How well does Dorkings lay?

[ringholm]

I am thinking about getting some fertile eggs from Silvergrey Dorkings coming springtime. They are SO beautiful.
But how well do they lay? I currently have Sussex which lays around 220 eggs/year (according to several sources).
How well will the Dorking perform compared to that?

 

[QueenMisha]

Dorkings are considered an OK producer. They were originally bred for meat production but should be decent layers. You'll probably be looking at 3/4* eggs a week from breeder stock or 4/5* from hatchery stock. For reference, the Sussex is typically a 4/5.

*I'm using the "/" to denote alternation. That is, a number like 3/4 refers to laying 3 weeks one week, 4 the next, 3 the next, 4 the next, and so on at peak season. It's the most accurate measurement of laying I've found so far.

 

[ringholm]

Okay, that sounds pretty decent. I am going to keep a couple of my Sussexes because one of them is almost like a pet to my wife
What is the difference of breeder/hatchery stock? Breeder stock is that private flock owners and are hatchery commercial breeders?
My idea would be to import eggs from England as the Dorkings over there are still pretty large compared to Denmark (in Denmark a Dorking rooster is mainly around 8-9 lbs, and in England they are still around 13-14 lbs) - which could also give me an advantage if I want to breed for competitions

 

[Michael OShay]

I am thinking about getting some fertile eggs from Silvergrey Dorkings coming springtime. They are SO beautiful.
But how well do they lay? I currently have Sussex which lays around 220 eggs/year (according to several sources).
How well will the Dorking perform compared to that?

If you are looking strictly at egg production, I can tell you from experience that the Dorkings will not match your Sussex. Dorkings will typically give you about 3 (on occasion 4) eggs per hen per week compared to 4-5 eggs per hen per week for the Sussex. Having said that, Dorkings certainly have their own merits as they are beautiful, calm and gentle (as are the Sussex), bear confinement well, and they are a rarer breed than Sussex. Egg production is obviously not a major factor with your or you would have Leghorns or Sex Links, so if you like the beauty of the Dorkings I don't see any reason not to get them. )

 

[QueenMisha]

Okay, that sounds pretty decent. I am going to keep a couple of my Sussexes because one of them is almost like a pet to my wife

What is the difference of breeder/hatchery stock? Breeder stock is that private flock owners and are hatchery commercial breeders?

My idea would be to import eggs from England as the Dorkings over there are still pretty large compared to Denmark (in Denmark a Dorking rooster is mainly around 8-9 lbs, and in England they are still around 13-14 lbs) - which could also give me an advantage if I want to breed for competitions

Yes, hatchery stock is commercially bred while breeder (or "show") stock is maintained by private breeders.

A breeder stock bird is bred for appearance rather than production. That's not to say all breeder stock is gonna be a poor layer - some breeders try to balance good laying and good appearance - but rare is the stock that lays as well as hatchery birds. This especially applies to large breeds.

If you want them for show you will definitely want to obtain breeder stock.You can expect them to eat a decent amount of feed if they are as large as you say, and you definitely shouldn't expect them to keep up with your Welsummers in terms of laying, but they should give you around 3/4 eggs per week peak season.