B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[chamoisee]

Do you have to do anything to protect their combs?

And....I notice that Sand Hill has both rose comb and single in some of their Dorkings, such as the Black and the White. Would it be wrong to breed for a rose comb Black?

 

[Oldhound]

Some of the Black Dorkings I got from Sandhill have rose combs .

 

[capayvalleychick]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

And, on a happy note, I FINALLY have two dorking chicks under a broody... from my own rooster. Not sure what happened to change things... perhaps it was taking the girls away for a week or so that did it... but there's one boy and one girl.

e

I'm so happy for you!!!

Kim​

 

[X2Farm]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

And, on a happy note, I FINALLY have two dorking chicks under a broody... from my own rooster. Not sure what happened to change things... perhaps it was taking the girls away for a week or so that did it... but there's one boy and one girl.

e

WOOHOO! Congrats!!!

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Technically it can't be "wrong" to breed the Blacks for comb because they have no Standard. All Dorking color varieties originally exist in both rose and single combs. Thus, regardless of current Standard exigencies, they are historically accurate. On the other hand, it's cool that Sand Hill is offering all of these different colors, and then it isn't so cool. The variety is nice, but it divides everyone's efforts. It renders the sharing of stock impractical and necessitates more and more serious breeders, which are few and far between in any breed.

In speculative history, i.e. the Columella accounts, the Whites and the Red are neck and neck. In more confirmed historical sources, the Whites are the preeminent. In the US, the Silver greys and the Coloreds eventually become more important the Whites, with the SG's finally claiming the day. In world history, the Whites and Reds are the most prominent. In US history, the Whites, SG's and Coloreds. Cuckoos were present here in a minor way, but they were more prominent in England then here--by far. The other color varieties were never of any great importance on either side of the pond. THey exist, true, but I would imagine that most of them exist via crossing the primary colors with whites, which will produce most of the other colors.

Until the Dorking is reestablished as a breed, I fear that these minor colors may detract more than promote. They are in a very poor state of development, and to improve them is going to take a lot of effort. One could at least suggest the argument that that efffort is better directed at the historically more prevalent and better developed varieties. If we were to do anything as a community, we could work on Standardizing the SG, Coloreds, and Reds in RC which will make them more adaptable to northern climes.

 

[chamoisee]

I was under the impression that Black Dorkings had been admitted to the APA standard. Am I mistaken?

 

[BlackBart]

I lent out my super SG Dorking Rooster for Stud and he wasn't mating the hens very much.
When he came home he jumped 1/2 dozen hens right away. They only thing different is my pens are HUGE and when they are not in for breeding all of them free range.
Where he went on stud free the pens were approx 10x20 I don't think he liked the small space......

I have two young roos that are very nice I am thinking I might keep one , the others will go to the roo pen for freezer camp.
Hope to get some pictures up so I can get a opinion from all of you dorking fans.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Where's the "like" button?

 

[Unusually]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I would have set the ones with the ruptured air sac... those can still hatch if given the opportunity to settle and you handle carefully. But that's very nice of them to send replacements.

Good luck with the 6.

Quote:
Topping up water in the 'bator last night and I checked on the eggs with the ruptured air sac and most of them had started leaking out the pores of the shell and were gluing themselves to the turner.

So I tipped the warm water over the eggs and managed to get them out.
I don't think I will ever risk setting eggs like that again.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Quote:
Topping up water in the 'bator last night and I checked on the eggs with the ruptured air sac and most of them had started leaking out the pores of the shell and were gluing themselves to the turner.

So I tipped the warm water over the eggs and managed to get them out.
I don't think I will ever risk setting eggs like that again.

Oops... I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that you have to watch them. They usually start weeping within the first 48 hours if they're going to. I'm so sorry...

Glad you caught them in time, though...