B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[Eggcentric Rae]

Thank you so much for the leads. I am concerned about the whites because of the high rate of "pick offs" locally by raptors. I can only do so much overhead enclosure, so that is part of what entered into my thoughts. First day after I put up overhead netting, a large hawk landed on it, right next to me out at the coop. I was glad I had installed it.

 

[Eggcentric Rae]

Your pictures show some very pretty birds. Do you have a recommendation where to go for getting started with a few birds? If you do sell chicks or hatching eggs, I would be interested. My daughter and I have the chickens as our own fun project; however, she is going to do her Sr. project in high school on genetics and wants to breed chickens to produce that her report.
I am not far from Bristol, in Canterbury.

Rae

 

[dncarr09]

Hey guys one of 3 little SG dorking chicks has an odd spot on him or her. On the top part of the rectum area there is what looks like a small bloody sac. Kinda like a small blister. No intestine hanging out or anything. I did clean it off with a baby wipe and it was bloody but not bleeding. Any ideas the chick is 4 days old and doesn't act like its bothering the chick at all.I took a pic but it was blurry. I just noticed it today and I don't think its been there since birth.

 

[vnsseed]

Your pictures show some very pretty birds. Do you have a recommendation where to go for getting started with a few birds? If you do sell chicks or hatching eggs, I would be interested. My daughter and I have the chickens as our own fun project; however, she is going to do her Sr. project in high school on genetics and wants to breed chickens to produce that her report.
I am not far from Bristol, in Canterbury.

Rae

Your daughter should chat with my wife sometime. She has a degree in Animal Science with a focus on genetics. Which is one of the reasons we got into poultry.

 

[ki4got]

Your daughter should chat with my wife sometime. She has a degree in Animal Science with a focus on genetics. Which is one of the reasons we got into poultry.

lol, me too... did my senior thesis on "calculating the degree of inbreeding within a closed population". not that i can remember most of what i said in it.

i also concentrated on breeding and nutrition, because in the real world, it seems that nutrition, in particular, is a lacking area in most veterinary practices... (don't get me started on vets pushing commercial dog/cat food suitable for feeding cows)

i'm getting better at the poultry genetics, but there are so may variables to remember, some affecting the results of another. it can get quite confusing.

 

[vnsseed]

lol, me too... did my senior thesis on "calculating the degree of inbreeding within a closed population". not that i can remember most of what i said in it.

i also concentrated on breeding and nutrition, because in the real world, it seems that nutrition, in particular, is a lacking area in most veterinary practices... (don't get me started on vets pushing commercial dog/cat food suitable for feeding cows)

i'm getting better at the poultry genetics, but there are so may variables to remember, some affecting the results of another. it can get quite confusing.

Yeah, my wife is the smart one... I just dig, shovel chicken poo and build where she tells me to, and hang out on message boards

.... but she hates social media... more of a face to face kinda gal. We make a good pair.

 

[Snozzle]

I just have to show these guys off. Only 2 weeks old today and huuuuge, they look like little sumo wrestlers and are so sweet. SG and red from Rudy Troxel.

 

[greenhorn]

I can't wait til I can post some pics of our whites, blacks and the new chicken coop project. Might just take some new video's instead. I need a new card reader or a new camera because win7 don't work with my old reader and I don't know if they still make readers for the cards from the 2002 era.

This new coop will be set up almost entirely for breeding and raising Dorking offspring for selection. Of course we will put the culls to good use. It's going to be 56x14 feet and have 5 separate areas for clans and another area for rooster cages. There are going to be some huge runs and they will be partially enclosed with fencing (on top also) but attached to larger open (on top) runs for frolicking and scratching during the day when they get out of chick stage.

Still lots of work to do with the whites but this is going to make it so we can hatch a serious number and raise 100 or more them to their full potential each year. Our SandHill blacks are interesting and we might work further with those also.

It's taken longer to get to this new coop project than I was expecting but we are on it now. We have the corner posts set in and the thing looks so large from the house. We're pretty stoked.....Pics and/or video coming soon.

 

[Jwhip]

Well, yes, the comb is a DQ. That's referred to as a "sunken leader". However, if she's exceptional in other ways, it might be worth pairing her with a cock of stron comb to see if you can get any good stock out of her. If you have other females that are her equal or better but don't have the sunken leader, then I'd put her in the pot. In the future you can watch for sunken leader early on and cull out then, if you'd rather.

Best,

Joseph

Thanks for the help. The sunken leader is a good pullet type wise we call her "solid". She will stay in the keepers pen for now.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Thank you so much for the leads. I am concerned about the whites because of the high rate of "pick offs" locally by raptors. I can only do so much overhead enclosure, so that is part of what entered into my thoughts. First day after I put up overhead netting, a large hawk landed on it, right next to me out at the coop. I was glad I had installed it.

I'm fairly convince the chicken camouflage is really a bit of a myth. Chicken hawks find and chase ruffed grouse. There's not a single pattern of domestic chicken plumage that has them fooled.Perhaps the best bet would be the Red Dorking, which possesses the wild chicken pattern. Ultimately they don't have the proper behaviors and movement patterns to make good use of camouflage. They just go marching about; whatever color they are they're seen. The best way I know of to keep down avian predators is to maintain a flock of geese.