B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[ki4got]

Quote:

On Saturday I will be a Dorking owner! I'm driving over to Wilcox AZ to pick up 3 white chicks, 6 darker colored chicks and also hatching eggs. I'm not sure if the person is a member here. Basically jumping in both feet first.
Hope you guys don't get sick of all the questions I'm going to be throwing at you!!

yay! welcome to 'dorking-hood' LOL

white is one color i don't have at the moment but maybe down the road. for now i'm planning on concentrating on silver grey and red, and tinkering with colored too (and some crossing to learn the genetics behind colored).

if you read up a few posts, you'll see my assortment listed. and more silver grey and dk red/colored/sg cross eggs due to hatch on the 24th and 29th.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Hey everyone!!! My Dorking eggs came today!!!! YAY!!! Gots to go get them now!!! SAWEET!!!

 

[faykokoWV]

Hi, I'm stopping in to see if anyone can give me some genetics advice regarding Dorkings. I currently work with Welsummers and a lot of people are interested in the silver duck wing variety. I can't help but notice how similar the coloring is to a silver grey dorking.

1. i noticed looking at pictures that some people have dorkings with a more welsummer shaped body and a tail that goes up, while others have ones that are more rounded with a down sloping tail. which is the correct body shape

2. Is the normal standard a single comb?

3. How strong is the genetics for 5 toes?

4. what color egg does a dorking lay?

5. I'm interested in possibly crossing the welsummers with the dorkings to work on the duck wing coloring, is there any history you know of regarding this?

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Hi, I'm stopping in to see if anyone can give me some genetics advice regarding Dorkings. I currently work with Welsummers and a lot of people are interested in the silver duck wing variety. I can't help but notice how similar the coloring is to a silver grey dorking.

1. i noticed looking at pictures that some people have dorkings with a more welsummer shaped body and a tail that goes up, while others have ones that are more rounded with a down sloping tail. which is the correct body shape

2. Is the normal standard a single comb?

3. How strong is the genetics for 5 toes?

4. what color egg does a dorking lay?

5. I'm interested in possibly crossing the welsummers with the dorkings to work on the duck wing coloring, is there any history you know of regarding this?

not sure what a welsummer is supposed to be shaped like, but here's excerpts from an old SOP (still current, just not the most recent version) that hopefully answer your questions...
shape...



2. comb type depends on the color, but silver grey and colored are single comb, red is rose or single, white is rose comb.
3. all dorkings have 5 toes. it's carried on multiple genes and has a tendency to pass along to crosses in a number of ways, from 5 complete toes to joined toes or stubby toes (regarding the rear toe only), or any number of other variations.
4. the dorking should lay a white to lightly tinted egg. my sg's lay almost white, the colored girls more light tinted (almost pink).
5. the dorkings were commonly used as crosses when the dorking was a common bird, prior to the advent of the commercial meat birds now in use.

IMO the commercial meat bird is one of the main reasons for its decline in popularity, for a faster growing meatier bird that ate less and gained more. "bigger better faster more" who wants to wait for a dorking to grow out, even if it does have some of the best meat in chickendom? (to answer that, I do!)
I contemplated crossing them myself, before i learned of all the great qualities a dorking has... nothing can quite compare except another dorking.

honstely, if i know someone wants to cross breed a bird i raised, i'll offer the culls. the breed is rare enough that finding good stock to breed from is a challenge. I'll stop there. don't even get me started on "doodles"...

 

[faykokoWV]

Quote:
not sure what a welsummer is supposed to be shaped like, but here's excerpts from an old SOP (still current, just not the most recent version) that hopefully answer your questions...
shape...



2. comb type depends on the color, but silver grey and colored are single comb, red is rose or single, white is rose comb.
3. all dorkings have 5 toes. it's carried on multiple genes and has a tendency to pass along to crosses in a number of ways, from 5 complete toes to joined toes or stubby toes (regarding the rear toe only), or any number of other variations.
4. the dorking should lay a white to lightly tinted egg. my sg's lay almost white, the colored girls more light tinted (almost pink).
5. the dorkings were commonly used as crosses when the dorking was a common bird, prior to the advent of the commercial meat birds now in use.

IMO the commercial meat bird is one of the main reasons for its decline in popularity, for a faster growing meatier bird that ate less and gained more. "bigger better faster more" who wants to wait for a dorking to grow out, even if it does have some of the best meat in chickendom? (to answer that, I do!)
I contemplated crossing them myself, before i learned of all the great qualities a dorking has... nothing can quite compare except another dorking.

honstely, if i know someone wants to cross breed a bird i raised, i'll offer the culls. the breed is rare enough that finding good stock to breed from is a challenge. I'll stop there. don't even get me started on "doodles"...

Thank you , that's very helpful. I believe when crossing breeds, its important to keep excellent parent stock of both breeds, so I wouldn't just buy them for the purpose of crossing if I decided to go that route. Although the culls that might have a tail that's too upright or has only 4 toes might actually work as an advantage for this type of project.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Thank you , that's very helpful. I believe when crossing breeds, its important to keep excellent parent stock of both breeds, so I wouldn't just buy them for the purpose of crossing if I decided to go that route. Although the culls that might have a tail that's too upright or has only 4 toes might actually work as an advantage for this type of project.

well, not sure where in wv you are, but i'll be having some culls along those lines probably in about a month or so... I want to see how they feather in, but have a few that have UP tails, and a couple more that have odd extra toes (stumpy). I also have some color-crossed (silver grey over colored hens) that will be hatching in the next week or so that i'd be willing to let go. they'll be duckwings, just not sure whether they'll be more silver/red/gold/?? yet. they're pure dorking, just not standard colors. I don't have a mature red or colored roo yet, so used what i've got. lol

PM me if you want to talk more or meet up once the chicks are older...

 

[ki4got]

ok and for those who don't have one (yet?) someone forwarded the dorking section of an old SOP to me, thought i'd share...

it only includes silver grey, red and white.

edited... ok... loose nut behind the wheel.

it's fixed now.
click...

 

[RedBugPoultry]

I have a question....is anyone a member of the Dorking Breeders Club? Did I make a mistake joining that group? I sent in money for dues for that club and have never heard anything from them. Is anyone a member of the Dorking Club of North America? Would that be a better group? I am kind of bummed that I have not heard anything from the Dorking Breeders Club and they got my money....

 

[capayvalleychick]

Many of us are members of the Dorking Breeder's Club. This club is the new version which took over when the previous Dorking Club of North America was no longer active.
Jim Parker, who does almost all the duties of the Club is a single dad of 6, attends OSU and works full time. So, it can take him some time to get back to you. You should receive a directory. Maybe if you email Jim and ask, he will send it a little faster.
The Club is definitely in need of volunteers to help it run smoothly.

Kim

 

[ki4got]

yup. i'm a member too, and it took a bit to get anything, but jim's doing all he can i think. and you forgot to mention his birds Kim,

chickens are kids too ya know.

the club is slow to get going I think, but with time and more people to help out, i think it'll get kicking a bit more.