B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[ki4got]

Quote:
I don't think that they are any slower to develop than other heritage breeds, in terms of how long to keep them warm. It all depends on the temps of the environment and if they have enough buddies to huddle to keep warm. I have 6 week old chicks, that are all feathered now. They don't have heat, but they are being raised by a hen. This is California, but it's been dipping into light frost temps at night and the coop is open air.

I would say, once yours are feathered, gradually wean them off the heat and see how they do.

Kim

i agree. my guys are 4 weeks old, off heat entirely (the youngest 3 are 3 weeks old, with the older guys), and ambient temps in the basement are about 70-72... as soon as my new coop is done everyone's relocating to it, and the chicks will have the small hoop-coop (hoop pen with attached doghouse). i'll be putting heat out there for them but only because we're getting regular freezes over night now. my broody momma hatched 9 day before yesterday, she's outside in a dog crate under the deck and they're doing well. (low last night of 28) i'm debating what to do with her, but will probably leave the crate under the deck and start letting her free range in another day or 2 with her babies. we'll see how she does.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I don't think that they are any slower to develop than other heritage breeds, in terms of how long to keep them warm. It all depends on the temps of the environment and if they have enough buddies to huddle to keep warm. I have 6 week old chicks, that are all feathered now. They don't have heat, but they are being raised by a hen. This is California, but it's been dipping into light frost temps at night and the coop is open air.

I would say, once yours are feathered, gradually wean them off the heat and see how they do.

Kim

I raised two under a silkie, hatched in August. At 2 weeks old they were too big to fit under her anymore. They were in a 4x4' pen on shavings in an unheated/insulated coop. By 3-4 weeks, the temps inside the coop were dipping into the 30s and they did fine without momma. At 7 weeks I put them in the layer coop with access to the outdoors. They've been fine ever since, and at 3 months now have been down as low as -10F. If they're fully feathered, they should be able to mingle with the big girls no problem.

 

[lceh]

Just back from the Virginia Poultry Breeders Association show -- DD took two SG Dorking pullets, 7 months old. This one was Champion English in the junior show, over some decent Australorps:

And this one was named RB, although hers were the only 2 Dorkings there:

She also took Reserve Champion Bantam in the junior show with her blue wheaten Ameraucana cockerel, but that's a brag for another thread! I'm just wishing we had a cock to cross these girls with next spring, but I'm starting from scratch with males since I rehomed our one boy. It's nice to see them get some recognition though, and barring mishaps we'll have a couple of nice girls to work with the year after next.

 

[capayvalleychick]

It's great to see SGDs in show cages! Congrats!

Does the hen who took CE have white ear lobes? What is RB? I am not familiar with judging terms or placing.

Where are these from?

Kim

 

[lceh]

Yes, the girls both have whitish ear lobes -- not white enough to DQ, I guess, but it's definitely something we need to work on. I was kind of surprised the judge didn't note it. I also think the birds are a mite smaller than they ought to be, something else to breed for. We have others who are larger but who don't have such nice combs and wattles.

These are Murray McMurray birds; we ordered 7 females and I think these are the best 2. I'm ordering a few more for the spring, plus several males in the hope of getting at least one decent one for breeding. (By the way, MMCM is now accepting spring orders if anyone wants to get in there early before the Dorkings sell out.)

RB means Reserve Breed, or the 2nd best bird of that breed -- didn't mean much in this case, since there were only 2 there!

 

[X2Farm]

Do any of yall know if any of the Dorking breeders that breed Reds and Coloreds are NPIP AND MS/MG Certified? We just got wiped out due to MG last week. Thankfully I have the 6 new Dorkings quarantined away from everyone else. Those are all I have left.

So the MG free certified is a MUST for us, from here on out.

 

[rtroxel]

Quote:
Well, you can get MG free birds if you want, but the first show, swap or auction you go to, you'll get it again. It is one of the most prevalent chicken diseases in the world (hence the G=gallicepticum from gallus gallus, the scientific name for chicken). Actually, if your birds all got wiped out in a week, there is no way it is MG.

MG is a slow spreading, low mortality disease. It causes high morbidity (loss of vitality, vigor, production) but most of its victims don't die and the few that do die do so after a pretty long battle. It is usually noted by yellow discharge in the face and swelling of face and sometimes joints with frequent coughing/sneezing. Many of its victims actually die of secondary infections due to lowered immune response.

If your birds died in a week, you are almost certainly talking about something else.

MG or CRD (chronic respiratory disease, same thing, different name) is so common that for a person interested in buying, selling and/or showing birds it is better to have a little immune resistance than to try to have a free flock. You cannot do both (without selling everything you show) because of the prevalence of the disease. Many of the survivors are carriers and it is passed from mother to offspring in the egg, making it very hard to eliminate completely. Lastly, it is a pretty good survivor outside its host. That means that even after some time has passed, you could still get reinfection because it may still be in your environment.

 

[Tracydr]

I'm looking for some Dorking hatching eggs to put under my broody banty, just a few. I'd prefer red bantams but would take any Dorkings at all. The banty hen is tiny, an old English and a small pullet at that, so I doubt she could set too many.
Anyway, would anyone be so kind as to sell me three to six eggs?
I'm not concerned about SQ at this point, these will just be backyard pets. Later on, in about 18 months or so, we will be moving and at that point I plan to start working with LF Dorkings as my DP bird, mainly for meat. I won't be showing but will want them to be close to standard as I can't stand when my animals don't look like what they are supposed to be. However, I have no plans to ever show. Just enjoy nice chickens.
You can see my list of breeds on my sig. I'd also be open to bantam brahma or Pendenescas or buttercup eggs. (LF or bantam Pendenescas)

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
So sorry for your loss. I always thought MG was more of a loss of production problem and most chickens would recover and become carriers?

 

[X2Farm]

Quote:
Well, you can get MG free birds if you want, but the first show, swap or auction you go to, you'll get it again. It is one of the most prevalent chicken diseases in the world (hence the G=gallicepticum from gallus gallus, the scientific name for chicken). Actually, if your birds all got wiped out in a week, there is no way it is MG.

MG is a slow spreading, low mortality disease. It causes high morbidity (loss of vitality, vigor, production) but most of its victims don't die and the few that do die do so after a pretty long battle. It is usually noted by yellow discharge in the face and swelling of face and sometimes joints with frequent coughing/sneezing. Many of its victims actually die of secondary infections due to lowered immune response.

If your birds died in a week, you are almost certainly talking about something else.

MG or CRD (chronic respiratory disease, same thing, different name) is so common that for a person interested in buying, selling and/or showing birds it is better to have a little immune resistance than to try to have a free flock. You cannot do both (without selling everything you show) because of the prevalence of the disease. Many of the survivors are carriers and it is passed from mother to offspring in the egg, making it very hard to eliminate completely. Lastly, it is a pretty good survivor outside its host. That means that even after some time has passed, you could still get reinfection because it may still be in your environment.

I AM talking about MG. I had birds tested by the State and they all showed positive for MG. I have test results here to prove it. Wiped out meaning ALL exposed and a few symptomatic were destroyed. I will not house birds that are carriers.

And no I do not plan on showing or going to swaps or auctions.

I do know what MG is. I've actually done a good bit of research on poultry illnesses in the past. I will not house birds that are carriers. If MG is here and pops up again, so be it, then I reckon I won't be doing any breeding.