B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[capayvalleychick]

I guess what I meant by "dumb" is that they allow both varieties by the SOP so it isn't as good a thing to cull for if I don't have the important things taken care of...body size and weight, structural defects of comb and feet, general "Dorking-ness," color.

In the SOP, rose combs are only allowed on White and Cuckoo Dorkings.

 

[pysankigirl]

In the SOP, rose combs are only allowed on White and Cuckoo Dorkings.

oh, well, okay then! "no rose combs" is fine by me!!! I was remembering that wrong. Single combs are great for us here in zone 7 anyway. and I like the look of them!

 

[countrygoddess]

Newby question here: After putting my boys in with the girls, how many days of laying can I expect from my girls before they stop and go into brooding mode? In other words, how many eggs can I expect to collect from each girl to put in my incubators?

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I purchased one of those repti pro incubators and wish we'd have just purchased a real cabinet incubator. Thinking about going with the GQF MFG Classic Sportsman Cabinet Incubator 1202A. It's a bit bigger than we need but gives us room to grow into. Kind of expensive also but I don't have much luck with the repti pro and I don't want to hassle with another inferior product. Thinking the repti pro might serve as a small hatcher until we need a bigger one. That's actually a great idea. I think that ours are 1502s. One cabinet will actually do a lot.

We definitely plan on doing some culling and right from the incubator works for me. I totally agree about wasting space and resources on inferior chicks. Want to fill all 5 coops with whites (The entire new facility). Guess maybe we should just go for it but I really liked the birds we got from you and figure it wouldn't hurt to have 2 generations of your handy work. If you are going to do chicks again next year I guess we should just go for it. I've managed to keep our best white rooster and have some real nice hens too.If you do that many, you're definitely going to get some nice birds. It will be awesome to see your program develop. I lookf forward to the pictures.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Newby question here: After putting my boys in with the girls, how many days of laying can I expect from my girls before they stop and go into brooding mode? In other words, how many eggs can I expect to collect from each girl to put in my incubators?

It's impossible to predict, each girl is different, and because you're new to your particular birds, you haven't yet developed a sense for their habits. After three or four years things will be more predictible....sort of.

 

[countrygoddess]

It's impossible to predict, each girl is different, and because you're new to your particular birds, you haven't yet developed a sense for their habits. After three or four years things will be more predictible....sort of.

=) Thank you!

 

[bethbug74]

I'm no expert, but that Roo's silhouette is exactly what I think of when I think "dorking."
What is his size like?

he is feeling like about 8 lbs now, she is feeling like around 6 lbs. I don't have an accurate way to weight them atm, but they are just about the same size as a decent LF RIR, just low-slung and very rectangular rather than oval-shaped. their 5th toes aren't as well separated as I'd like, but are definitely not just branched from the 4th toes. His eyes are a very bright orange; hers are well-represented in the photo, not quite as strikingly flourescent as his.

 

[pysankigirl]

8 lbs sounds like a really decent weight to me for a cockerel just learning to crow!!!!! I think they are only supposed to be 9 lbs when grown, if I am remembering right, although bigger than that is great.

I weighed "big red" this evening and he's only 7lbs. I guess alot of his "size" is just fluff. Not sure if he is crowing...I haven't heard him but he's in a new place and maybe doesn't feel like it yet. He doesn't have his spurs, but other than that I don't know his age. another question I need to ask. approx ages of the new chickens.

 

[Framac]

I have 10 Dorking chicks arriving this week. Getting excited to have a new breed.

 

[BlackPanther]

OK, my new pair has finally outgrown the damage done by their previous caretaker. How do they look? I couldn't get Deb to hold still for a full-body shot, but she does have nice carriage, a brick-shaped body, and stumpy little clean legs with 5 full toes one both feet. She started laying two weeks ago, and napoleon has been crowing for about a month now.