Hey Joe,
Thanks, I'm hoping to get the coop finished within the next couple weeks. Just got the poles set for the front 56 foot wall tonight. The posts for the back wall should go up tomorrow and we should be able to get the concrete poured for all the non corner posts too. Then it's off to the races I hope lol. Can't wait to get the Dorkings over to the new coop! It's going to be so cool to see them enjoying lots of open space.
The birds are growing and looking pretty good. I was also thinking some birds may be a little leggy and some have brownish spots on them. I'm sure we can work that out eventually. The thing is we have whites and some look very nice too. Some of the oldest ones have very nice combs. Not sure but I think that is one of that particular clans strong points?
I still have the birds divided into the same 3 groups they were mailed in. I think there are 4 different clans there. I don't want to cull any birds until they are big enough on this first batch. I don't think we lost any. One bird had what I think was a broken leg but my 14 year old son set it with a stick and some duct tape and it actually made a full recovery.
The first group got moved into a bigger area cause they outgrew their "temporary" coop. Was supposed to be more temporary but we got behind and didn't have the time to build the new coop yet. They are with our 6 ISA brown hens and get along pretty good. The white roosters in that group are bigger than the ISA Brown hens are now too. They have decent space and are growing nicely.
I need to get the new coop finished so the other 2 groups will have more space soon. Have to say we are so happy to have Dorkings on the farm this year.
Awesome!
Sounds great! and I just read your e-mails. I've been a bit lax, I'm afriad, in responding. But here goes.
Three years ago, I crossed one group of white hens out to SG cocks, and another out to Colored cocks. The former is a safe cross, the latter is more dangerous, hence the bits of brown you are seeing. This is new this year, the Colored gene is trying to make a stand. I have a few, too, that are on the docket for the the weekend after next. The colored gene might also lead to some creaminess, or brassiness, that needs to be avoided, too.
Looking at the original birds, the whites where nice, with fairly stong combs, solid color, a variety typical, if breed atypical, roundedness, good layers, excellent broodies, developing meat qualities. The whites were a little high on the leg.
The SG were just like those seen above, which remind me distinctly of the Murray McMurray hatchery chicks, which have been strengthened via Duane Urch stock infusion over the years. Low to the ground--a strong point, good color, fair size, with, however, an atypical tendency to taper back towards the tail.
The Colored stock was the highest up from the ground, which we're seeing in a fair number of the hatchlings, they were the biggest, though, and have given size to the group. They are going to be the source of some persistent color woes for a while, but that will reduce each year.
The great thing about all of this is that it has provided for an outstandingly high level of vigor, productivity and fertility. The chicks grow and feather well. In short, they possess a strong amount of genetic diverity. Conversely, they possess way too much genetic diversity, and the goal needs to be to bring that back down, to tighten it up, if you would. This is going to take a number of breeding seasons. In the interim, we'll enjoy their excellent farm qualities. You'll find that they're good little layers,
delicious eating, excellent broodies, and surpisingly strong foragers. In short, they're eveything a Dorking should be....they're just not yet up to standard snuff.
This last point is why we were hesitant about selling any. We're rude perfectionists, and that aspect of me did not want to release any stock until they were show stoppers. However, there were two factors that influenced our decision to go the other way. I reasoned that it's outstandingly difficult to get hands on Dorking stock, and if we didn't sell any we were then being an augment to the problem as opposed to part of the solution. As it stands, for suppliers of stock there are MMCM SG's (and those now working with them), Sand Hill, Rudy's Reds (and those now working with them), and Whites from us and Ed (and those now working with them). That's not a whole heck of a lot. If enthusiasts are stepping up now in order to commit to the Dorking, then the time to make stock available is now and not in 10 years. So reason one was to be part of supporting the enthusiasm for Dorkings. The second reason, though, to choose to sell was that because of this three way cross, there is an amazing amount of bio-diversity in this stock. If I were to have waited 10 years to tighten it all up and then sell, well then this bio-diversity would have taken only one route, but by selling to other dedicated folk now, then the tightening up of the loose ends will have taken several different directions which will represent a US population of White Dorkings that is actually genetically viable in the long run. If it works, this is ultimately the best for the birds themselves. It ensures that those working with this stock will always have others to whom they can go to get genetic reinforcements, as needed, if needed.
That's a point, though, those working with our stock won't need to outcross for multiple generations. Indeed, if clans are managed well, they shouldn't ever need to, and if we're all still breeding them long enough to need to, it means that White Dorkings have persisted a long time and are probabaly doing much better population-wise then they currently are.
For the immediate time-being, some thoughts:
- You have a lot of chicks, but you only need a small amount of breeders. The idea is more chicks from fewer hens. Thus, to those who only got 10 from us, then the goal for breeders should be two pairs--no more. There are two cockerels that are better than the other and two pullets that are better than the others and you want to raise the bar. Steve, insofar as you have a strong number, you could choose one cockerel from each of the four clans (toe-punches) and one, or at the most two pullets from each clan, and the rest are culls. You could slaughter them all and/or save the pullets for laying and broodies to foster eggs from your breeders. For multiple seasons, if we're doing this right, we'll all be culling down to a handful of select breeders. It's not about large numbers; it's about controlled breeding programs that maintain clans or, specifically, lineage. Cull ruthlessly!!!!!!!!!
- Make sure all of your breeder males are entirely white with white legs.
- In subsequent hatches various color variations are going to creep up. You'll have some females with blue legs; a very few number of chicks may hatch out duckwing patterened; there will be others. Cull them all right away so that temptation doesn't distract. The blue leg factor comes from the outcross to SG. It is overwhelmingly sex linked; the pullets get it. Via selecting breeders with strong white shanks, it has reduced remarkacbly each year. This year, it was very much reduced. I imagine it will be gone in a couple of seasons.
- The Coloreds were rosecombed, but the SGs were single combed, and there are still single combed brids that hatch. Cull them.
- Polydactyly--five-toedness--is not perfectly stable. You'll have some chicks with four toes, on one or both feet. You'll have some with six toes. Your have some with two toes nails growing out of the 5th toe. Cull them.
- We cull for color, comb, and toes at the incubator door. If you're using artificial incubation and brooding then go for it.
- With broody hens you can load the incubator with the week's eggs from three of clans and slip the eggs from the fourth clan underneath the broody. They will all be ready to hatch at the same time. Hatch the three clans in the incubator in separate trays or in hatching cages made of wire. Collect all of the chicks from the broody hen. Toe punch the four clans according to the basic pattern. Cull out for color, comb and toes, put all of the chicks underneath the broody. Do this at night, and she'll accept them.
- Outcrossing looses a lot of genetic mutation and potential. This is why breeders tell you not to outcross your birds if at all avoidable. It makes for a lot of culling, I have notcied, though, that it has reduced markedly each year. Be prepared, though, to cull a lot. It's the only way, otherwise you'll find yourself spinning your wheels.
- Try not to get pulled into the idea of all of the other Dorking color varieties. It is far more myth than fact: Reds, Whites, SGs, Coloreds, everything else is, was, and always will be just an experiement.
I hope this is helpful, and I'm sure we'll chat more about all of these steps and breeding questions. I'm looking forward to see pic's.
Best to you,
Joseph
