silvers of proper type any more. No one believed me. Now, maybe they will, since there aren't any at THE show.

Kim

Even if I had SQ Dorks, I couldn't have made it to the show... too expensive.

But it's a worthy mission for the near future.

 

[ki4got]

is the show always the same place or does it move around the country? i might have some birds to enter in a year or 2, if the show is close enough to me that i don't have to take a whole week off to get there and back. LOL

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

The "4sf" per bird is the total space, coop and run. If I take the entire run, plus the coop, I have 448 square feet. Divide by 4, and that's 112 birds. I don't have nearly that many birds.
If you go by the 4sf rule, a 200x60' space could hold 3000 birds.

Sorry but the 4sf rule is for the coop only. Run area should be 10sf per bird.

Your 8 x 8 coop = 64sf so 16 chickens. 16 x 20 run = 320sf so 32 chickens. Even at only 2sf coop area, 32 chickens would be the max for that set up. I can't even imagine 75 birds in there.

My main run is over 600sf but I've never had more than 30 - 35 chickens in there because to me it looks too crowded. I'm glad your birds are doing ok but mine would not be happy.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

As I said before, they are not all large fowl... about half are bantams. They are more crowded now, in the winter, to save on heat since I move all the breeders into the layer coop. But there is more than enough roost space for every butt in the coop, and they are not stepping all over each other in the run. If I had the "allotted" space for my birds, they would freeze in the winter. I raise hardy birds, of which the Dorkings are a part (have to watch the combs, but that's a given with any breed up here).
Maybe it's an Alaskan/Northern thing, because everyone has about the same amount of space for their birds.

 

[rtroxel]

Quote:
Sorry but the 4sf rule is for the coop only. Run area should be 10sf per bird.

Your 8 x 8 coop = 64sf so 16 chickens. 16 x 20 run = 320sf so 32 chickens. Even at only 2sf coop area, 32 chickens would be the max for that set up. I can't even imagine 75 birds in there.

My main run is over 600sf but I've never had more than 30 - 35 chickens in there because to me it looks too crowded. I'm glad your birds are doing ok but mine would not be happy.

I guess we all need to realize that we each have our own rules. In fact, it is impossible for us each not to have our own rules as we each do things in different ways with different birds, breeds and varieties. Having rules just for the sake of having them is never beneficial to anything. If it works for one, it may not work for all, but that's why we have a forum: To tell what works for us and share our ideas. Raising chickens is thankfully not rocket science.

From a logical standpoint, there is no reason that a bird with access to a run needs 4 feet of coop space other than just to say that she has that much. She needs 8 inches of feeder space, 6 inches of roost space, and access to clean water. All this talk about raising chickens the old fashioned way gets me a little bit. Especially when the only feed they used to get they picked out of the cows' and pigs' manure. Makes a nice cozy run look like a pretty nice place to me.

 

[greenhorn]

Quote:
I second that. Now lets get back to talking Dorkings.........

 

[DaveK]

Quote:
I second that. Now lets get back to talking Dorkings.........

Dorkings are exactly the sort of breed that benefit from an environment that lets them pick through poop and rummage around finding Lord knows what. I completely agree with Rudy's ideas that rules for their own sake serve no purpose. Whatever and how many the breed I might have they are for my own interest and pleasure, neither of which happens if they seem crowded or live in scruffy runs.The person who felt run space needed to be much greater than coop space has it right as far as how I like to do things. Not saying alternative methods/management don't work. So much depends on the attentions of the caretaker. My own situation demands that there be a decent amount of floor space for those periods when it's -10 and the wind is howling through sucking the life out of most in it's path. There is PLENTY in the Jan Irving book (which is a compilation of info from various authors such as Craig Russell) to support the idea that IDEALLY Dorkings should have what most would feel is a great deal of room. Dave

 

[DaveK]

Quote:
Thanks.

My concern is that there aren't enough SQ Dorkings out there to even put in a show. I've been trying to tell the long time breeders that I've spoken with, that there isn't anyone breeding Silvers of proper type any more. No one believed me. Now, maybe they will, since there aren't any at THE show.

Kim

I'm not sure you've completely digested the fact that as Joe has said many of the Dorking breeders are what he called "old school" which can mean, and I have sure found this with Dorkings, that there are a million reasons for keeping very good quality birds that have nothing to do with dragging them to Crossroads. There have always in the past been folks with excellent birds who would sometimes bring them out to a show or two. I have seen wonderful birds and some very full classes at past Ohio Nationals which is also where the qualifying meet for the cuckoos was held. Sometimes the very largest and most heavily hyped shows end up not well supported by certain breeds. Not sure why but that is just reality. It doesn't mean that the bids or dedicated breeders do not exist. And yes, it is probably very disappointing for anyone who did bring Dorkings to find that they had very little company. We all know what we have at home and what we are bringing in to the show room. Exhibitors tend to want to see what their fellow breeders are doing. Dave

 

[DaveK]

Quote:
Sorry about the silver greys. Craig was hoping to leave with all the little minks attending a mink funeral but that doesn't bring back birds lost. Do you know what your reporter meant by "off type" dark grey? Am wondering if the bird was of poor quality or if they felt off type because it's not a SOP color. Any idea? Dave