B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[chickendreams24]

Hi all

We have been thinking of getting Dorkings as a heritage breed to try out and would like to know if any of you have heritage stock but also what state you're on what colors. What you like and dislike about the breed all of it.

We keep a very mixed flock but separate out for breeding we have a lot of space and will in the next year have multiple coops. We house them freely when were not getting ready to or collecting eggs for hatching so it's very important that they do well together. With other breeds of birds and also other roosters.

Still just trying to collect information anything is helpful thank you guys.

I have only seen images of the silver grays which I love.

We also keep silkies, Orpingtons(both English and American), cream legbars(we are just starting with), SLW, Oegb. And EE with a few stragglers here and there.

Thanks guys.

 

[DesertChic]

Hi all

We have been thinking of getting Dorkings as a heritage breed to try out and would like to know if any of you have heritage stock but also what state you're on what colors. What you like and dislike about the breed all of it.

We keep a very mixed flock but separate out for breeding we have a lot of space and will in the next year have multiple coops. We house them freely when were not getting ready to or collecting eggs for hatching so it's very important that they do well together. With other breeds of birds and also other roosters.

Still just trying to collect information anything is helpful thank you guys.

I have only seen images of the silver grays which I love.

We also keep silkies, Orpingtons(both English and American), cream legbars(we are just starting with), SLW, Oegb. And EE with a few stragglers here and there.

Thanks guys.

Hello!

I'm actually very new to keeping SGDs so I hope you don't mind my newbie response. Although I've raised several breeds here, my primary breed focus has been Naked Neck Turkens, even though the breed I wanted from the very beginning was the SGD. Just this last year I finally secured some SGD hatching eggs from a breeder and my small flock is now 7.5 weeks old. I can honestly say that if I'd been able to start with this breed I probably would never have tried another. These birds are amazing! From the moment they emerged from the egg these birds have proven to be the absolute friendliest chickens I've ever had. They are smart, sweet, active, unbelievably amusing, and already are proving to be fantastic foragers.

I've got six pullets and two cockerels growing with three birds hatched from my own pre-existing flocks - 1 very large NN cockerel, one very large WR-mix cockerel, and one EE-mix pullet. Those three birds dwarf my SGDs in size, but the flock is getting along amazingly well. I've been warned that the SGDs are so docile that I may have problems integrating them into the rest of my flock, which is comprised primarily of NNs along with frizzled and smooth EEs, Bielefelders, Australorps, WRs, and several mixed barnyard birds, but so far I'm not seeing submissiveness in the SGD personalities.

So far the only negative I've seen was contorted toes in one of my SGD cockerels. I've had some people trying to convince me that the crooked toes may have resulted from incubator issues, but I've had completely successful hatches devoid of crooked toes both before and after the SGD hatch, so I tend to think it's genetic. That cockerel, Squiggy, is the larger of my two SGD boys and although I was able to treat the crookedness with some success, I'm reluctant to breed him out of fear that he'll pass the problem on to his offspring. I may try one breeding just to test the extent of the issue.

So far the positives of this breed far outweigh that one negative. Whenever I'm having a down day I just visit the SGD pen and my spirits are instantly uplifted. These birds are positively loving and I look forward to watching them continue to grow and eventually breeding them and expanding awareness of them.

 

[chickendreams24]

Hi all

We have been thinking of getting Dorkings as a heritage breed to try out and would like to know if any of you have heritage stock but also what state you're on what colors. What you like and dislike about the breed all of it.

We keep a very mixed flock but separate out for breeding we have a lot of space and will in the next year have multiple coops. We house them freely when were not getting ready to or collecting eggs for hatching so it's very important that they do well together. With other breeds of birds and also other roosters.

Still just trying to collect information anything is helpful thank you guys.

I have only seen images of the silver grays which I love.

We also keep silkies, Orpingtons(both English and American), cream legbars(we are just starting with), SLW, Oegb. And EE with a few stragglers here and there.

Thanks guys.

Hello!

I'm actually very new to keeping SGDs so I hope you don't mind my newbie response. Although I've raised several breeds here, my primary breed focus has been Naked Neck Turkens, even though the breed I wanted from the very beginning was the SGD. Just this last year I finally secured some SGD hatching eggs from a breeder and my small flock is now 7.5 weeks old. I can honestly say that if I'd been able to start with this breed I probably would never have tried another. These birds are amazing! From the moment they emerged from the egg these birds have proven to be the absolute friendliest chickens I've ever had. They are smart, sweet, active, unbelievably amusing, and already are proving to be fantastic foragers. 

I've got six pullets and two cockerels growing with three birds hatched from my own pre-existing flocks - 1 very large NN cockerel, one very large WR-mix cockerel, and one EE-mix pullet. Those three birds dwarf my SGDs in size, but the flock is getting along amazingly well. I've been warned that the SGDs are so docile that I may have problems integrating them into the rest of my flock, which is comprised primarily of NNs along with frizzled and smooth EEs, Bielefelders, Australorps, WRs, and several mixed barnyard birds, but so far I'm not seeing submissiveness in the SGD personalities. 

So far the only negative I've seen was contorted toes in one of my SGD cockerels. I've had some people trying to convince me that the crooked toes may have resulted from incubator issues, but I've had completely successful hatches devoid of crooked toes both before and after the SGD hatch, so I tend to think it's genetic. That cockerel, Squiggy, is the larger of my two SGD boys and although I was able to treat the crookedness with some success, I'm reluctant to breed him out of fear that he'll pass the problem on to his offspring. I may try one breeding just to test the extent of the issue. 

So far the positives of this breed far outweigh that one negative. Whenever I'm having a down day I just visit the SGD pen and my spirits are instantly uplifted. These birds are positively loving and I look forward to watching them continue to grow and eventually breeding them and expanding awareness of them. 

Not at all thank you for the response! I'd love to hear all aspects of them.

I have read that the cockerals/roos tend to have some aggression? Is this true can anyone speak to this?

We have dogs and also young nieces and nephews and plan to have children in a couple years. Of course I wouldn't leave young children outside unattended anyway but we are also very careful of the cockerals and roosters we keep. We've had aggressive birds before through no fault of our own. From our experience I believe that rooster aggression is somewhat hereditary as is aggression towards the other flock mates and being too rough with the hens. Of course I can not be 100% sure.

 

[DesertChic]

Not at all thank you for the response! I'd love to hear all aspects of them.

I have read that the cockerals/roos tend to have some aggression? Is this true can anyone speak to this?

We have dogs and also young nieces and nephews and plan to have children in a couple years. Of course I wouldn't leave young children outside unattended anyway but we are also very careful of the cockerals and roosters we keep. We've had aggressive birds before through no fault of our own. From our experience I believe that rooster aggression is somewhat hereditary as is aggression towards the other flock mates and being too rough with the hens. Of course I can not be 100% sure.

I can't speak to the SGDs yet as my little cockerels haven't yet hit puberty and are still super affectionate. BUT....I've been breeding the NNs for a few years now and have worked very hard at breeding aggression out of the line. One rooster in particular (Goldie) hated my husband and son. He was wonderful to the hens and the two sons of his that I've kept are also wonderful to the hens, but he was VERY people aggressive. The offspring I kept from him all came from hens with the best dispositions and temperaments, and yet they're still a bit more flighty than I prefer. Right now I'm working on the third generation, a hatch from both of Goldie's sons and have seen a further reduction in flightiness. Meanwhile my primary breeding NN rooster will follow me around the yard, wait for me to sit down, and hops on my lap to hang out and be pet.

I also had a people aggressive Barred Rock (BR) rooster that was quickly invited to dinner after he sired a few offspring. All of his male offspring also had to be culled for aggression. I decided not to make BRs my breed focus and didn't waste my time trying to improve their temperament.

Comparatively, I have an EE rooster and a Bielefelder rooster that are so tame and sweet that I often let children and strangers handle them as proof that roosters can make wonderful pets. These two boys are major snugglers and bond quickly with their people. Breed and breeding efforts make a huge difference.

 

[Talithahorse]

My Dorkings get along well with my mixed flock. None of my roosters are aggressive. I have a dorking hen who is timid but the others are less so but nobody is aggressive or bossy. My girls are not as productive as my egg layers but that is to be expected for a heavy dual purpose. For a table bird they can't be beat., IMO. I have red Dorkings. I had SGD for a while. They laid a bit better than my reds but the reds I have are better for the table. My big male in my avatar is probably the best looking Rooster in my flocks and I have about 6 roosters running around here. He is currently the head with two subordinate Roosters. He keeps the peace but is very gentlemanly.

If they laid like my Rock bars they would be the only breed. As it is I love the rocks for eggs and the Dorkings for everything else. (They are great little mothers)

 

[chickendreams24]

I can't speak to the SGDs yet as my little cockerels haven't yet hit puberty and are still super affectionate. BUT....I've been breeding the NNs for a few years now and have worked very hard at breeding aggression out of the line. One rooster in particular (Goldie) hated my husband and son. He was wonderful to the hens and the two sons of his that I've kept are also wonderful to the hens, but he was VERY people aggressive. The offspring I kept from him all came from hens with the best dispositions and temperaments, and yet they're still a bit more flighty than I prefer. Right now I'm working on the third generation, a hatch from both of Goldie's sons and have seen a further reduction in flightiness. Meanwhile my primary breeding NN rooster will follow me around the yard, wait for me to sit down, and hops on my lap to hang out and be pet. 

I also had a people aggressive Barred Rock (BR) rooster that was quickly invited to dinner after he sired a few offspring. All of his male offspring also had to be culled for aggression. I decided not to make BRs my breed focus and didn't waste my time trying to improve their temperament.

Comparatively, I have an EE rooster and a Bielefelder rooster that are so tame and sweet that I often let children and strangers handle them as proof that roosters can make wonderful pets. These two boys are major snugglers and bond quickly with their people. Breed and breeding efforts make a huge difference. 

My Dorkings get along well with my mixed flock. None of my roosters are aggressive. I have a dorking hen who is timid but the others are less so but nobody is aggressive or bossy. My girls are not as productive as my egg layers but that is to be expected for a heavy dual purpose. For a table bird they can't be beat., IMO. I have red Dorkings. I had SGD for a while. They laid a bit better than my reds but the reds I have are better for the table. My big male in my avatar is probably the best looking Rooster in my flocks and I have about 6 roosters running around here. He is currently the head with two subordinate Roosters. He keeps the peace but is very gentlemanly.

If they laid like my Rock bars they would be the only breed. As it is I love the rocks for eggs and the Dorkings for everything else. (They are great little mothers)

Thanks guys keep it coming you're very very good spokespeople for the breed. Lol I'm loving what I'm hearing all of it in fact. We don't have any white layerss unless you count the Oegb and the silkies we tried a couple brown Leghorns this spring that was a fiasco. Despite being calmy and gently handled since a couple days they were so flighty that they had the entire flock panicked every time we walked into the coop. Not something we want at all.

We also tried some salmon favorelles this last spring and I loved them! Sadly we lost a pullet to a freak accident and we don't planning on keeping the roo this year due to having too many boys but maybe in the future idk.

We are still trying out breeds in our second year of having a flock and are looking for some nice heritage stock that can be great DP birds. We have the Oegb for fun and the silkies too for fun and for broodies. But our main goals are to have one or two DP breeds to focus on and keep pure and the rest will be for enjoyment moreso.

The salmon favorelles pullet we have right now is so timid that we kept having to cycle her back into the groups of chicks because anything would frighten her to the point she would hide in a corner. She has slowly and steadily gotten better but it wasn't really until she reached point of lay(I'm still not 100% sure she's laying) that she has really come into her own and into the flock. She now stands up for herself about 90% of the time but is by no means a bully. She's pretty easy to handle and beautiful. We originally thought to try the favorelles BC we heard how gentle and docile they are. I can't speak for all strains but while ours are hatchery they seem pretty good specimens to me. They are also super super docile.

As I said docile gentle birds are what we most enjoy. Sorry I got off track lol.

 

[chickendreams24]

I would love to see some pics of red hens if you don't mind sharing and of course of any other Dorkings too!!!

 

[summerb123]

I would love to see some pics of red hens if you don't mind sharing and of course of any other Dorkings too!!!

I have pics of my Silver Grey even though your probably not talking to me

 

[DesertChic]

Thanks guys keep it coming you're very very good spokespeople for the breed. Lol I'm loving what I'm hearing all of it in fact. We don't have any white layerss unless you count the Oegb and the silkies we tried a couple brown Leghorns this spring that was a fiasco. Despite being calmy and gently handled since a couple days they were so flighty that they had the entire flock panicked every time we walked into the coop. Not something we want at all.

We also tried some salmon favorelles this last spring and I loved them! Sadly we lost a pullet to a freak accident and we don't planning on keeping the roo this year due to having too many boys but maybe in the future idk.

We are still trying out breeds in our second year of having a flock and are looking for some nice heritage stock that can be great DP birds. We have the Oegb for fun and the silkies too for fun and for broodies. But our main goals are to have one or two DP breeds to focus on and keep pure and the rest will be for enjoyment moreso.

The salmon favorelles pullet we have right now is so timid that we kept having to cycle her back into the groups of chicks because anything would frighten her to the point she would hide in a corner. She has slowly and steadily gotten better but it wasn't really until she reached point of lay(I'm still not 100% sure she's laying) that she has really come into her own and into the flock. She now stands up for herself about 90% of the time but is by no means a bully. She's pretty easy to handle and beautiful. We originally thought to try the favorelles BC we heard how gentle and docile they are. I can't speak for all strains but while ours are hatchery they seem pretty good specimens to me. They are also super super docile.

As I said docile gentle birds are what we most enjoy. Sorry I got off track lol.

Truthfully, if you wind up with SGDs as nice as mine have been so far, you may never even WANT to consider another breed. I am constantly blown away by their incredible sweetness and can't wait to see what they're like when mature.

 

[pipnchirp]

Hello and welcome to the Dorking Club. I started buying Dorkings just this year. I hatched a few eggs and bought some chicks and then some older hens all from the same breeder.
I recently lost my RD cockrel to (?) not sure what killed him, may have been the change in food i made recently. I am very sad that I lost him. So, i am currently in the market for a RD chick/cockrel. I have been talking w/breeders, one in NY and one in FL. you are a tiny bit closer to me, northern Idaho.
do you ship chicks? and what is your price for your birds?
I have RD hens and SGD's (3 hens & a rooster) I also have 2 SGD/Am mixed hens and one SGD/Am cockrel.
nice to meet you.

I haven't shipped birds before nor have I set a price yet. I'm not going to be breeding/hatching till the warmer months. I'll look into shipping chicks and see if it's something I'm able to do. Please feel free to check back with me. I also raise Golden Campines.