B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Rockashelle]

Lovely msladyhawk! Love the chicks!

 

[ronott1]

OMG cuteness overload! I am in LOVE with these chicks.

So far 5 out of 6 eggs have hatched. I've got a red and most likely 4 red pyles, although there is a chance of white. I love the pattern on the red chick. I will be concentrating on the red pyles though. Photo bomb below:

They look very nice!

 

[msladyhawke]

They look very nice!

Thanks everyone! Talked to Mr. Russell and he was laughing. He said I was wasting no time. Its too early for him to start hatching, LOL. I didn't even bother to try and explain my hatching addiction!!! Knew you guys would understand, LOL. He is going to be showing some of his dorkings he said this year!! His poultry club is having a show the first weekend in May in Bloomsburg, PA. He said Saturday is a big sale, and Sunday is the show.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
DARN! it's also the largest swap in the state that Saturday, in Glen Allen VA. hm... maybe I just travel further north before coming home. LOL

 

[GreenmansHearth]

Awesome little chicks! I am jealous that some people have the weather or conditions to have eggs hatching at this time of year.
Quote:
One group came to me from Quebec, and the other from a person here in Nova Scotia. The Quebec eggs were a bit of a bonus, as I was looking for Chantecler eggs, but the seller didnt have the quantity of eggs I wanted. I threw in the dorking eggs just to round out a dozen and ended up with a roo and two hens. Then I purchased another trio from here in NS. I put my hatched roo in the the new hens, and the new roo in with the hens I hatched. So, that gives me 2 non related trios. I guess we will see how it pans out in the spring when they start laying. I do think I will have the same "size issues" I don't think my boys are 10-14 lbs. I will get some better pics. The first is King George on the first sub zero day. He wasn't happy. King George Princess Anne

 

[msladyhawke]

Its 20 degrees here today. I just have a huge basement to over-winter chicks in, lol.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Awesome little chicks! I am jealous that some people have the weather or conditions to have eggs hatching at this time of year.

Quote: OMG, that is one cold unhappy boy!! How old is he? He probably won't reach his full size until he's near 2 years old. If he's 8 pounds by 10-11 months old, he might grow enough in another year to reach the American SOP.

 

[Totalcolour]

wow WOW WOW!

 

[cukooformarans]

So, for you genetics buffs out there, if Msladyhawke wanted to bring in some different strains for genetic diversity, how would she go about doing that? I don't think there are many lines of red Pyle dorkings out there. Could you breed a red Pyle hen to a red dorking rooster or vice versa and then only keep the red Pyle offspring? Or would that set things way back? I love this color pattern and am just curious.

 

[ki4got]

I don't know much about the red pyle genetics, but talking to craig, he implied going back to red would be the wrong direction to go...

so IMO, the key would be to use what you have and select the best offspring from them to use next year, then set up a 3 or 4 pen rotational line breeding. that will maintain as much diversity as possible within the limited pool for several generations at least. maybe by then you would find more red pyle to incorporate into the rotation.