B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[dncarr09]

I posted a silhouette back on post #2409 to show correct type. That should give you an idea, although 5 month olds are not going to be as filled out yet. The Dorks in those photos look older than 5 mths.

Make sure that you quarantine all birds that you buy, to avoid introducing any diseases, parasites etc. to your flock. If you are serious about breeding, you should buy a copy of the APA SOP. There's lots of helpful information, not only in the breed description, but in the first section of the book, to help breed & select better birds.

Thank you, I will check that out. Now that you mention it I rembmer seeing it. I always quarantine for at least a month. I built a seperate area just for that purpose, where they can see each other, and not get to each other. Is the 2010 APA SOP book the latest edition to come out? So you think that the birds look a little older than 5 months? What would you guess that they were?

 

[capayvalleychick]

Is the 2010 APA SOP book the latest edition to come out? So you think that the birds look a little older than 5 months? What would you guess that they were?

Yes, the 2010 edition was the last printed. I could be wrong about their age. Just looking at the length of the saddle & sickle feathers gave me the impression that they were a little older than 5 months.

Something else that I recently learned was to choose for width between the legs. This is proving difficult with my own birds, since there isn't much difference.

Good luck!

 

[ki4got]

Quote: actually, they look about right compared to my younger guys... 5-6 months.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Yes, the 2010 edition was the last printed. I could be wrong about their age. Just looking at the length of the saddle & sickle feathers gave me the impression that they were a little older than 5 months.

Something else that I recently learned was to choose for width between the legs. This is proving difficult with my own birds, since there isn't much difference.

Good luck!

Are you saying to choose birds that are further apart in width between the legs? I am growing out 5 red Dorkings roos.....

 

[Sydney Acres]

Thank you, I will check that out. Now that you mention it I rembmer seeing it. I always quarantine for at least a month. I built a seperate area just for that purpose, where they can see each other, and not get to each other. Is the 2010 APA SOP book the latest edition to come out? So you think that the birds look a little older than 5 months? What would you guess that they were?

It's hard to tell much detail from the pictures posted, but they look like they're at the same stage of development as my flock, which was 20 weeks old yesterday. How fast a bird grows and when it molts and all the other things that give us visual clues to its age are so variable. If this person was so concerned about his birds' well-being that he gave them to you instead of sold them to someone else, then he probably gave them a great start in life. It's amazing how good genetics, balanced food, room to exercise, protection from predators, and lack of stress can allow a bird to develop its full potential, and therefore look a bit older than others during the teenage stage.

As for choosing one rooster among six, that can be quite a challange. It's important to get it right, as the rooster is responsible for 50% of your flock genetics, compared to a single hen being responsible for 50% divided by the number of hens with that rooster.

In your situation, step one it to make sure you can tell the roosters apart. That sounds sarcastic, but without leg bands that can sometimes be a challange. Even though I know my birds well, I have three that are similar enough that they can be easily mixed up. Those three got not just numbers, but also a second band that is color coded differently for each of the three. That way they can be distinguished from a distance.

Eliminate any bird that has a disqualification -- split wing, side spur on the comb, wry tail, poor silhoutte, wrong number of toes, etc.

Then watch their behavior. Remember, they're teenage boys full of hormones, so they'll be brats. But there's a difference between a nice boy with a little swagger and an aggressive jerk. Don't choose the rooster that will make everyone miserable just because he has nice features. IF these birds have been handled a lot, then see how they react to being handled by both their current owner, and by you. A good flock sire should have a calm tolerance, but it's ok to be annoyed at being taken away from his girls. They may be a little young still, but see how he reacts when you handle the hens. A good (mature) rooster will not be overly concerned about his owner handling the hens, but will try to protect his hens from a stranger (I am assuming that the roosters are together with the hens, as in the picture, and not separated in a bachelor pen). (If the birds don't get handled by the current owner, then you probably won't get reliable information by handling them. They'll likely be too scared.)

Then choose body type. The rooster should be large framed (my best rooster is 6.5 lbs, and my second best is 5.5 lbs at 5 months old), and give the impression of a rectangle (instead of a circle) from the side, and more of a rectangle (less of a triangle) from the top. The legs should be shortish, thickish, straight (not cow-hocked), and wide apart when viewed from the back (unless you're used to looking at Cornish or broiler chickens, in which case the legs won't seem that far apart by comparison). The gait should be smooth and cover ground easily. The wings should be long (by comparison to many breeds), and should be held close to the body without drooping. These are birds that are very large, but can run like pheasants and fly into the lower branches of trees with ease. Nothing should be clunky or rickety.

If you've got more than one to choose from that is of good body type and nice disposition, then you can look at details like angle of the fifth toe, number and shape of spikes in the comb, and color. But those are less important than the appropriate body type in a sweet bird.

And depending on whether you think the current owner knows what he's doing or not, you might consider asking his opinion. A good breeder knows his stock better than any short-term observer. Tell him what kind of set up you've got, what your current birds are like, and what your goals are for your breeding program. He may be able to help you avoid certain undesireable trends if he's seen them in his flock, or he may be able to help guide you in pairing certain roosters with your new or current hens.

Can you post detailed pictures of the birds that you're considering?

--April

 

[ki4got]

i'll agree with everything april said, but add one more thing... don't limit yourself to just one rooster. as soon as the others are gone, you'll need one. and for diversity, if they'll share the girls, i would keep 2 with them anyways...

 

[Chickhick]

Anyone know of a good Colored Dorking breeder? I'm trying to find some hatching eggs, or maybe chicks.
Thanks

 

[Sydney Acres]

i'll agree with everything april said, but add one more thing... don't limit yourself to just one rooster. as soon as the others are gone, you'll need one. and for diversity, if they'll share the girls, i would keep 2 with them anyways...

Excellent point. If you've got the room to have 2 separate families, or if the roosters will live together without torturing the hens, two roosters will advance a breeding program much faster than just a single one. I plan on keeping two of my boys, and have chosen two that have slightly different features that will allow better diversity and improve my hens conformation overall. Just be sure that you've got enough hens, and monitor them closely. There will always be a few favorite hens, and with two roosters together some hens will be bred too often and could become injured.
--April

 

[ki4got]

Quote: again a good reason, if they're penned, to have a variety of perches/roosts for birds to get up on and away from overly pestiferous roosters.

(in my case, free ranging helps because the girls choose their own favorites among the roosters)

 

[capayvalleychick]

I'm going to keep multiple cockerels this year. There are three, plus the older guy, that have traits that I would like in my flock. None of them have all the things that I need in one bird. I usually only keep two cock birds, but I just can't choose between these guys. I'll just need more pens.

I recently read about prepotent sires. I had not heard of this before. From what I could understand, you don't know - until you breed them and see what they produce. This is another reason that I'm going to keep more than two, this year.


Redbug, I assumed that you got your answer in April's post. I was told to choose birds that are wider between the legs, which allows plenty of room for the organs etc.

Chickhick, I don't personally know any breeders of CD. You can join the Club and get the breeder's directory.