B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[ki4got]

Also, I have posted pics of all my 2013 breeding Dorkings here on BYC - can someone here help me figure out how to post a link to that album? Still learning the tricks of the thread....

the easiest way is to log out, and then navigate to your album and copy the url. if you're logged in it shows a different url that would allow you to edit it...

but here's the link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6406997/dans-la-lunes-spring-2013-breeding-flocks/

i think you can also include it in your sig now too...

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
yup.. i have my articles linked in my signature

 

[BlackPanther]

They're beautiful!

Now stop making me jealous!

LOL just kidding!

 

[chickencrazy989]

i have just got some silver grey dorking chicks hatching now
here are a picture

 

[ki4got]

well, Thing2 is now a proud poppa. 8) i set 7 eggs, 2 were clear, 4 hatched.

they are now accompanied by 3 mille fleur cochins that hatched at the same time.

next bunch due the 11th. more of thing's hens' eggs (he had 6 girls before i turned them loose again) and even more bantam cochins. all told, about 70 eggs were set.

then i set even more eggs on thursday, and i've got some EE eggs that need to go in too, but ran out of room. LOL

i need a bigger 'bator.

 

[dalalune]

the easiest way is to log out, and then navigate to your album and copy the url. if you're logged in it shows a different url that would allow you to edit it...

but here's the link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6406997/dans-la-lunes-spring-2013-breeding-flocks/

i think you can also include it in your sig now too...

yup.. i have my articles linked in my signature

Thanks!

I will try to do that!

 

[dorking1974]

Here is a video of my Red Dorking breeding pen. I plan in the next couple of years to build 4 more like this one.

 

[Framac]

can you tell a difference between pullets and cockerels in young red dorkings?

 

[Sydney Acres]

can you tell a difference between pullets and cockerels in young red dorkings?

Down pattern is not as reliable in reds as in silver greys. It depends on their lineage. When it works, they have the same down coloring differences as the silver greys -- the females have a thicker, well demarcated "stripe" on the top of their head compared to the males. There are also some differences in the stripes near the eyes. There were pictures and explanations on this thread recently, within the last 10-20 pages. Also, if you go to feathersite.com and then go to the Dorking page, there are pictures of male vs. female SG chicks. Last year I had 13 reds. Using the SG guidelines, I correctly predicted all 7 of the pullets and 4 of the cockerels, but 2 of the cockerels had pullet patterns, so for my group it was just under 85% accurate.

Once they start to feather out, the breast feathers in the males are black and in the females are light to dark salmon, IF they have proper color patterns. (One of my cockerels last year had the down pattern of a pullet, and had more salmon than black breast feathers. To top it off, his comb was half way between the other cockerels and pullets in size, and didn't stand up until he was 6 months old -- it flopped over like a hen's. And he was small compared to the other cockerels -- pullet sized. He truly kept me guessing until he crowed. But in the end he tasted just as good as the better cockerel culls!)

 

[Framac]

Down pattern is not as reliable in reds as in silver greys. It depends on their lineage. When it works, they have the same down coloring differences as the silver greys -- the females have a thicker, well demarcated "stripe" on the top of their head compared to the males. There are also some differences in the stripes near the eyes. There were pictures and explanations on this thread recently, within the last 10-20 pages. Also, if you go to feathersite.com and then go to the Dorking page, there are pictures of male vs. female SG chicks. Last year I had 13 reds. Using the SG guidelines, I correctly predicted all 7 of the pullets and 4 of the cockerels, but 2 of the cockerels had pullet patterns, so for my group it was just under 85% accurate.

Once they start to feather out, the breast feathers in the males are black and in the females are light to dark salmon, IF they have proper color patterns. (One of my cockerels last year had the down pattern of a pullet, and had more salmon than black breast feathers. To top it off, his comb was half way between the other cockerels and pullets in size, and didn't stand up until he was 6 months old -- it flopped over like a hen's. And he was small compared to the other cockerels -- pullet sized. He truly kept me guessing until he crowed. But in the end he tasted just as good as the better cockerel culls!)

Thanks, I looked at the photo on the feathersite, and I must say I am concerned. I am guessing that this will not hold true, but if it did, I have 11 female and no males. They ALL had the well defined stripes.