B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[imtrying]

hello:

i'm looking for red dorking day olds, or hatching eggs. i'm aware of sandhill, but would like to get some this fall. does anyone know a breeder with availability?

 

[ki4got]

ashandvine, from what I can see, they look fine. I'm not familiar with the Red coloring, so can't comment on that.

Redbug, I agree with what Sydney Acres said, about the pics not being uniform enough to make a fair observation.

I'm not the best photographer, but I have some tips to get better shots for evaluating....

If you have a small pen, put the chicken in that to be photographed. I've used puppy playpens or wire livestock panels. Scatter some grain or special treats in the area to get them to stop and hold still.

Sit on the ground on the same level as the chicken. Wait for them to become comfortable with you being there. Be patient. Take lots of photos to have more to choose from. You can either take a series of stills or make a video and freeze frame, to get the best shots.

Take shots of their side view, front & rear. Stand & take shots of their top.

Holding a chicken may seem like the only way to get them to hold still for the camera, but it doesn't give a true representation of the fowl. It's much better to have them standing, relaxed, so you can see how they carry themselves. Taking lots of shots in succession- or video- will allow you to eliminate shots where they are stretching, turning, etc.

Having photos taken of your birds from similar distance in similar angles will make it much easier to evaluate them.

i agree, the photos are ok, but you're better off taking pics from the birds' perspective. get some scratch feed if they want to get too close and toss out a few pieces now and then.

from what i can see, they don't look bad. the color is a bit lighter than my own, but that may be the camera too. each one processes colors differently IMO.

and don't worry about combs... the hens IMO tend to show that bit of twise because as they mature and start laying, it will flop over partly, and that bit of 'twist' seems to tell it which direction to go. mine at least, stay erect on the front half and flop on the rear half, about where that bit of a kink starts out.

 

[ashandvine]

Well now I have to go figure out how to use the camera to make stills. Glad to hear they don't look awful. What about that boy's comb? It isn't a nice neat 5 pointer.

 

[capayvalleychick]

What about that boy's comb? It isn't a nice neat 5 pointer.

Combs are one of the last things to be worrying about- unless it's split or has side sprigs. Get your type, size etc. in order, then perfect the comb.
Do you remember that RIR that everyone was raving about, on the Heritage thread, a few weeks back? That bird had the wrong number of points on his comb. He still was a show winner and no one cared about the comb because everything else about him was so nice.

 

[ashandvine]

Yes that RIR was pretty dandy. Dorkings are totally new to me so I am acknowledging the little I know: comb issues, young and they should get bigger... lol They have pretty good toes and so far the colors seem right... after that I rely on this thread. I have learned that the comb is only a few points on the show floor so I am not worried so much as want to know. I've taken the time with other breeds to learn their sop and now I need to get the cliff notes on these so I know if I should bother breeding. I figure one hatch will give me an idea of what I have here and time enough to know if I like them. I have to try eating them as well but if they aren't good for type then I want to be careful not to invest in breeding them and selling them. I believe in 'preserving' but if the breeder stock aren't good for SOP then the preserving must involve a Ball label. Just mho.

 

[ki4got]

Yes that RIR was pretty dandy. Dorkings are totally new to me so I am acknowledging the little I know: comb issues, young and they should get bigger... lol They have pretty good toes and so far the colors seem right... after that I rely on this thread. I have learned that the comb is only a few points on the show floor so I am not worried so much as want to know. I've taken the time with other breeds to learn their sop and now I need to get the cliff notes on these so I know if I should bother breeding. I figure one hatch will give me an idea of what I have here and time enough to know if I like them. I have to try eating them as well but if they aren't good for type then I want to be careful not to invest in breeding them and selling them. I believe in 'preserving' but if the breeder stock aren't good for SOP then the preserving must involve a Ball label. Just mho.

i'm finding with mine, i'm getting better hens than cockerels. then again this years' hatches have been pullet-heavy so i've had more to choose from. of the 27 i got from sandhill last spring, 6 were cockerels. all got culled. i kept 2 silver greys, one from my very first hatch back in January and one from a June hatch.

then I have the 2 red roos, one from Craig Russell, the other from Tice/Horstman lines. both are very nice, Craig's roo (aka Big Red) is over a year old now and shaping up better than i'd hoped, the other (aka Thing) is also about 5-6 months old and coming along even better IMO. though Big Red has way better feet than anyone else i've got, I don't like his comb or his slightly more upright carriage. and a few of his chicks have shown only 4 toes on one foot - testing to see if it's the girls' faults or his...

personally, i'd use your birds. from what i've seen they are definately dorkings, and only breeding will tell you what kind of chicks they'll produce.

 

[sueblack]

Is anyone brining Silver Gray Dorkings to the Ohio National on November 9th and 10th? Our 4-H Club is coming to the show and looking for birds to buy. Individual are also looking for Sultans, SP Rocks, FBCM, Showgirls (any color) and Naked Neck Bantams (any color). Also Rouen Ducks and many colors of call ducks.

 

[zach N houdan]

hi i was looking for some show quality Dorkings to buy in the spring are there any good breeders on the East Coast?

 

[ki4got]

hi i was looking for some show quality Dorkings to buy in the spring are there any good breeders on the East Coast?

what color are you looking for? IMO there are very few dorkings that meet the SOP, but some come closer than others...

I'm breeding primarily silver grey, but also have a few reds i'm working with. can't say they'll produce show quality. my goal is to maintain/improve the type i have now, increase the size and perfect some of the finer points. size and type will be the hard part, once that's solid then we'll worry about the fine tuning.

 

[ashandvine]

At what age should I weigh the birds before a cull or breeding?