B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Alwayswantchics]

Looking to get some of these birds.Does anyone live in CA have any to sell? Chicks preferred.

 

[ki4got]

Do Dorkings tend to start laying eggs early? I only have three breeds that would produce a white egg. My Buttercups lay steady and it's always a tidy oblong egg. My Spitzhaubens are too young and that leaves the three Dorking mixes that I have. If I go off the age I was told when I got them..they would only be around 14 weeks. I keep finding one small egg shaped more like a turkey egg...but a lot smaller. It's white with a slight tint to it. Making me crazy.
The only other two that are at POL are both brown egg layers.

none of my birds have started to lay prior to 20 weeks. tho if they're dorking mix, maybe it's the mix part that's causing the early laying.

 

[BlackBart]

I sent my three extra SL Dorking roos off to the processor because I got a SLD roo from another line. Stupid mistake.
The roos I sent to the Processor were of superior quality to the new roo.
He is much smaller and the coloring is not quite right IMO.. I am wondering if the new roo was from a commercial hatchery or some of his lines were. Definately not the old Dorking "tank" type.
He is not what he was advertised to be. urg!
I am hoping to breed him to my SLD hens from my old line and get a better offspring than him.
OR I will have to get some chicks from the old line and wait another 18 months..Hindsight is 20/20.

My SLD start laying late and do their best laying early in the year. They pick up a bit in the fall. But I wouldn't say they are great layers.

 

[ki4got]

I sent my three extra SL Dorking roos off to the processor because I got a SLD roo from another line. Stupid mistake.
The roos I sent to the Processor were of superior quality to the new roo.
He is much smaller and the coloring is not quite right IMO.. I am wondering if the new roo was from a commercial hatchery or some of his lines were. Definately not the old Dorking "tank" type.
He is not what he was advertised to be. urg!
I am hoping to breed him to my SLD hens from my old line and get a better offspring than him.
OR I will have to get some chicks from the old line and wait another 18 months..Hindsight is 20/20.

My SLD start laying late and do their best laying early in the year. They pick up a bit in the fall. But I wouldn't say they are great layers.

What is SL? i can only think silver laced or sex link, which aren't dorking colors...

i have silver greys (mcmurray & sandhill), reds (Rudy Troxel & sandhill) and colored (sandhill).

 

[ki4got]

speaking of dorkings, I'm selling off all my sandhill birds, except a few that might work with what i want to do...

i will not ship, but if anyone is anywhere near christiansburg or roanoke virginia, i'm between the 2 if you want to stop by and pick up some.

i'm keeping the few to use for genetcis study to see if i can narrow down what mutations are involved in the different colors, the rest are for sale.

pm me if you want to talk more. they are all pullets, all between 12 and 16 weeks old. i'm willing to take a loss on them, only because i've got way too many *bleeping* birds here. LOL chicken math and all that i guess.

 

[pysankigirl]

good luck with you seach...I don't have anything and am not anywhere near you. (I'm in VA) but I know how it feels to finally settle on what you want and not be able to find it.

I love mine! They have great temperments. so Docile! but only 9 weeks old so not laying and I don't know if they are great quality because they are from a hatchery

 

[Yellow House Farm]

speaking of dorkings, I'm selling off all my sandhill birds, except a few that might work with what i want to do...

i will not ship, but if anyone is anywhere near christiansburg or roanoke virginia, i'm between the 2 if you want to stop by and pick up some.

i'm keeping the few to use for genetcis study to see if i can narrow down what mutations are involved in the different colors, the rest are for sale.

pm me if you want to talk more. they are all pullets, all between 12 and 16 weeks old. i'm willing to take a loss on them, only because i've got way too many *bleeping* birds here. LOL chicken math and all that i guess.

What are you keeping as your principal variety/ies?

 

[capayvalleychick]

I sent my three extra SL Dorking roos off to the processor because I got a SLD roo from another line. Stupid mistake.
The roos I sent to the Processor were of superior quality to the new roo.
...
I am hoping to breed him to my SLD hens from my old line and get a better offspring than him.
OR I will have to get some chicks from the old line and wait another 18 months..Hindsight is 20/20.

I remember your SGD hens. They were very nice, I really liked them. IMO, you should get more from that line and not muddy the waters.

I wish you luck!

In the meantime, you could see what the new guy produces with test hatches. Just make sure to mark them to keep that strain separate.
Where did you get the other strain?

Looking to get some of these birds.Does anyone live in CA have any to sell? Chicks preferred.

I'm in N CA but don't sell chicks at this point. Sorry I can't be of help.

Kim

 

[DeannaOR]

none of my birds have started to lay prior to 20 weeks. tho if they're dorking mix, maybe it's the mix part that's causing the early laying.

The Dorkings were a gift from my guy. The person he got them from said they got eggs from a person up in Washington, they were supposed to be pb. ...hatched them out and they weren't the colors they wanted. They kept some and sold the rest. When I posted pictures here I was told they were mixes because of the coloring. I'm not breeding them...just eggs. They have turned out to have the funkiest personalites. Very friendly and comical. They are always at my feet messing with my shoes. I saw a picture of someones young Mottled Cochin...it was nearly identical to two of the three I have.

Do they look only 14 weeks?

The black one in the first picture is the same as the one in my avatar. The avatar pic was the day I got them.

 

[BlackBart]

I meant Silver Grey, Good Lord been a busy here. Loading my horse off to its new home.

I love my Silver GREY Dorkings

My first set are from private lines. I got a few from a commercial hatchery, very disappointing, so small and runty. They are just layers now, no use breeding them.

Capayvalleychick: I got the other strain from Alberta. When I have time I will take a picture of him and see what you think. He is not as big as my first strain and his colors are just off

DeannaOr: I don't know about those Dorkings.......hhmmm can't speak for any colour other than Silver GREY but that one doesn't 'look" right to me