B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[ki4got]

I'm sorry to ask what seems to be a newbie question, but what percentage protein do you feed your Dorking chicks? I have read people recommending high protein to all meat bird chicks, and others saying Dorkings don't do well with extremely high protein, but recommending I add special ingredients to standard feeds. My best local feed store offers Purina products, and will special order 19% organic chick starter in 50lb bags. Other local feed stores also offer Nutrena products. What do you all find works well?
Thanks, my first Dorkings are due to arrive in April.
Keeping my fingers crossed,
Angela

I've started all my chicks on Dumor chick starter. it's available from Tractor Supply, the price is reasonable, and it's like 24%? 22%? someone help me out here?

the feed i'm using now comes from a local mill, Big Spring Mill, in Elliston VA, and is 20% for both chick and layer. I still prefer a bit higher for early on, so I buy a big bag at TSC, then switch over when that's about gone. everyone's on the same feed, since the protein is the same both ways, and just offer oyster shell and those who need it will take it. much easier that way since i have mixed ages all free ranging together. I didn't want to worry about hens not getting calcium or chicks getting too much.

 

[X2Farm]

I raised chicks on anything from a 18% protein to a 30% protien. I found they seemed to do best right about 22-24%. Now, these were NOT Dorkings, I haven't raised out any of them yet, but I hatched and raised several hundred mixed breeds last season so its just based on my one seasons worth of observation.

 

[Jwhip]

I bought two trios from Ed Hart. I just hatched my first white Dorking

 

[Jwhip]

 

[X2Farm]

They're beautiful Jeremy, congrats!!!

 

[blessedacre]

So I can keep 2 or more dorking roos together and they will be ok? I have a friend that had 3 young roos in a pen of 12 hens and they were constantly harassing the hens and they were VERY aggressive, I don't remember the breed but they were the "traditional" looking roosters with red heads and green sheen tail feathers. Is that breed or just the way it is. The hens ended up running off often, and some were badly injured. once the 3 young roos were on the chopping block the hens quit running off and all is much more peace full in the yard. I don't think I can split my pen and have adaquate space for them. My coop and run is 8 x 16 and 8 ft high. I will let them free range as much as possible but I do have coyotes and we have seen them in the day time as well as osprey and hawks. So unsupervised free rangeing is probably out. Hoping the chicken tractors will allow protected forageing. I know it is not the optimal but it is probably the safest. So if I want to continue the breeding I will need to have how many roosters? How long can I breed with one before there is a problem?

 

[capayvalleychick]

Wow, awesome.

Looks like the Whites are doing well and are well represented.

Kim

 

[blessedacre]

If you only keep one cock, you'll quickly run into the end of your program. Can your coop space be divided into, say, three spaces in which you could keep a male and three or four females? This would give you much stronger biodiversity and longterm breeding capacity.

Sorry Lisa, I should have said I found my Dorking roos were fine with each other, they just get beat up by the other roos. I've sadly lost my other two so am down to just one temporarily.
Yellow house is right, you want at least two roos for biodiversity and because if you only have one and lose him you have a big problem.

SORRY for the repeat post.....I am new and figureing out the system


So I can keep 2 or more dorking roos together and they will be ok? I have a friend that had 3 young roos in a pen of 12 hens and they were constantly harassing the hens and they were VERY aggressive, I don't remember the breed but they were the "traditional" looking roosters with red heads and green sheen tail feathers. Is that breed or just the way it is. The hens ended up running off often, and some were badly injured. once the 3 young roos were on the chopping block the hens quit running off and all is much more peace full in the yard. I don't think I can split my pen and have adaquate space for them. My coop and run is 8 x 16 and 8 ft high. I will let them free range as much as possible but I do have coyotes and we have seen them in the day time as well as osprey and hawks. So unsupervised free rangeing is probably out. Hoping the chicken tractors will allow protected forageing. I know it is not the optimal but it is probably the safest. So if I want to continue the breeding I will need to have how many roosters? How long can I breed with one before there is a problem?

 

[capayvalleychick]

So I can keep 2 or more dorking roos together and they will be ok?

It depends on the individual roosters. I've found that Dorkings tend to be the least likely to fight with each other and usually can be kept together. It helps if they are the same age and were raised together. Spring/breeding season tends to provoke fights and you need to separate them at that point anyway.

It's best to have a minimum of 2 roosters, even more if possible. You have to make do with what works for you, however.

Kim

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

So I can keep 2 or more dorking roos together and they will be ok? I have a friend that had 3 young roos in a pen of 12 hens and they were constantly harassing the hens and they were VERY aggressive, I don't remember the breed but they were the "traditional" looking roosters with red heads and green sheen tail feathers. Is that breed or just the way it is. The hens ended up running off often, and some were badly injured. once the 3 young roos were on the chopping block the hens quit running off and all is much more peace full in the yard. I don't think I can split my pen and have adaquate space for them. My coop and run is 8 x 16 and 8 ft high. I will let them free range as much as possible but I do have coyotes and we have seen them in the day time as well as osprey and hawks. So unsupervised free rangeing is probably out. Hoping the chicken tractors will allow protected forageing. I know it is not the optimal but it is probably the safest. So if I want to continue the breeding I will need to have how many roosters? How long can I breed with one before there is a problem?

i would say a minimum of 2 roos, more would be better to ensure genetic diversity... but if there's a dorking breeder nearby you maybe you could work out a trade deal or something, swapping out roos periodically to provide new blood?

i've got a number of roos, 6 dorking (5 are babies), 2 EE, sultan (soon to be frozen), black japanese, oegb, and a crele d'anvers project cockerel.. oh yeah and the fluffbutts. mille, 2 laced, 1 black/lavender cochin bantams. the only adults are the dorking oegb sultan and jap. the rest hatched between oct 21 and dec 17. the only ones really itching to fight are the sultan, and... well anyone he looks at. including me. thus kenmore camp tomorrow.

i will say tho, when free ranging the roos seem to do well protecting the hens from threats. even imagined ones. LOL tho the dog did more damage to the swooping hawk than anyone. he got a mouthful of tailfeathers. (the hawk's) i was looking at the chickens, apparently so was the hawk. heard a whoosh and looked up in tome to notice the hawk. soon as i did i also saw a white blur jumping up to meet it. glad the hawk didn't connect with anything, i'd have to have the pupply dorg stitched back up then, because as smart as he is, he's stupid about letting go of something once he's got it. (aka, he doesn't, and gets tore up for it)