B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Yellow House Farm]

I didn't see any Red Dorking on the MMCM website.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Has anyone ever bought Dorkings from flip flop farm? Just wondering if she is reputable.

I just check out their website. They look like they're having fun, but the chickens I saw did not look like Dorkings, especially not standard bred Dorkings.

 

[SoCal Dorkings]

Hi All,

Please ignore the Serama Roo, the "Dorky Egger", and the two Guinea Fowl. I had to shift things around, and they were temporary roommates because I could trust that even though there were more of the Dorking hens, they wouldn't go "piranha" on the odd ones like my BR queen of the breakfast production staff would have (lol).

These girls are from both chicks from Dick Horstman (Ideal?) and shipped eggs from Rudy Troxel (Tice).

Who wants to tell me which shade of red is closer to the SOP?

Joseph, Are you reading this? Any other long-timers wanna jump in?

Should I set up all of the birds by originating family? Or just breed closest to SOP to like, regardless of origin? Or should I do both in turns, and see what I get??? It makes my head hurt obsessing...

I have 2 Pullets from RT that are from separate pens (per Rudy's mark on eggs)
I have two Cockerels from RT that I think were from the same pen, but I have to find my notes...

I have a whole bunch of Cockerels from DH, two nice reds that I think are the typeyist of that bunch, and a visually "colored" bird (best of 3 like this, all very big boys) from red parents (per DH, who has since removed those from his breeders) that I really want to put with the really dark headed pullet and see what I get.

The colored looking male is absolutely huge and solid (as opposed to just big and stout). His comb doesn't have any side sprigs, but he does have uneven serration on a couple of the points. He looks a bit like a barn to me

They all have the requisite number of toes, and pretty nice shape and separation. Combs are less uniform, with the RT/Tice birds being the most uniform in color, size, and shape of body and comb, at least in the sampling that I have.

I think I might have a decent starting place, and just don't want to mess it up!

Sorry the pictures are not great, but the guineas like to panic and run (over the tops of everyone else) and the Serama kept trying to be the focal point. He just didn't get that he wasn't the star of the show.

 

[ki4got]

Hi All,

Please ignore the Serama Roo, the "Dorky Egger", and the two Guinea Fowl. I had to shift things around, and they were temporary roommates because I could trust that even though there were more of the Dorking hens, they wouldn't go "piranha" on the odd ones like my BR queen of the breakfast production staff would have (lol).

These girls are from both chicks from Dick Horstman (Ideal?) and shipped eggs from Rudy Troxel (Tice).

Who wants to tell me which shade of red is closer to the SOP?
Joseph, Are you reading this? Any other long-timers wanna jump in?

Should I set up all of the birds by originating family? Or just breed closest to SOP to like, regardless of origin? Or should I do both in turns, and see what I get??? It makes my head hurt obsessing...

I have 2 Pullets from RT that are from separate pens (per Rudy's mark on eggs)
I have two Cockerels from RT that I think were from the same pen, but I have to find my notes...

I have a whole bunch of Cockerels from DH, two nice reds that I think are the typeyist of that bunch, and a visually "colored" bird (best of 3 like this, all very big boys) from red parents (per DH, who has since removed those from his breeders) that I really want to put with the really dark headed pullet and see what I get.

The colored looking male is absolutely huge and solid (as opposed to just big and stout). His comb doesn't have any side sprigs, but he does have uneven serration on a couple of the points. He looks a bit like a barn to me

They all have the requisite number of toes, and pretty nice shape and separation. Combs are less uniform, with the RT/Tice birds being the most uniform in color, size, and shape of body and comb, at least in the sampling that I have.

I think I might have a decent starting place, and just don't want to mess it up!

Sorry the pictures are not great, but the guineas like to panic and run (over the tops of everyone else) and the Serama kept trying to be the focal point. He just didn't get that he wasn't the star of the show.

personally i'd use all of them initially... maybe separate them into 2 groups, and breed 1 at a time. they are all within the limits of variability that you're going to see with reds right now IMO. if you have any hens with more blonde hackles, i'd put her with the lighter colored roo. IMO that's a dilute mutation, so using a melanized hen will not result in anything predictable. as typical of the SOP in my opinion. the colored roo and colored hen IMO are 2 separate genotypes, not of the same variety at all.

oh and he got them at the superior farms dispersal sale... same with his sg's i believe.

 

[SoCal Dorkings]

oh and he got them at the superior farms dispersal sale... same with his sg's i believe.

Yeah, and I said Ideal because I couldn't remember Superior Farms. I see shiny things and lose my train of thought

Now if I could just figure out how to edit that post...

Ok, Karen, when you say use them all, do you mean use all of the hens? with related roos, or unrelated?

I have always been taught that the deeper the gene pool, the better in the long run, but YHF said something once about NOT crossing in new blood because it (paraphrasing) gives you a different starting place.

Can I breed "A" birds with "A" birds, "B with "B", and set up a "C" pen that puts the most SOP together regardless of lines?

Oh, and of course the "D" pen for my non Red (colored looking) project

And... Do I want to breed by pair, trio, etc? And in the case of 2 RT hens from 2 pens and 2 RT Roos from same pen... All 4 together? Or is 2 Roos w/2 hens too much testosterone and to hard on the hens? These Roos of course get along, and while there was once a clear favorite, they are pretty much identical twins now, with one still having an easy going, but dominant leader personality.

I have read every single post in this thread, and listened to what people have told me, and now that I am actually in the position to use the advice, I am blanking out and panicking

lol.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: honestly, when you're first starting off, i wouldn't worry about family relationships much... i'd say separate the girls by color, darker/lighter, and breed each group first to one roo then to the other. that way you can maximize whatever diversity you've got in the lines, and can start your 'families' with your next generations.

basically that would give you 4 distinct groups to work with... then from there on, keep your girls grouped to the same 'family' and rotate roosters from one group to the next each year.

i worried about all that too at first, then realized i was way over-thinking it all. LOL

 

[SoCal Dorkings]

More Rooster Pics. Ones in bad lighting are the Horstman birds, ones in chainlink dog run are Troxel/Tice. Not the best or most flattering photos... But one can get an idea(?).

 

[SoCal Dorkings]

honestly, when you're first starting off, i wouldn't worry about family relationships much... i'd say separate the girls by color, darker/lighter, and breed each group first to one roo then to the other. that way you can maximize whatever diversity you've got in the lines, and can start your 'families' with your next generations.

basically that would give you 4 distinct groups to work with... then from there on, keep your girls grouped to the same 'family' and rotate roosters from one group to the next each year.

i worried about all that too at first, then realized i was way over-thinking it all. LOL

It all sounds so simple...

Thank you for all of your advice.

 

[SandiDent]

Murray McMurray has breeding and blood line and papers. Request a catalog from them I am thrilled with the way they have been treating us and ours come with breeding papers.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Should I set up all of the birds by originating family? Or just breed closest to SOP to like, regardless of origin? Or should I do both in turns, and see what I get??? It makes my head hurt obsessing...

Here's an article on line breeding: http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id65.html

You sure have some pretty birds for a nice start!