B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Stse586]

Here's some picture of my Sand Hill birds that I got in May last year. They can be a little flighty, but overall they have ok to good temperaments and the cockerels have yet to ever show any signs of aggression towards people. Some of the pictures are a little old and the colored cockerels are only 4 or 5 months old in the pictures. The colored pullets are a mix of very dark brown hens and then some that look like dark red hens with lacing on the feathers.

Edited to say that I don't know why they didn't show up, but they are the same photos as on my website.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Here's some picture of my Sand Hill birds that I got in May last year. They can be a little flighty, but overall they have ok to good temperaments and the cockerels have yet to ever show any signs of aggression towards people. Some of the pictures are a little old and the colored cockerels are only 4 or 5 months old in the pictures. The colored pullets are a mix of very dark brown hens and then some that look like dark red hens with lacing on the feathers.












Edited to say that I don't know why they didn't show up, but they are the same photos as on my website.

removed the tags... they don't work here anymore.

meant to add, very nice looking birds. 8)

 

[joyous]

What kind of quality does Sandhill have? Is it worth buying from them?

My Dorkings from a few posts ago all came from Sandhill. I doubt if they are show quality, but they are healthy, and non aggressive, and lay a good amount of eggs.

 

[dorkings]

I really like good temperaments of my Dorking cockerels. Your birds look great.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Well I have good news, bad news and interesting news.

Good news is I have more eggs in the incubator, going to candle the latest batch tonight to see how many are developing.

Interesting news is the double yolker is developing and was looking good last time I checked it.

Bad news is I lost another pullet! Went in to give them some treats and found her.

I thought everyone was fine this morning but I didn't actually count them. I certainly didn't see anyone looking 'off' so not sure what happened.

 

[dorkings]

Thanks for sharing the good news. I am sorry to hear about the lose of one of your pullets, It is disapointing when that happens whatever the cause. You will have to post the new one fresh out of the incubator. I am thinking of putting some in myself but it's a bit to cold here yet so I'm hoping to wait another month.
All the best,

 

[ki4got]

Well I have good news, bad news and interesting news.

Good news is I have more eggs in the incubator, going to candle the latest batch tonight to see how many are developing.

Interesting news is the double yolker is developing and was looking good last time I checked it.

Bad news is I lost another pullet! Went in to give them some treats and found her.

I thought everyone was fine this morning but I didn't actually count them. I certainly didn't see anyone looking 'off' so not sure what happened.

sorry to hear about the pullet. i had a cockerel do the same to me last month...

yay on the good news tho, and you'll have to let us know about the double yolker. 8)

well my big guy's finally doing his job with his own girls, i've got 4 developing for sure and a few more waiting to see. so far only 1 hen's eggs are fertile *out of 2 girls*, but 100% since the first one showed up as growing.

the last fertile egg from the girls was early december, i've been setting every egg since them. at least the dogs like eggs. clear by day 4, boiled and fed.

i've got 31 assorted red and red/colored eggs in the bator too, put in on wed. going to see what i've got developing tonight. many were more than 2 weeks old so i don't hold much hope, but we'll see.

 

[DaveK]

I am wondering something about the colored Dorking stock that has been pictured recently and back over the last few years. There's been some very nice type birds shown and hens have generally been close to one of the variations described in texts (though not exactly APA SOP); a stippled feather with a straw shaft and black lacing. What I'm seeing lately is a little different than what we had years ago and gives me the idea that the red Dorkings have been infused in to the coloreds by accident or design. We have not been shown anything like a proper colored male as far as color. What I'd like to know and hope some can tell us by autumn is if the present stock will breed a next generation of fairly typical hens even though the sires used are not the right color. I hate to stress color in a breed where we so need to see great big typey earth shaking birds again. There seems to be an increased interest in the coloreds and a good pair is really a splendid sight. Just wondered what it might take to get back to decent male color. I hope to include pictures from another breeder though the stock is directly from Sandhill. A red hen, a basically colored hen and a duckwing male, very gold, came as a colored but when raised out the breeder realized that in spite of being a good Dorking he was not the right color by any means to be a colored. The hens seem to be what others have as colored hens lately, at least from the Sandhill stock.I hope that some of these birds will get used and bred and that the results will be shared in the fall. Found I had a picture from a site in England of a "dark" Dorking. The only male pictured by this breeder was very silvery colored, not straw and hackle/saddle striping were pretty much absent. Photos "lifted" only for purposes of our discussion here.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

I am wondering something about the colored Dorking stock that has been pictured recently and back over the last few years. There's been some very nice type birds shown and hens have generally been close to one of the variations described in texts (though not exactly APA SOP); a stippled feather with a straw shaft and black lacing. What I'm seeing lately is a little different than what we had years ago and gives me the idea that the red Dorkings have been infused in to the coloreds by accident or design. We have not been shown anything like a proper colored male as far as color. What I'd like to know and hope some can tell us by autumn is if the present stock will breed a next generation of fairly typical hens even though the sires used are not the right color. I hate to stress color in a breed where we so need to see great big typey earth shaking birds again. There seems to be an increased interest in the coloreds and a good pair is really a splendid sight. Just wondered what it might take to get back to decent male color. I hope to include pictures from another breeder though the stock is directly from Sandhill. A red hen, a basically colored hen and a duckwing male, very gold, came as a colored but when raised out the breeder realized that in spite of being a good Dorking he was not the right color by any means to be a colored. The hens seem to be what others have as colored hens lately, at least from the Sandhill stock.I hope that some of these birds will get used and bred and that the results will be shared in the fall. Found I had a picture from a site in England of a "dark" Dorking. The only male pictured by this breeder was very silvery colored, not straw and hackle/saddle striping were pretty much absent. Photos "lifted" only for purposes of our discussion here.

Dave, thanks for bringing this up... I've wondered myself, since the sandhill birds seem to (from what i'm finding) have a LOT of variation in the cocks. can you find/post a pic of what they are SUPPOSED to look like? I haven't got a copy of the SOP, and am not really sure exactly how it is worded regarding these birds (the colored). but I'm hoping to start working back to SOP and breeding for true color (in addition to type).

are the cocks supposed to have the striping on hackle and saddle? similar to the silvers? or are they not? I'm still learning about all this, and trying to get a fixed image in my head for what we want, not what we're likely to get.

 

[ki4got]

Ok well I found some pics, doing my searches... a couple from this thread even! LOL

these two were what I had originally pictured from other's posts about the colored dorkings.

then i found this one, and think that's what you're talking about Dave?

he's rose comb, but as a colored, is that what we're looking for? or too light?
and of the hens you posted pics of, which one's correct? (or are any of them? i wasn't too clear in your post. or maybe it's just me. LOL)