Pro's and Con's, Breed Choice

[handyman42]

I definitely think it is a good idea. I just started to caponize this past spring/summer. I did lose my first bird, because I nicked the vena cava. It bled out very quickly, and was gone within 30 seconds. I haven't lost any since. I have had slips, but they grow out bigger before they start crowing, etc, and the meat is better than a young rooster and more of it. I haven't tried a capon yet, but am growing some out now. I have one that is 29 weeks old, and weighs 9 pounds(the one in my avatar). I have another weighing in at 8 pounds, and others that I haven't weighed yet.

There is a learning curve, and if you are only partially successful to begin with, you will still have a bird to eat. Your success rate will get better as time goes on. If you can find a mentor who will help you that will help with the anxiety or get a buddy and learn together.

I think I may start that this spring/summer. There's plenty of time between now and then to research and study for the "test". Maybe I'll only have 1 or 2 die on me. Either way still got chicken 'n dumplins at the end of the day.

 

[LindaB220]

I've heard that the Dorking has smaller bones so you get a lot of meat. Good breast size. They grow big. But it does take longer.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I have had Dorking hens for 2 years and love all the eggs - I now want to buy some for meat. I really love Dorkings but they grow slowly. Would I wait to butcher them until about 16 weeks or would they be too tough? Does anyone here raise Dorkings for meat?

Thanks,

I slaughter mine at 26-30 weeks usually. They have some meat at 16 weeks, but much more if you give them more time. I haven't had a problem with them being too tough at 26-30 weeks, but they are a DP breed, so they are tougher than the CX slaughtered at 6-8 weeks. But they also taste MUCH better, so the extra effort to cook them properly is worth it to me.

If you raise your Dorkings, instead of buy from a hatchery or breeder, it is important to let them grow at least 26 weeks before deciding on which bird to cull and which to keep for breeding stock. Some will be obvious culls early, but many ugly ducklings don't start to shine until long after the crowing starts in this late-developing breed.

 

[OutRun]

Thanks Sydney.. Wow... 26 weeks !!!! Maybe I'll just get some CX to fill my freezer and cull my Dorkings at 6 months. 26 weeks makes sense while I look out and see my 16 week hens and think to myself that there isn't much meat there.

 

[LilyD]

I agree with Sydney. I usually do two batches. One that is the obvious cull that have traits I don't want for breeding like extra toes or wrong body type. The others I am not sure of I wait until I am sure which ones I will be keeping and then process the other ones. It works out to doing a batch at 16 to 20 weeks and another around 30 to 35 weeks. The do seem meatier earlier than my other DP birds and crosses so they may grow just a little faster than Australorps or Brahmas which is what I use for my other breeds.

 

[LindaB220]

I always wanted to start with white Dorkings because they have such good taste but living in 8b and the heat, I think I'll have to rethink that. They said the best tasting meat was a mix of White Dorkings and Lt Bhrama. Well, when they developed the Light Sussex I found out that 2 main conponents are these two. So I'm going with Light Sussex and see where it leads. I will be caponizing all culls so we'll see how they taste.

 

[Duchess Chicken]

Hi -
interested in whether you live anywhere near Port Alberni? My family there have raised small numbers of hens for years but never tried the 'boys' yet, and didn't know that caponizing used to be standard practice, back in the '50's on working farms (I remember someone coming out to our farm from, I think, the Manitoba Extension Department of Agriculture). They might like to try raising males, if someone could caponize for them. Would you consider doing it? and at what price per bird? Thanks!