B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Yellow House Farm]

I have red but not that long ago I posted that their color isn't as good as I would like. The cockerel is alive today and showing signs of improving but I am not holding my breath. I am not breeding for show so small faults or non recognized colors are no big deal to me. I wanted to keep them for meat, curiosity and education. I have two other breeds I am keeping for SOP and that is more than enough (Orloffs and Marans). In fact, I am thinking about dropping one but just can't bring myself to do it yet. I think I have a bird affinity.

KIforgot... why dotte crosses? That's odd. Hmmm, Silver Laced Dorkings...

Cool! Between the Marans and the Orloffs, only the Marans can actually be bred to the SOP, being the only one in the SOP. Showing is awesome, and a traditional part of farming poultry; there's no beetter way to learn how to breed proper poultry than to attend shows. I hope you reconsider. You might consider looking up the Central Maine oultry Fanciers. They do two shows a year and are really nice folks.

 

[ki4got]

I have red but not that long ago I posted that their color isn't as good as I would like. The cockerel is alive today and showing signs of improving but I am not holding my breath. I am not breeding for show so small faults or non recognized colors are no big deal to me. I wanted to keep them for meat, curiosity and education. I have two other breeds I am keeping for SOP and that is more than enough (Orloffs and Marans). In fact, I am thinking about dropping one but just can't bring myself to do it yet. I think I have a bird affinity.

KIforgot... why dotte crosses? That's odd. Hmmm, Silver Laced Dorkings...

lol because my 'dotte roos were more 'active' than the dorkings apparently.

remember, i free range everyone. but now my dotte roos are in the bachelor pad with my ee and a mottle cochin roo. the rest are bantam babies too young (10-12 weeks) to tackle a full sized girl (i hope?)

 

[ashandvine]

Don't discredit the determinism of a cockerel and his hormones! I have seen the neighbors D'Uccle cockerel mounting the industrial leghorn pullets-- that's some size disparity.

To be off topic just a little, the 'rare' Russian Orloffs were in the APA but were dropped. I am (we are) using the old APA plus reference to the German Standards to work/breed toward readmittance to APA. Marans are so new to the standard that there are still some issues having them judged or shown well. I should admit I have a trio of nice young Favs here too, a pair of PBR and my flock of Ams. In my defense, I didn't know what I wanted to start with so I tried a bunch and ... well, they are birds, which I like.

I am not giving up but if this cockerel does expire then I am going rose comb all the way.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I am not giving up but if this cockerel does expire then I am going rose comb all the way.

Wow! That's a crazy amount of breeds.

Is the male in trouble because he's single combed? Some people seem to have OK luck with SC Dorkings up here, but we are RC without exception. I've literally had SG Dorkings drop dead. Sometimes they develop what looks like a neurological malfunction for a day and then done. When we had SC birds, I'd go to bed on really cold night felling bad for the cocks. Now, I just shut them up for the evening and know that all is well.

 

[pysankigirl]

glad we don't have to worry about the cold and their combs...I think it's friggin cold HERE. but I am a wimp...it's not even below freezing.

 

[ki4got]

glad we don't have to worry about the cold and their combs...I think it's friggin cold HERE. but I am a wimp...it's not even below freezing.

ROFL

hubby's been giving me grief because i'm super cold-sensitive lately with this arthritis crap i've got going on (undiagnosed, but definitly autoimmune, and both joint and connective tissue related - the doc's stumped)... so if it's below 45 i'm bundled up like i'm back up in Maine. LOL

 

[pysankigirl]

yeah...****I**** don't want to live somewhere wher comb damage would be a problem from cold.
Aan online friend in my fiber group is from above the arctic circle in Norway. she has to walk her dogs in the dark this time of year because there IS no daylight. Now that is really crazy. I wonder what kind of chickens they have up there...I will have to ask.

oh...um, yeah...to stay on topic, I doubt they are Dorkings.

 

[ashandvine]

Wow! That's a crazy amount of breeds.

Is the male in trouble because he's single combed? Some people seem to have OK luck with SC Dorkings up here, but we are RC without exception. I've literally had SG Dorkings drop dead. Sometimes they develop what looks like a neurological malfunction for a day and then done. When we had SC birds, I'd go to bed on really cold night felling bad for the cocks. Now, I just shut them up for the evening and know that all is well.

I know. In here there is supposed to be shame and frivolity associated with those who have more than two breeds. I was very serious when I went about exploring the different strengths of breeds and my interests. I keep the Ams because I am one of the only people in the state with really good ones and their eggs and their offspring are saleable (and fun to decorate), whereas the work I am doing with Orloffs (as well as other rare breeds) is not making money. Marans are a good mix of gourmet and fad so they might help me meet all my desires: style of life and income to provide for others that are not as popular. The Favorelles were a lucky hatch, the Delaware a donation, the Dorkings et al are about meat and education. I have kids here and wanted to continue to share information with kids about different types of chickens. My son is still after Orpingtons but one is enough. IDK for sure what happened with this cockerel. He is acting strangely, I think he got into it with another cockerel but he is also suddenly very under weight. I am treating him for worms and mites etc (again- I treated in the fall) and debating the merits of culling him.
edited to add that I am planning a down size... just not prime season right now with all this cold and snow... and I am all about RC over single

 

[pysankigirl]

Question: what is the difference between "silver duckwing" coloration and our silver grey dorkings? are they the same?

follow up question: how close is "colored" to "golden duckwing" coloration.

here is a picture I found on the backyard poultry forum:

Feathersite: American game Bantams, Golden Duckwing pair:

* Photos courtesy of Cyril C. Nicholson, Jr.

quoted from someone on that site:
The term ( Gold Duckwing ) has a number of different meanings dependent on the listener.
To a geneticist a Gold Duckwing is a bird that has a genotype of e+
(Duckwing) based on s+ ( Gold).

To a Game fancier it is a male that has a genotype of e+ (Duckwing) based on split S/s+ ( Silver & Gold). As Kazjaps states there is ( in Game terms ) no Gold Duckwing females.

To a Continental/American breeder of say Dutch Bantams, a Gold Duckwing is a bird that has a genotype of e+ (Duckwing) based on s+ ( Gold) with the addition of the Cream gene (Ig Inhibitor of Gold).


quoted from another person(presumably from australia on that site:
Gold Duckwing e+/e+ s+/s+ (s+/-) NOT SURE if Ar+ (mono (uni) or polygenic trait) eg. Light Brown Leghorn (ie. PB Brown Leghorn)
Silver Duckwing e+/e+ S/S (S/-) ar/ar
Golden Duckwing e+/e+ s+/s+ (s+/-) ig/ig (which is not found in Aust) so we use split S/s+ (males only, females can't be as hemizygous) and don't know about Ar+


So anyone know what the heck the AR+ mutation is? or the ig/ig they are talking about?
I am trying so hard to understand this...where would we get this dilution gene?

 

[ki4got]

I know. In here there is supposed to be shame and frivolity associated with those who have more than two breeds. I was very serious when I went about exploring the different strengths of breeds and my interests. I keep the Ams because I am one of the only people in the state with really good ones and their eggs and their offspring are saleable (and fun to decorate), whereas the work I am doing with Orloffs (as well as other rare breeds) is not making money. Marans are a good mix of gourmet and fad so they might help me meet all my desires: style of life and income to provide for others that are not as popular. The Favorelles were a lucky hatch, the Delaware a donation, the Dorkings et al are about meat and education. I have kids here and wanted to continue to share information with kids about different types of chickens. My son is still after Orpingtons but one is enough. IDK for sure what happened with this cockerel. He is acting strangely, I think he got into it with another cockerel but he is also suddenly very under weight. I am treating him for worms and mites etc (again- I treated in the fall) and debating the merits of culling him.
edited to add that I am planning a down size... just not prime season right now with all this cold and snow... and I am all about RC over single

do WHAT??? shame? frivolity? ROFL. i have more than 2 breeds, and certainly more than 2 colors of each breed... but then again, i really only consider the dorkings the serious project. the cochins are for fun. 8) same with the blrw... gotta have somethng that draws attention and sells decently. LOL

i also experimented with several breeds when i first got back into poultry, but decided for sure on the dorkings pretty quickly. the others were 'just chickens.' (except bantam cochins which have been a favorite for many many years).