B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
They're last years' chicks... so ~ 1 year old.

And they're just starting to lay or is it that the eggs are just coming fertile?

No, they've been laying all season. I had to look at my notes... Junior was hatched 2009, so he's ~ 2, the girls were hatched in 2010. I set every egg I got from 3 hens since January (~ 150), and not a one was fertile.

I'm giving my roo the stink-eye...

 

[Vcomb]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
And they're just starting to lay or is it that the eggs are just coming fertile?

No, they've been laying all season. I had to look at my notes... Junior was hatched 2009, so he's ~ 2, the girls were hatched in 2010. I set every egg I got from 3 hens since January (~ 150), and not a one was fertile.

I'm giving my roo the stink-eye...

sometimes little things like trimming the feathers around the vent, making sure the tips of the spurs are dulled or taking him away from the hens for a week or two is all it takes to improve fertility. just my 2 cents

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
No, they've been laying all season. I had to look at my notes... Junior was hatched 2009, so he's ~ 2, the girls were hatched in 2010. I set every egg I got from 3 hens since January (~ 150), and not a one was fertile.

I'm giving my roo the stink-eye...

sometimes little things like trimming the feathers around the vent, making sure the tips of the spurs are dulled or taking him away from the hens for a week or two is all it takes to improve fertility. just my 2 cents

I should have mentioned that I've done all that, as well as changed up their food... zero, zippo, nada.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

No, they've been laying all season. I had to look at my notes... Junior was hatched 2009, so he's ~ 2, the girls were hatched in 2010. I set every egg I got from 3 hens since January (~ 150), and not a one was fertile.

I'm giving my roo the stink-eye...

Ugh, how frustrating! I'd give him the stink eye too. I hope you do now finally get some chicks from them.

Edit: Wish my tablet had spell check...

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Hmmm....with Dorkings there shouldn't be any feather trimming needed. However, either total or partial infertility is possible. Keeping extra males around is necessary for this and other cases. Even if you can get chicks from him, you probably want to try your best to get another cock or two from off the farm because, if it is infertility, his few boys male derivatives are likely just as bad.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Yep... got two boys in the grow-out pen now, with some new girls. Plus a Red pair from Jen.

It's been hard keeping them around... I had a dozen chicks, but am down to 2 boys and 3 girls out of that original dozen. One thing or another.

 

[Unusually]

Hi, I have been reading through all 107 pages of this thread

and thought i should join in and introduce myself.
I too am from Australia and have three SG Dorking pullets and unrelated SG Dorking Cockerel.

The girls have just started laying but my boy isn't crowing yet and the three girls tend to boss him about.
He came from a place where he was in the same pen with an older roo who was bashing him and he has a slight limp. I hope he will be able to tread the hens ok.

I also have Barnevelders and will be crossing some with the Dorkings for meat birds.

Cheers Alison

 

[flowerchild59]

Quote:
First of all

, and the barnevelder crosses should be interesting. Post some pics when they hatch and let us know about their growth.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Quote:
Hi Alison,

Are you anywhere near RareBreedFancier? It would be nice if you two could help each other out, if needed, to conserve the Dorking in Australia.

I think that your roo may learn how to be more dominant when he matures a bit.

Kim

 

[BlackBart]

Quote:
I think they need to be breed with egg laying in mind. I would guess they used to lay better than the ones we have today. I couldn't imagine the old time farmers having much patience with chickens that don't lay. I gave mine to a local school who is working on the breed but my girls were excellent winter layers and layed up until May then stopped. With selective breeding, I think we could improve that significantly.

I say this but as I continue to play in the rare heritage breeds, and we discuss improving the breed for show quality, I've begun to wonder more and more if we shouldn't work on utility first then toward the perfect look later. By utility, I mean egg laying, difficulty laying (vent health), and other such things. When we get those up to par then look at coloration, comb size etc and so on...

Just my thoughts...

Dave

Maybe, mine are from old heritage stock, none of those hatchery birds. I think you are right, the survival of the breed depends on their usefulness. I know a lot of people get furstrated with them because of the poor egg numbers.
I feel my hens make up for it in raising chicks and their beauty. They are excellent mothers and because of their size, they have no problem raising 12 chicks and still have plenty of room under them.
I have noticed the commercial hatchery birds are much smaller and not "Sherman Tank" like.