- Feb 14, 2011
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Hello all! Some of you may know me from another Dorking Club. Please feel free to buddy me whether you do or not. I love and raise a variety of breeds, but was finally able to get a few Dorkings, after having drooled over photos since childhood. A couple of hens came from someone wanting to get rid of hers, and I have no idea where they originally came from, but look pretty good. They're older birds. I have some others that I got later. They are probably going to be 2 this year. The original owner got them from Murray McMurray Hatchery as chicks. They were picked on by his more aggressive birds and had become quite wild after free-ranging and surviving an eagle picking off one bird a day! I knew he'd been raising a few Dorkings, so happened to send a letter and ask if he would have any chicks, eggs, or extra roosters. He was willing to sell me the few Dorkings that he had left and one was a rooster! It was so worth the trip.
After some TLC, they look much better aside from the rooster's comb having taken some serious frostbite damage. They all look pretty nice and are sweet as can be, though the MMH hens have some white flecking where they probably shouldn't and small things like that. I don't care. They're gorgeous! I love the breed and it's my favorite, and main focus. I will probably always raise many varieties for fun, but I'd like to learn more and specialize in Dorkings. At this point, just finding more starter birds is my main goal. I have Silvers, and they are probably my favorite color, but I love them all and am interested in learning and experimenting with genetics.
I'm not sure I'll always live somewhere cold, but right now I live in Northern Utah and it gets pretty cold here. Finding rose combed birds or more cold-hardy single comb strains would be great. I'm wondering if raising single combs in cold climates, and gradually selecting towards a strain that suffers less frostbite would be possible as another option. I have noticed on some other breeds, siblings from the same hatch seem to have varying degrees of cold tolerance. I imagine this is true with Dorkings as well, though I don't have enough birds to see a difference, yet.
FYI, for those trying to get chicks and experiencing fertility problems: I actually read in an old poultry book a while back that Dorking roosters don't fully mature until more like 2 years of age, so that may be your problem if you still have young birds, or are only using yearlings for breeding. I'm noticing that my rooster seems more amorous this year than last, and I think age has something to do with it, though he "looked" like an adult when I got him. That's not to say you can't get chicks from younger males, just that perhaps you might want to give the older guys a try and see what happens. Those old poultry books are rarely wrong and it's info that's been forgotten by the general populace!
Perhaps some day I'll have the space and resources to become a serious breeder/shower, but at this point it's just for fun and eggs, and I enjoy having a colorful pet flock. I think utility is more important than appearance, but eventually "the barn does need to be painted", if for no other reason than to get more attention from others.
I'd like to learn more about selecting for meat qualities, though this is more to help supply to local farms raising birds for pastured meat sales. I still have a hard time thinking about killing something I raised and got to know, especially something so rare. Although the standards are great to strive for, I personally would like to maintain and raise some birds that have variance (more in color of earlobes and feathers than anything else), because genetic diversity is important ... and odd mutations may turn out to be the source for new strains within a breed. Who isn't to say that the standard will allow for a greater variety in the future? I say keep those odd-looking, but otherwise typey-bodied birds if you can, or give them to someone interested in a project. There were once Dorkings of all different colors and patterns, more than we see today, at least in the USA. I'd love to help bring them back.
I have enjoyed reading online comments from Yellow House Farm and some of the other contributors on Dorkings and breeding. Most helpful!
Please post or mail me your sources for birds, chicks, and eggs with contact info. I love hearing everyone's experiences with different breeders and hatcheries, too. Dorkings are not always easy to come by!
Keep posting pics! I will get some of mine up eventually, too.
After some TLC, they look much better aside from the rooster's comb having taken some serious frostbite damage. They all look pretty nice and are sweet as can be, though the MMH hens have some white flecking where they probably shouldn't and small things like that. I don't care. They're gorgeous! I love the breed and it's my favorite, and main focus. I will probably always raise many varieties for fun, but I'd like to learn more and specialize in Dorkings. At this point, just finding more starter birds is my main goal. I have Silvers, and they are probably my favorite color, but I love them all and am interested in learning and experimenting with genetics.
I'm not sure I'll always live somewhere cold, but right now I live in Northern Utah and it gets pretty cold here. Finding rose combed birds or more cold-hardy single comb strains would be great. I'm wondering if raising single combs in cold climates, and gradually selecting towards a strain that suffers less frostbite would be possible as another option. I have noticed on some other breeds, siblings from the same hatch seem to have varying degrees of cold tolerance. I imagine this is true with Dorkings as well, though I don't have enough birds to see a difference, yet.
FYI, for those trying to get chicks and experiencing fertility problems: I actually read in an old poultry book a while back that Dorking roosters don't fully mature until more like 2 years of age, so that may be your problem if you still have young birds, or are only using yearlings for breeding. I'm noticing that my rooster seems more amorous this year than last, and I think age has something to do with it, though he "looked" like an adult when I got him. That's not to say you can't get chicks from younger males, just that perhaps you might want to give the older guys a try and see what happens. Those old poultry books are rarely wrong and it's info that's been forgotten by the general populace!
Perhaps some day I'll have the space and resources to become a serious breeder/shower, but at this point it's just for fun and eggs, and I enjoy having a colorful pet flock. I think utility is more important than appearance, but eventually "the barn does need to be painted", if for no other reason than to get more attention from others.
I'd like to learn more about selecting for meat qualities, though this is more to help supply to local farms raising birds for pastured meat sales. I still have a hard time thinking about killing something I raised and got to know, especially something so rare. Although the standards are great to strive for, I personally would like to maintain and raise some birds that have variance (more in color of earlobes and feathers than anything else), because genetic diversity is important ... and odd mutations may turn out to be the source for new strains within a breed. Who isn't to say that the standard will allow for a greater variety in the future? I say keep those odd-looking, but otherwise typey-bodied birds if you can, or give them to someone interested in a project. There were once Dorkings of all different colors and patterns, more than we see today, at least in the USA. I'd love to help bring them back.
I have enjoyed reading online comments from Yellow House Farm and some of the other contributors on Dorkings and breeding. Most helpful!
Please post or mail me your sources for birds, chicks, and eggs with contact info. I love hearing everyone's experiences with different breeders and hatcheries, too. Dorkings are not always easy to come by!
Keep posting pics! I will get some of mine up eventually, too.
