B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Yellow House Farm]

Does anyone know of a place where you can look at all the color varieties available in dorkings? I've seen red, white, SG, and salmon. Seems there are so many colors, or are those just breeding projects? tawny, fawn, etc

The Standard recognizes: RC Whites, SC Silver Greys. SC Coloreds, SC Reds, SC & RC Cuckoo. There are several other patterns, which correspond to the Old English Game patterns. They're had by crossing the prior colors. Only the first four have any abiding significance. The Silver Greys, Coloreds, and Reds are also historically RC just as much as SC. As a club we could work to see those included as comb types.

There's some literature to back at least a Cuckoo presence, albeit minor, but the rest never were, nor are, anything but "projects". At this point in the preservation game, I usually suggest that we stay focused on the hstorically relevant varieties as they are struggling. Once these exist in genetically stable, impressive manifestations, "projects" could be more meaningfully undertaken. Now they'd simply be thin-blooded, poorly typed dead ends.

It's one of the advantages of working with a breed such as Anconas that come in only one color variety. There's no confusion or competition, and breeders aren't working in opposite directions. Having too many color varieties simply compromises the whole breed.

 

[DaveK]

The unfortunate thing about lack of control or something going on with one commercial source is a plethora of colors that are not and historically never were Dorking colors. Many of these colors exist on birds who would be suspect as pure Dorkings or at least Dorkings of any decent quality. They land in the hands of enthusiastic newcomers who don't realize what they are seeing in their yards isn't legitimate. Standard wise or historically. Add to the problem by calling some of these colors something that may make no sense or else may have one time been a proper name for a non Standard color. I never discount historically legitimate. Making it in to the SOP is not the only proof that a color variety exists or at least used to. Dorkings have a multitude of colors that still exist for a few breeders because they have existed in the past. I have no problem with this in theory though I do completely understand Joe's position and emphasis on focus. Half a dozen yards isn't going to go far if they are populated with three or four different color varieties. I'm going to really stick my neck out. Being or getting in to the SOP is no indication of breed type and character even though it should be, especially with the qualifying meets needed nowadays. I took a fair amount of heat for expressing some disappointment in the cuckoo Dorkings the weekend of their qualifier which they passed with flying colors. I like a good Dorking. I like the cuckoo color. And the enthusiasm and work together attitude of the Dorking breeders over a several year period was the sort of cooperative breed effort none of us may ever see again. It was wonderful. But the birds were not. They were cuckoo and they were very uniform. They were also too small, short and compact so were not Dorking size or most importantly type. Yet they were admitted to the SOP. All this just to remind those who are curious that not all the SOP varieties are well developed and there are some awfully nice birds existing in colors that will never become Standard by the looks of things.

 

[ki4got]

well, i have my first colored dorking today! 8) hatched about an hour ago and 4 more are pipped.

the reds are all due sunday.

 

[monkeemakr]

Thanks guys, you spoke what I suspected about all the colors. I do have some red eggs coming from Horstman, I am sure those are legit. I will try to get some pics of the older juveniles (5 months) and you guys can tell me if they're worth adding to a breeding flock or not. I will probably still keep them and just raise them as free range meat and egg chickens if not, possibly crossing with some of the reds to help a bit. Even with messed up colors and not up to standard, I love these birds!

 

[ki4got]

Thanks guys, you spoke what I suspected about all the colors. I do have some red eggs coming from Horstman, I am sure those are legit. I will try to get some pics of the older juveniles (5 months) and you guys can tell me if they're worth adding to a breeding flock or not. I will probably still keep them and just raise them as free range meat and egg chickens if not, possibly crossing with some of the reds to help a bit. Even with messed up colors and not up to standard, I love these birds!

I'm planning on crossing, just to see what i get too. but i also plan to grow them out for eating eggs, and meat birds, with the possiblility of breeding the best crosses back and see what we get from F2/F3 etc crosses. i'm interested in learning the genetics behind the recognized color varieties, so my motivation is twofold.

and i will still be breeding true colors as well for continued improvement in the lines, as well as any shows/sales/whatever comes along.

regardless, i learned today of a new show venue not far from me, in carroll county va. this will be their first year at having poultry at the fair, so i hope to bring some dorkings to show off the breed and varieties. it's in august, so my chicks have time to grow out at least, and i'll have a few adult silver greys as well by then. the one cockerel i kept from the winters' hatch is surpassing his poppa in type size (compared to when i got the big guy that is) and everything else so far, and he's just 4 months old. the hens too are shaping up quite nicely. the only major fault i can find is they're duck footed. but the cockerel is better than the roo in that department too, so we can hope.

first chicklet (colored) to hatch is a pullet! YEAH!

 

[monkeemakr]

Wow, how can you tell it's a pullet right away? That's awesome!

I'm planning on crossing, just to see what i get too. but i also plan to grow them out for eating eggs, and meat birds, with the possiblility of breeding the best crosses back and see what we get from F2/F3 etc crosses. i'm interested in learning the genetics behind the recognized color varieties, so my motivation is twofold.

and i will still be breeding true colors as well for continued improvement in the lines, as well as any shows/sales/whatever comes along.

regardless, i learned today of a new show venue not far from me, in carroll county va. this will be their first year at having poultry at the fair, so i hope to bring some dorkings to show off the breed and varieties. it's in august, so my chicks have time to grow out at least, and i'll have a few adult silver greys as well by then. the one cockerel i kept from the winters' hatch is surpassing his poppa in type size (compared to when i got the big guy that is) and everything else so far, and he's just 4 months old. the hens too are shaping up quite nicely. the only major fault i can find is they're duck footed. but the cockerel is better than the roo in that department too, so we can hope.

first chicklet (colored) to hatch is a pullet! YEAH!

 

[ki4got]

most duckwing color varieties can be sexed once they've fluffed though there are a few now and then that are borderline either way... usually a pullet will have a much darker, more well defined markings on her back and head than the cockerel will. it does vary some between color varieties though, so it helps to have other chicks of the same variety for comparisson. once the hatch is done i'll post a pic of them so you can see what i mean.

 

[monkeemakr]

Thank you! I can't wait to see them.

most duckwing color varieties can be sexed once they've fluffed though there are a few now and then that are borderline either way... usually a pullet will have a much darker, more well defined markings on her back and head than the cockerel will. it does vary some between color varieties though, so it helps to have other chicks of the same variety for comparisson. once the hatch is done i'll post a pic of them so you can see what i mean.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

I have a question for the thread. I have a trio of silver grey Dorkings--they were suppose to be 2 hens and a rooster and have turned out to be 2 roosters and a hen. Question is, do Dorkings sometimes throw carnation combs? One of my cockerel/roosters has a strange tip on the back of his comb that looks like something my Marans had that I was told was a carnation comb. I will try to get a picture tomorrow but wanted to ask the thread. Is this some thing that should not be used for breeding?

 

[ki4got]

I have a question for the thread. I have a trio of silver grey Dorkings--they were suppose to be 2 hens and a rooster and have turned out to be 2 roosters and a hen. Question is, do Dorkings sometimes throw carnation combs? One of my cockerel/roosters has a strange tip on the back of his comb that looks like something my Marans had that I was told was a carnation comb. I will try to get a picture tomorrow but wanted to ask the thread. Is this some thing that should not be used for breeding?

i would say it all depends on how outstanding his other qualities are... comb and color i believe are the last points to work on, size and overall conformation would take precedence. so if he's a nice big cinderblock of a rooster, then yeah ignore the comb (IMO) but if the other roo has better form, stick with him.