B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[ki4got]

Quote: if i'd kept them and grown them out, they may not have been culls... I don't count potentially mixed breed day old chicks as anything other than 'potentially mixed breed day old chicks'. LOL any estimates of breed are just that... estimates.

I sell a lot of them. come on by the swap Saturday, you'll see even more! LOL (ok not day old, more like 5-10 day old)

for example, I had a mixed hatch of blrw, dark Cornish (which look JUST like blrw) some cochins and some sfh...
sold the few sfh I had to someone. THIS is what his "sfh" is growing up like (and coming back to me in exchange for some more sfh once I start getting more eggs to hatch)


and this is the swede baby that I thought was something else.

 

[LilyD]

if i'd kept them and grown them out, they may not have been culls... I don't count potentially mixed breed day old chicks as anything other than 'potentially mixed breed day old chicks'. LOL any estimates of breed are just that... estimates.

I sell a lot of them. come on by the swap Saturday, you'll see even more! LOL (ok not day old, more like 5-10 day old)

for example, I had a mixed hatch of blrw, dark Cornish (which look JUST like blrw) some cochins and some sfh...
sold the few sfh I had to someone. THIS is what his "sfh" is growing up like (and coming back to me in exchange for some more sfh once I start getting more eggs to hatch)


and this is the swede baby that I thought was something else.

I keep all my chicks until they grow out or find homes no matter if they are mixed breed or purebred. The mixed breeds, if they are girls are offered up for layers for those looking to replenish their coops. Some will pick them up as babies others will wait until they grow out a bit so they can see what they are going to look like as adults. My purebred chicks all stay until they grow out. Then I choose which I am going to keep and which are not as up to the standards. Those that I'm not happy with will find good homes as layers and the boys get the rule the bachelor coop until processing day unless they are totally amazing then they get to be a breeder. Dorking roosters are harder because I love the look of the Silver Gray Roos and they really can wiggle their way into your hearts because they are actually sociable. I am more prone to let them stay around longer just to see how they grow out.

 

[ki4got]

I keep all my chicks until they grow out or find homes no matter if they are mixed breed or purebred. The mixed breeds, if they are girls are offered up for layers for those looking to replenish their coops. Some will pick them up as babies others will wait until they grow out a bit so they can see what they are going to look like as adults. My purebred chicks all stay until they grow out. Then I choose which I am going to keep and which are not as up to the standards. Those that I'm not happy with will find good homes as layers and the boys get the rule the bachelor coop until processing day unless they are totally amazing then they get to be a breeder. Dorking roosters are harder because I love the look of the Silver Gray Roos and they really can wiggle their way into your hearts because they are actually sociable. I am more prone to let them stay around longer just to see how they grow out.

LOL I'd grow them all out if I had unlimited funds to feed the buggers... but the chicks pay to feed the adults plus a little towards building more pens. so it's a trade off... I keep a few here and there when I think they show promise, or when I have a broody to take a few on...

right now what i'm selling are mostly easter eggers and a few oddballs from broodies trying to hide nests where they aren't protected at all... those I take the eggs and incubate and lock her away for a few days so she'll forget the eggs. usually by then something's torn the nest spot apart so she gives up or goes broody in the horse trailer.

 

[pysankigirl]

I never thought I would say this but am frustrated with my Dorkings. I love them. But they are too friendly and not skittish enough. And right now about every 2-3 days I am losing all my non-skittish chickens to a friggin’ fox. And Dorkings are great foragers so that means they tend to go further afield to scratch for bugs. So maybe that’s also why they are getting targeted. Whatever it is, their numbers are dwindling.

On top of that, I lost about 7 chicks in the spring to coccidia (out of 21) and I had a couple mysterious deaths recently that I just found out yesterday are likely Mareks. (dagnabbit!!!! but that is another subject)

None of my other breeds have died (from sickness…the fox did kill 4 hens of other breeds)
Are Dorkings more susceptible to things like Mareks and coccidia?

I had heard Barnevelders were more fragile but they are hale and hardy and not having any problems at all. ‘sup with that?

 

[pysankigirl]

 

[kimberly35042]

Sounds like somebody needs to go fox hunting....

I was concerned during the last 2 weeks of nonstop rain (8-11") that the youngest group of red dorkings might suffer since they were only partially feathered in and in a grow out ark on the ground. They are FINE and growing like weeds and eat like horses *lol*

 

[kimberly35042]

Quick update of Ki4got's chicks from Easter hatch... there's a weeble kid in the mix too. Hoping for longer silver greys than the McMurray bunch. All the pullets are red. There is a blondie in the mix too, but no pic of her today.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I never thought I would say this but am frustrated with my Dorkings. I love them. But they are too friendly and not skittish enough. And right now about every 2-3 days I am losing all my non-skittish chickens to a friggin’ fox. And Dorkings are great foragers so that means they tend to go further afield to scratch for bugs. So maybe that’s also why they are getting targeted. Whatever it is, their numbers are dwindling.

On top of that, I lost about 7 chicks in the spring to coccidia (out of 21) and I had a couple mysterious deaths recently that I just found out yesterday are likely Mareks. (dagnabbit!!!! but that is another subject)

None of my other breeds have died (from sickness…the fox did kill 4 hens of other breeds)
Are Dorkings more susceptible to things like Mareks and coccidia?

I had heard Barnevelders were more fragile but they are hale and hardy and not having any problems at all. ‘sup with that?

I'm sorry for your losses. It sounds like you either need to keep them in a protected run or get a chicken safe dog to protect them and run off the fox. You may try electrified poultry netting. I like Premier's products. I have foxes here, but the electric fences & dogs keep my chickens safe.

Dorkings are not more prone to disease than any other breed. What I've found is that any new birds on my property seem to be the more susceptible to health or weather issues. The survivors, the ones showing no symptoms of disease, are the ones that you should keep and breed. With each new generation, the survivors will be stronger until you will have a flock of strong, resistant birds. Bear in mind, every time that you bring in new birds, they will be challenged and anything new that they may be carrying will challenge your existing birds.

I have been extremely fortunate. I've had chickens here for 13 years and never had a case of cocci. I haven't used medicated feed or treated my flock for many years. That works here, I think in part, because my climate tends to be drier than most. I also never had a case of Mareks until last week. So far, (knock on wood) my Dorkings have not been affected. I've been breeding them for years, so hope that they are resistant. The bird with Mareks came from another state, this year. He was one of the smaller ones in his group, so maybe simply not a strong individual.

I wish you luck and patience, both needed for being a successful breeder.

 

[pysankigirl]

we have had an amazing amount of rain here this spring/summer. We have finally had 2 days in a row with no rain and now it is HOT HOT HOT. (okay maybe it is really the humidity, but I still feel sorry for the outdoor animals) so the coccida might have been partially because we just couldn't get anything to dry out and partially because I had never had it before and was clueless about the signs. before I saw the bloody poop, I thought they were just tired. (duh)

This new Mareks thing is just deflating to me. I have never vaccinated for it so the guy at the state health place said I could lose up to 30% of my flock. I am in denial. I cant imagine that on top of the fox losses. I do believe in the concept of breeding for resistance. I just need to get past the initial few years I guess, and just take my losses. or vaccinate...but that hides who is resistant and who isn't. I wish I knew what the right answer was.

I have premier fencing but the chickens go through it easily. We got it back before we got the chickens (for the goats) so the openings are too big. I need to figure out how to afford some of the chicken-type.

 

[kimberly35042]

Would you be able to get a necropsy done to be sure it's Marek's? I don't think I'll ever vaccinate for it....but never say "never".