B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[flowerchild59]

I was wondering how the dorkings do in cold weather. I live in southern illinois but we are routinely in teens and single digits at night during the winter. Do their combs have issues or freezer burn???

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Thank you. He's a sweetheart.

And my dog is named Koda...

LOL!

I am just now starting to get eggs from my Dorkings after giving them a break for winter. If fertility is good, I will have hatching eggs available, but not in large numbers.

I have raised a few MMH Dorkings, and they were not bad... but culling is still required. I have not had chicks from Ideal, so I can't comment there. I have hatched eggs from Jeanne, but she's like me... can't ship until Spring due to extreme temps. She's actually colder than me right now.

Check the Dorking Breeder Club, and also the breeder lists here. There are a lot of people raising Dorkings, but they don't post here.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Yes, frostbite is a serious issue with the Dorkings. The do well in the winter, but I do have to watch the combs.

If I didn't love them so much, I probably wouldn't keep them here just because of that.

 

[rtroxel]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
Yes, frostbite is a serious issue with the Dorkings. The do well in the winter, but I do have to watch the combs.

If I didn't love them so much, I probably wouldn't keep them here just because of that.

How do you deal with it? My Cochins don't seem to get hit nearly as hard. I wasn't prepared for Dorkings. The Cochins just stay out there and their combs aren't much smaller but they barely get frosted. The Dorkings are in a pretty tight barn with about 11 birds all together and they still get burned really bad.​

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I haven't even (and won't) try the single comb Dorkings...stick with the rosecombs if you live somewhere cold. My sussex & cochins all get frostbite on their combs every winter. The best cold hardy are the Sumatra & Orloffs.

 

[rtroxel]

Yeah, I already have single combs and I don't think Red is accepted as a rose comb variety in the SOP, is it? I'll have to check. I show a little, so that's important for me. This spring I hope to build a chicken barn, so that will definitely help. I have them in several small outbuilding barns now.

 

[Chickhick]

I'm going to buy some Silver Grey Dorking eggs from Dick Horstman. Anyone know how good of quality is stock is? I've read good things about his birds, but not anything about specifically his Dorkings. If anyone has his Dorkings I'd love to see pictures.

In fact I'm ready for more pictures on this thread regardless of where they came from!

 

[capayvalleychick]

Hi everyone,

I raise SGDs in N California. I need to improve what I've got, so I'm looking for breeding stock that meets the standard. I made a video of my roosters here:

Kim

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Of the 3 dorking chicks I kept from Sandhill I have 2 hens (black and gray) and one rooster (birchen). I'm tempted to breed them, but with those combs I feel bad in this climate. I don't know what to do! The hens sure do lay a pretty cream colored egg. Maybe I'll just keep the trio, eat their eggs, and when the hens go broody just put orpington eggs under them. I sure like the gray girl. She's a sweetie.

 

[Chickhick]

I have 2 order in to Sand Hill, and I'd LOVE to see pictures of your trio. Were they all out of the "black" variety?