B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Jan336]

I am looking to get some Silver Dorking Hens. Anyone know where I can get some?

 

[chickenmum]

Quote:
Actually It is very good to have up-pointing toes... I try to breed for them. When I put up my pics I will get some of the toes. I think i have some with good ones... The fifth toes should be totally separated from the fourth.
Pretty birds everybody!

 

[hensonly]

Ok, I took pics of my 12 1/2 week old Dorkings (from Sand Hill). I uploaded a few. Now, how the heck do I copy the photos to my message?? Anyone?? Please?? I've had this trouble before...should I just upload them all to Photobucket and try to do it that way??

 

[Raven81]

this thread has instructions.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=504

 

[hensonly]

Quote:
Yes, I got all of it done no problem, up to where you have to "copy the URL code and paste it into your post" How do I make it copy, and then how do I get back to my post page???

 

[hensonly]

ok, maybe I figured it out....

If this works, the chirps are 12 1/2 weeks old in these photos...

OMG - it worked!!!holy moly, finally.

e

Okay, now, I have LOTS more pics...wanna see? or are these enough?

 

[SFIcelandics]

Quote:
Pictures are always great to see! Its neat to see other people's birds!

 

[Yellow House Farm]

It's nice to see this thread still going. I'm sorry that my usual schedule keeps me from contributing on a regular basis. I'm having a bit of a lazy day today and granting myself permission to live in front of the computer.

Rumplessness in Dorkings? Well, if you breed enough of any breed, one has the potential for a rumpless bird. On in so many will end up rumpless; it's a question of probability. We had one rumpless pullet hatch out this last season. Her comb is beautiful, of course, because she's without question unusable in our breeding program. Thus, her comb must be great just to tick me off

! She's currently running around the yard with our broody sub-flock, which is a small flock of non-breeding birds kept about to be broodies for eggs we wish to hatch.

What Dave said in a prior post about type, is too true. Type is so important--much more important than color in the long run. Color is fixable more easily than type. After five years of breeding for type, a meat customer of ours has recently commented on how noticible it is. Correct Dorking type leads to good meat birds. Dave also mentions the ability to start with less than perfect stock. Thank goodness or all of us Dorking folk would up the creek without the proverbial paddle!

The way for us to right our breed of choice is to breed heavy and cull hard. If you have too many color varieties, you won't be able to hatch enough in each one to make strong progress unless you have exceptional time and housing capacities. My advice to anyone who wants to save a fowl is to choose one, maybe two, three's a crowd. If you choose one Dorking variety and breed it hard and cull it hard, our breed's progress is going to accelerate.

A. If you're going to order chicks from Sandhill:

1. choose one variety
2. place several orders
3. use one of the inexpensive assortment offers to fill in the chicks to meet the 25 chick requirement. It will save you money.
4. cull the assortment chicks immediately upon receipt or give them away on Craigs' list or raise them to 10weeks old and then spatch-cock them, but don't let them distract you. i'd go with option one or two.

B. If you're going to order from Murray McMurray, which are pretty nice birds considering the status quo:
1. Order 50 straight run--100 are better.
2. Cull.
3. It might seem like an expensive order, but when you consider that this is an investment in years of poultry fun to come, it's really quite cheap.

C. If going to come (i say come because we don't ship) to our farm for White Dorkings, place your order early because we sell out fairly quickly. I think we're looking at a strong up-coming season. We're currently running a bunch of eggs in the incubator to get a feel for hatching tendencies.

D. If you're going to order from Ideal, don't, and see the above options. If you want the ease of dealing with a big hatchery, when it comes to Dorkings, M McM is the place. Ideal's Dorkings are not a strong beginning. In their defense, they have other stock that's fine.



Hatch! Hatch! Hatch! Then, cull! Cull! Cull!



Cheers!

 

[Raven81]

thanks for that, unfortunatly i cant get birds from any of those places, i am looking at getting some more from a breeder

 

[Jan336]

Here are some updated pics of my Silver-Grey Dorking Roosters~
Oddly, I think they are "Best Friends" if you know what I mean,

because I never have any fighting between the two.