B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[greenhorn]

Sure are having fun with our whites in our new coop. Still have to do some finishing touches before it gets too cold.

Have a guy coming out today to dig a trench for electric and water, Gotta go at least 48 inches deep to get past the frost line here. The water keeps freezing up out there.

Have to finish insulating the ceiling and the west wall and covering the north wall with OSB. Once finished it should keep the wind out and the water from freezing. Going to run automatic drinkers also. We also add a heat lamp over the roost area. The birds seem to like it and the hens keep laying all through the winter due to the extra hours of light.

 

[greenhorn]

Does anyone know of anyone in or around IL with White Dorkings?

We have whites, got them from YellowHouse Spring 2012. We will have eggs Spring 2013 but will be our first year breeding White Dorkings. We are in Michigan. If you can wait, YellowHouse may release more whites in 2013 but you should ask him about that. If he does release more birds I may order more whites myself....

 

[BantamFan4Life]

I'm hoping to start breeding some next year, maybe that is (I'm always, always changing my mind).

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I have been looking at dorkings for the past year... I finally placed an order of 25 for first week of march hatching!! Can't wait to join dorking owning

Sounds great and welcome aboard!

Edited to add: Besides, Dorking folk are swell!

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I always love reading what everyone is saying on this thread.

I think that all of us raising Dorkings have adjusted to the reality that they are a work in progress. It's going to take a good while, but I'm sure we're going to get there.

I haven't made the final culls for 2012 pullets yet, but I've been handling them a bit each night. There are certain girls that are showing some nice bulk. At this point, that's one of my key selection points, namely, that the females feel dense--dense and thick. The color is looking good this year.

Yup Roger Tice and Ed Hart have retired. Ed is off to Florida to enjoy a deserved retirement. Ed has been such a resource of knowledge and experience. I already miss knowing that he has stock. This, though, illustrates why we need to have these birds in as many hands as possible. We all have to retire at some point. Moreover, it reinforces, to me at least, why we need to be foucsed on specific colors, eac representing a sub-community in the wider Dorking community.

A buddy of mine, an excellent breeder of poultry here in NH, just returned from England. He and a few others went to England to tour the poultry shows. He, not a Dorking breeder himself but a mentor and encourager of our program at YHF, was excited to share news of the Dorkings there. He was clearly impressed, especially with the Silver Greys, although he also said that the Reds were strong. I guess I should say that he is not only an excellent breeder but also a judge, and he was in the company of some two of the most respecte judges in the US poultry community. They were all impressed. The Dorkings were low to the ground, and he stressed repeatedly how HUGE they were.

We're certainly not there, but we shall be eventually.

I am looking forward to this up-coming season. I think we're going to move to all natural brooding. I just like it better. I like the results of hen-reared chicks. There are several difficulties with artificially brooded chicks that, I find, are reduced or totally absent with hen reared chicks. Also, the amount of money we spend monthly on brooding is criminal. On a certain--and real--level, we'll have more intense work in brooding, having to do the multiple waterers, etc.., yet well have better results in finished product as well as save hundreds and hundreds of dollars. What's great is that our emerging strai of whites are exceptional broodies. They have a nice broody temperament. They're not numb like silkies but are calmer than the OEG hens. They also cover a fair number of chicks on account of their size. Moreover, they accept adoptees willingly. It's bizarre to think that this is only a few months away.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

We'll be selling Whites in the spring; we havent yet decided at what age, i.e. day-old or started. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Scheduling is a little difficult; we balance a lot here work-wise. Sometimes the spectre of shipping is daunting. If we could only "beam them up, Scottie."

Rudy Troxel and Dick Horstman are probably be the best sources for Reds in the coming season. I'd start talking to them soon, though.

So, we need a few breeders who are thinking about working with Coloreds. Then we have to find breeders of Colored stock that are willing to sell. Coloreds are a special project. They need a handful or two of breeders that are willing to do them exclusively.

 

[ki4got]

We'll be selling Whites in the spring; we havent yet decided at what age, i.e. day-old or started. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Scheduling is a little difficult; we balance a lot here work-wise. Sometimes the spectre of shipping is daunting. If we could only "beam them up, Scottie."

Rudy Troxel and Dick Horstman are probably be the best sources for Reds in the coming season. I'd start talking to them soon, though.

So, we need a few breeders who are thinking about working with Coloreds. Then we have to find breeders of Colored stock that are willing to sell. Coloreds are a special project. They need a handful or two of breeders that are willing to do them exclusively.

the problem with colored's, at least IMO, is that they aren't colored anymore... they're some variation of crosses between reds, silver greys and colored. i'm putting an order in with sandhill again this year (yeah i wasn't impressed with them early on, but they caught up fast and surpassed my sg's in size by 6 months old!). the problem is, the ones from last year were all over the place. some silver based, some red based. some dilute, some with multiple melanizing genes, no 2 were alike!. but now that i know what colors i'm wanting to work with, i plan to try again and see what i can get.

once i have some breeding, and proving reliable results, then i'll have eggs to offer. or maybe some chicks (locally). but that's probably this time next year at the earliest.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I fear you may be right, unless we discover some stock in the hands of a less active retiree or what not. The true Coloreds may be past. Perhaps that's OK as well. We have our hands full with the Whites, Reds, and SGs. There is also an advantage to the concentration of efforts on fewer varieties. That's part of what I enjoy with the Anconas, namely that they're Anconas, plain and simple.

 

[pysankigirl]

I would be thrilled to find decent colored. thrilled. I would concentrate on them in a milisecond if I could find any.

eta: not that I know what I am doing, and the concept of going to a show and maybe exposing my chickens to disease is not my thing.

 

[Rockashelle]

I have Colored birds as well. They are a ways away from SOP as of yet but, I have at least 40 years ahead of me to work with them (I hope). I know the rose comb is not standard on Colored Dorkings, but I have one set up for RC CD & the other SC CD.

I would love opinions on this... I'm torn between holding off chick / egg sales until my birds are closer to standard or selling them locally to introduce the birds with the hopes if finding people that might have the interests in helping preserve the breed. If I wait, it would be for some time as I'm a little OCD when it comes to projects. So, would that actually be hurting the breed by waiting?

Karen, you are so right about the variety found. I am glad that you have researched so much on the genetics and that your focusing on Coloreds too. I'm sure ill need your help along the way!

Something else I've been thinking about is a "Dorking Express" of some sort. What I'm referring to is setting up some sort of a voluntary transport system through each state. There's a network if ladies that do this for a breed of duck and can move them from state to state faster than the postal service. What do you thunk about this? I have to say. I feeel silly mentioning it but I've been thinking about it for a long time. I'd volunteer for Washington State. If there were a few of us in each state, I think we could get some birds moved even if it took a month or so to move them. Just a thought! (I promise I'm not crazy, unless of course you talk to my non-chicken friends)

:0)