Best for frying?

[Falkenhof]

I love white meat and I use dark meat for soups, but what Heritage breed is the "best" for frying?

So I am looking for:
-Large breasted,
-Look the same, mostly,
-Maturity time is of no concern for me, they can take all the time they need.
- I primarily fry chicken, so a bird that is suitable for that over, say, roasting whole.

Suggestions on breed and slaughter time?

 

[cukooformarans]

Dorkings

 

[LilyD]

Dorkings

I second that. My dorking roosters have amazing breasts .

 

[Falkenhof]

Thank you!
I checked the other BYC threads about Dorkings and they seem perfect! Any suggestion on a particular slaughter time or weight for this breed? Or just standard 13-20 weeks?

 

[LilyD]

Thank you!
I checked the other BYC threads about Dorkings and they seem perfect! Any suggestion on a particular slaughter time or weight for this breed? Or just standard 13-20 weeks?

My dorking rooster that I got last year seemed to gain enough weight for butchering by about 20 weeks. If you are worried or they seem small you could probably go out as far as 8 months and still be okay as I have eaten roosters that old and not had them be tough. The younger they are the more tender the meat will be without brining though.

 

[Falkenhof]

Thank you again!
Its good to know I can let them mature longer if the need be and not have a tough bird. Since the Dorkings are rare, where could I get good Silver SQ/BQ individuals as chicks from a hatchery? (Or any well known individuals, as a St. Run?) who would sell at less than 25 chicks? (I have comfortable room for about 10-15)

 

[LilyD]

Thank you again!
Its good to know I can let them mature longer if the need be and not have a tough bird. Since the Dorkings are rare, where could I get good Silver SQ/BQ individuals as chicks from a hatchery? (Or any well known individuals, as a St. Run?) who would sell at less than 25 chicks? (I have comfortable room for about 10-15)

I know Murray McMurray does have them and their chicks are good quality. Gabbard Farms has only males right now they have already sold out their females for the year but you could probably get in an order for next year. The Poultry Hatchery in Fayette New York has SGD chicks and they are show quality but will only sell in lots of 6 or under. The Poultry Palace has chicks and hatching eggs. That's where I got my trio from that I have right now and they are amazing. Here is a picture of my rooster at about 6 months last fall. He is even bigger now and definitely meaty.

 

[Falkenhof]

WOW he is HANDSOME!
Thank you so much for all this information! If I raise for meat I should put the effort into raising for show quality as well. I need a project that I can get enjoyment from and a tiny bit of production from (meat and eggs).
One other question:
How are they, particularly the roosters, with other Roos? The Dorkings would have to share pasture with my other small flock with a Roo, but have their own run and coop.

 

[LilyD]

WOW he is HANDSOME!
Thank you so much for all this information! If I raise for meat I should put the effort into raising for show quality as well. I need a project that I can get enjoyment from and a tiny bit of production from (meat and eggs).
One other question:
How are they, particularly the roosters, with other Roos? The Dorkings would have to share pasture with my other small flock with a Roo, but have their own run and coop.

That's the whole reason I got into Dorkings as well. I have Black Australorp layers mixed in with the Dorking hens and a Dorking rooster over all of them. Since they lay different color eggs I can hatch out the pure dorkings and keep the boys for meat and girls for layers if needed. Also Dorking over Brahma and vice versa is supposed to make a great mixed breed for meat as well so I am eager to give that a try too.

In general they are mellow all the way around. They are mellow with people and are my easiest birds to catch and pick up. Usually they will come right up to me when I sit down on the ground and climb in my lap so no work to catch them there. The rooster I showed you the picture of was living in the coop with another rooster and was submissive to him. He also runs during fall and winter in a mixed group with my Light Brahma rooster and is submissive to him as well.

Since then I have given him his own girls and he is by himself in a coop of his own and he is starting to get the hang of it. I brought in another rooster (Dorking also) because I was worried I had given him too many hens and this other rooster in one fell swoop picked a fight with my Light Brahma rooster and then picked a fight with my main dorking rooster and in general was just miserable. Both my Light Brahma rooster and my Dorking rooster were indifferent until the other rooster started picking fights with them through the fence. When I tried to put the two Dorking roos together the rooster I took a picture of would not let him near the girls or the coop, but I think he would have until the other rooster was so mean. Now I think that both my older roosters consider him a threat. So I think it depends on the relationship they develop between themselves kind of the same way it would for people.

If you get the dorking rooster and he is miserable I would eat him and get another one. There are plenty of roos that you can choose from there is no reason to keep them if they are miserable to the other chickens or the humans they are around. Usually though if you are bringing in a younger rooster they will bow down to the older rooster that is already there. At least that has always been the case here. It's only when I try to add an already cocky (pun intended) adult that I create problems lol.

 

[Falkenhof]

Thanks, yet again!
The Dorkings seem like the go-to breed for my situation. If I can really help the breed as well, that is an added bonus. Their personality is an added bonus, especially with the chickens I breed or show and don't plan on eating. I had considered Dorkings in the past, but also Delawares and Orpingtons. I was at a poultry sale and found Delawares and Orpingtons and was tempted to buy them (especially the Orpingtons because they were from my favorite local breeder!). I am glad I was still researching a bunch of breeds and held out! After reading the reviews of most the breeds I was considering I was very flip-floppy but-

I believe the Dorkings are the breed for me!

Thank you for all this wonderful information and any other info about the breed is more than welcome!