B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[ki4got]

@ki4got ... the black breast thing, does that mean my darling Dorcus here is a roo-in-training? If so, either someone is getting caponized, or Lord Dingwald will need to be rehomed.

yup if he's a silver grey that's a roo

 

[Kyzmette]

Well... dangit... thanks. Thats bad news for somebody.

 

[ronott1]

@ki4got ... the black breast thing, does that mean my darling Dorcus here is a roo-in-training? If so, either someone is getting caponized, or Lord Dingwald will need to be rehomed.

He looks very nice! I like the names too.

 

[brahmabreeder]

Trying to pick out a new breed for my self so I've got a ton of questions. Just an FYI if I get Dorkings they would be white.
1) do they go broody?

2) can I get a good carcass by 5/6 months of age?

3) what's the laying ability like?

4) cold hardy?

5) good feed conversion ratio?

That's all I got for now. Thanks.

 

[cukooformarans]

Trying to pick out a new breed for my self so I've got a ton of questions. Just an FYI if I get Dorkings they would be white.
1) do they go broody?

Yes! Very much so!

2) can I get a good carcass by 5/6 months of age?

A lot of people are working toward getting the correct size, but yes you can, especially if you get birds that have been bred for production.

3) what's the laying ability like?

People say it is good when they are not broody. This is the first year I have had them and they went on egg laying strike around October. I haven't seen an egg since.. A lot of other people say their birds lay through winter except for the molt. But we don't add artificial light, either.

4) cold hardy?

The single comb birds may have issues wih frost bite. However, since you mention the whites, YellowHouse Farm has some beautiful Rose Comb Whites that have been bred for production in New Hampshire. Birds like that would probably be your best bet if you are interested in dorkings.

5) good feed conversion ratio?

I can't really speak to this yet, except to say that mine our great foragers.

That's all I got for now. Thanks.

 

[ronott1]

Originally Posted by brahmabreeder

Trying to pick out a new breed for my self so I've got a ton of questions. Just an FYI if I get Dorkings they would be white.
1) do they go broody?

Yes! Very much so!

2) can I get a good carcass by 5/6 months of age?

A lot of people are working toward getting the correct size, but yes you can, especially if you get birds that have been bred for production.

3) what's the laying ability like?

People say it is good when they are not broody. This is the first year I have had them and they went on egg laying strike around October. I haven't seen an egg since.. A lot of other people say their birds lay through winter except for the molt. But we don't add artificial light, either.

4) cold hardy?

The single comb birds may have issues wih frost bite. However, since you mention the whites, YellowHouse Farm has some beautiful Rose Comb Whites that have been bred for production in New Hampshire. Birds like that would probably be your best bet if you are interested in dorkings.

5) good feed conversion ratio?

I can't really speak to this yet, except to say that mine our great foragers.

That's all I got for now. Thanks

Great answers!

 

[ki4got]

ok... *bang head here* something or someone is telling me I shouldn't attempt bantam blrw, I think...

found my ONLY bantam blrw pullet minus her head this morning. partially pulled thru the wire of her pen... my blue mottled bantam cochin roo is also missing from that same pen, and I lost 3 Swedish flower youngsters too (same as the pullet)...

so now that leaves me (again) with a nice bantam blrw roo who has no mate and is now going on 3 and only 1 offspring thus far (a cockerel!) and my bantam cochins are hen-heavy, including 2 blue mottled, 1 blue split mottled, 3 reds and 3 silver laced. none of whom have roos now.

 

[marmca]

ok... *bang head here* something or someone is telling me I shouldn't attempt bantam blrw, I think...

found my ONLY bantam blrw pullet minus her head this morning. partially pulled thru the wire of her pen... my blue mottled bantam cochin roo is also missing from that same pen, and I lost 3 Swedish flower youngsters too (same as the pullet)...

so now that leaves me (again) with a nice bantam blrw roo who has no mate and is now going on 3 and only 1 offspring thus far (a cockerel!) and my bantam cochins are hen-heavy, including 2 blue mottled, 1 blue split mottled, 3 reds and 3 silver laced. none of whom have roos now.

I'm So Sorry for your loss'

I lost 2+ flocks last year and had a time finding hens that would accept my rooster, not to mention the eggs that did not hatch for one reason or another and the chicks that hatched then died. Also 1/2 my Pheasants got loose, they come back to yard but impossible to get near. At least they're free. I hope their happy. Gee, I'm glad 2013 is over.

I came over to 'crow' about new baby Dorking that hatched this morning. At first I thought was RIR but now that its walking around I see is short legged little one so must have been mistaken (I did not mark, thought that I would know from order and look of shell) They ARE Red Dorking's, or will be When they hatch. (I'm still hopeful)

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
well I didn't mean to clutter up the dorking thread... thought I'd posted this in the blrw thread. LOL grats on the chick(s) tho! i'm waiting for the eggs to start flowing a bit more regularly. 1-2 a week from 1 red girl then nothing for another week. driving me batty to boot.

 

[Sydney Acres]

ok... *bang head here* something or someone is telling me I shouldn't attempt bantam blrw, I think...

found my ONLY bantam blrw pullet minus her head this morning. partially pulled thru the wire of her pen... my blue mottled bantam cochin roo is also missing from that same pen, and I lost 3 Swedish flower youngsters too (same as the pullet)...

so now that leaves me (again) with a nice bantam blrw roo who has no mate and is now going on 3 and only 1 offspring thus far (a cockerel!) and my bantam cochins are hen-heavy, including 2 blue mottled, 1 blue split mottled, 3 reds and 3 silver laced. none of whom have roos now.

It sounds like you've got a hungry raccoon around. They're famous for pulling heads off through wire, but they'll also pull off wings, toes, legs, whatever will fit through when the whole body is too big. You can prevent this by attaching 1/2 inch hardware cloth to the wire around the bottom of your pens, from ground level to 24" high. Also, if your birds are standing or perching anywhere near wire, that area should also be covered with the hardware cloth.

A month before I built my first pen, my boss came to work one day very upset. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that the raccoons had pulled the heads off of his entire flock overnight. He described going out to open his pen in the morning and finding 22 headless bodies, blood everywhere, and raccoon prints everywhere on the ground. It sounded horrific, and I took it as a warning. So when I built my pen I attached hardware cloth to the bottom 2 feet of wire to prevent reaching in, and laid 18" wide welded wire flat on the ground, attached to the wire of the pen at a right angle, all along the outside of the pen, to prevent digging in. So far (all fingers crossed) I have had no predator break-ins in 15 years, despite having numerous raccoons on the property.