B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Megwyn]

So my darker chicks with clear markings are pullets, and my paler Dorkings with diffuse markings are cockerels then.
Which means both the chicks I showed are cockerels?

 

[ronott1]

So my darker slicks with clear markings are pullets, and my paler Dorkings with diffuse markings are cockerels then.
Which means both the chicks I showed are cockerels?

Only works for Silver Grey Dorkings and not enough to be officially listed as auto sexing.

It does not work at all for other color types of dorkings

 

[Megwyn]

The eggs I bought were just advertised as Dorking - but this is what the parent stock looks like.

They look Silver Grey to me. Am I mistaken?

 

[ronott1]

The eggs I bought were just advertised as Dorking - but this is what the parent stock looks like.

They look Silver Grey to me. Am I mistaken?

They do look like SG Dorkings!

 

[DesertChic]

So my darker chicks with clear markings are pullets, and my paler Dorkings with diffuse markings are cockerels then.
Which means both the chicks I showed are cockerels?

The top chick with the diffuse markings certainly appears to me to be a cockerel if it is indeed a SGD, but that bottom yellow chick with the four toes....are you certain that's even a Dorking? Could a "mystery chick" have been included?

 

[Megwyn]

The top chick with the diffuse markings certainly appears to me to be a cockerel if it is indeed a SGD, but that bottom yellow chick with the four toes....are you certain that's even a Dorking? Could a "mystery chick" have been included?

I bought it as Dorking egg - I guess I will have to see how he turns out.

 

[campheadgirl]

I have a question that hopefully someone can answer. I was gifted three red dorking hens and a roo last year. I tried to incubate but ALL the eggs were infertile. I noticed that the roo was not breeding the hens. This past winter I got a new red roo from a different source and he is mounting the girls. So far 3 weeks worth of eggs are still not fertile. I have multiple breeds in a subdivided pen. Everyone else has good fertility. They all are living under the same conditions so I wonder if this breed has certain requirements? Pleae help!!

 

[ronott1]

Pop 5 days worth of egg into an incubator and see if the eggs develop

 

[campheadgirl]

I put them all in the incubator one week at the time and they were all clear after one week. Each week sane thing.

 

[ronott1]

I put them all in the incubator one week at the time and they were all clear after one week. Each week sane thing.

The Breeder I hatched had a problem like that. What she did was move the Cock to a pen away from the hens where they could see each other. They were separated for a week I think and then she started putting him in for a couple of hours a day. It seemed to work. The old absence makes the hear fonder chicken style....

One thing to check for is feathers in the way of the vent. Since cocks do not have an "appendage" There needs to be direct contact during mating.

Also work on flock heath:

Parasites: worms, lice and mites may need to be treated
Nutrition: Main food should be a high protein feed like flock raiser. Hens get free choice calcium.
Give them grit free choice too
Try feeding them calf manna. There are instructions on the bag for supplementing chickens with it.