B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

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I looked up "concrete rio" and didn't get anywhere.
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Now I'm guessing it's panels made of rebar? Or thinner than rebar? Expensive? I'm trying to find something available in the US to compare it to for cost.

I would like to make a rooster house & small pen. Hoop houses seem sensible and it's something Noah & I could do without much assistance from my husband. I could also use them as grow-out pens & mini greenhouses.

I looked up rebar, the mesh is kind of like that I guess. I have the lightest weight my local stock and station agent carries and the bars are roughly 1/4" thick. The thicker the bars the heavier it is and it's also harder to bend. I'll take a pic of the stuff and post it. It cost me around $35 a panel on sale which is great compared to buying several cattle panels. Basically from what I've seen of your prices compared to ours you should be able to find it for half that amount or less.

Found a useful link http://www.weldmeshfence.com/reiforcing_steel_mesh.html rio is it's shortened name, look up concrete reinforcing mesh. It appears you can buy it in rolls over there or sheets 5' x 10' (for around $5!
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) but this stuff is much larger and much to rigid to be rolled up. Concrete or construction companies should be able to tell you where to get it if you can't find it.

I also planned to use some as greenhouses. Since they were planed to be 3 season grow out pens that left them open for winter use as greenhouses with just some heavy plastic over them. This year is scrambled because I didn't get my 'bators till mid summer and the first hatch was late summer so I'm still incubating in late autumn.
 
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Too true. Frightening, yet necessary, if our breed(s) is going to advance. What is so great about working to save the Dorking is that it is an effort being undertaken before it's too late, which is far too often not the case. With focus and dedication we can do much.

Yes, that's true. I'm just looking at the 'Where on earth am I going to put them all???' perspective.

I had planed to hatch at least 150 Dorkings preferably 200 and I also have a pair of Silver Sussex that I'd like to hatch at least 50, I've incubated everything she's laid so far and the only fertile one was DIS.
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I also have a pair of nice Wellies, pair of bantie Cochins and trio of Silkies. I'd planed on making some sex links for sale too, and some EE and it's hit me that I will be drowning in chicks if I try to breed and hatch them all. I'd also be in the poor house trying to feed them.

I'm defiantly working on my Dorkings, planing out mating strategy now and since the Silver Sussex are so rare I feel I must do what I can to help them if I can't find someone to take them on. I'm reconsidering the Wellies, they are nice but not terribly rare and the bantie Cochins and Silkies are safe and were intended for use as broodies before I bought my 'bator.

I guess I'm lucky here that space isn't an issue but pens need to be built and cost of feed is a limiting factor. I need to think about these things before breeding season arrives to be sure I'm organized.
 
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Oh I wouldn't cull him if it's broken, that isn't a genetic problem. Got to wonder how he managed to to that though, poor fella.

That's what I figure. I should at least give him the chance to see. I was careful, though, to note his wing-ban number in my journal so that I actually remember that it was broken. Otherwise, I'd just forget and think it deformed later on. You watch, he'll be the creme de la creme and worthy of the show pen...but for that darned toe!
 
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This is what I found when I was maintaining too many breeds. I felt overwhelmed trying to figure out all of the housing/breeding pens/need for numbers, etc.... This year, I have the white dorkings and the rc anconas. I am constantly looking on line at all of the other fantasies I could own, but now I finally have the clarity to do all of the paperwork I wanted to be able to do but was just too swamped with rt work. Thus far, I've actually been able to weigh everthing on time, maintain an organized journal, separate males from females in a timely fashion, keep all of the houses clean and not overcrowded, etc... It's great--I almost feel guilty.

Remember to check out the ALBC guidelines for heritage poultry. They're quite accessible and preclude raising everything to maturity. To save your purse, you'll be able to spatchcock many of your cockerels for considerations of weight within the first 16 weeks, many at 13 weeks.
 
I have pips!!
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Two eggs from Jen have pips! The third quit, I think, but I left it in the hatcher.
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And here's a pic of my SGDxRIR cross... yep, it's been 3 weeks!
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Yes, drooling over beautiful things online is a problem for sure. That's why I decided I can have a layer flock of pretty things. That way I can admire my one or two hens of each breed I'd like and not have to worry or stress about breeding them. I'd love to breed oodles of breeds but your right, it's overwhelming and I wouldn't be doing them all justice.

Dorkings are what I set my heart on breeding something like 10 years ago and now I've finally got them I don't want to get sidetracked with other things.

I am planing to use the ALBC guidelines, they are amazingly easy to follow and practical. Your right about culling for weight early. My birds are under standard size so I'd planed to cull the lightest half and consider the other half more closely. Ideally I'd like to breed from only the top 25% but that depends on numbers and quality. Does that sound reasonable?

13 weeks is very young, I hadn't realized I'd be able to cull them that young. They will go over the scales at the 8 and 16 weeks as recommended by ALBC and I'd thought I'd need to wait till then. I guess you just note the lightest ones at 8wo and cull those first?

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain that is one adorable chick!
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Still only pipped this morning (it's 6am right now) but I still hear movement.
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I can't wait to welcome the little boogers!!
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3 hours later, and there's a wet chick in there!!!!
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