I was pondering this last night and I think that we have different expectations for the breed. You are trying to reclaim the body type and meat qualities that dorkings once had. I like them for their personalities and history. And because I was a re-enactor for years and was told that birds and eggs in general weren’t as big way-back-when (I’m talking Jamestown time period…1600…volunteering there was where I first saw and fell for dorkings) the size thing doesn’t bother me as much. Back then things were also not as standardized. No SOP’s. No chicken shows. They were just sustenance.
Just thinking. No real conclusions beyond that.
That's totally cool. I did, indeed, mean the bread vs. biscuit analogy. If it's what you want, go for. It's your chicken coop.
From that level of interest, every old breed could be allowed to degenerate to a pre-mid-1850's state for one wanting to reenact unimproved poultry. One could argue that there were some seriously convincing reasons for which the SOP was established and farm animals were improved, but I do, indeed, understand the allure of living at a specific time.
It would ultimately be harmful to the breed to distribute such birds under the name of Dorking because it would not be setting beginners up with a full spectrum of possibility for enjoying their stock. Also, if too much inferior stock is about, folks might lose sight of what an improved specimen of the breed is supposed to be. Indeed, after a while they will reduce to something that looks like little more than a chubby factory Leghorn.
Then, technically speaking, Dorkings are defined as such by the SOP. There wasn't a Golden Age of Dorkings that was somehow perverted by the advent of the SOP. The most important pre-SOP era Dorking was by far the White. Folks were doing what they could in order to have good farming fowl; they just didn't know how to do it. Indeed, one of the early, pre-science problems was that people often ate the biggest, most appetizing looking brids, which obviously left the lesser birds to reproduce. Errors such as these were many, and, there is a distinct reason why, as people came to actually understand the process of improvement, it was zealously adopted, and began an entire revolution in poultry beauty as well as food supply.
It's hard to know how to approach non-Standard colors. The chances of their success are slim, and, as I pointed out, they're not a significant part of Dorking heritage. Were one of the non-Standard colors to become very popular, it would inevitably detract from the well-being of one or more of the more heritage-rich varieties. I also would be one to discourage beginners from taking them up insofar as they are not part of the SOP nor part of the Dorking's heritage of quality. They are simply bi-products of crossing.
I don't mean so much to discourage you, but as you recognized in your original posting, you knew that there was the possibility of "censure", which also means you probably new the answer from the beginning. Insofar as my goal on this thread is to promote Standard-bred Dorkings and to support those establishing a breeding program or hoping to establish a program, it's important to offer a centering, grounding voice.
I'm honestly excited about your Reds and hope you take them to the max, and if the others bring you joy then great. However, if you were really interested in something of that time and having major historical heritage value that actually wasn't about colors in a constructive way, you might consider breeding Games.
I think what he was referring to is people who are actually BREEDING multiple specific breeds, rather than just keeping a colorful laying flock with one or two breeding pens. the dorkings are my concentration, the cochins and blrw are just for fun, and to have chicks and eggs to sell at the swaps. unfortunately, my breeding pens i designed last year aren't big enough (hindsight) for the dorkings... so i'm having to go bigger. but this time they'll be used for any/all breeds, and also for raising chicks as needed. also it'll be kind of modular, in that i can add more segments or take out connecting walls, if needed.
Exactly.
