Review of Dorkings as a table bird *update: pics and weight of our last Dorking rooster*

[cluckingnuts]

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What is IG?

IG = Indian Game (Cornish as you call them)

 

[speedy2020]

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Have you eat purebreed Dorking or IG? If yes, how do the taste compare to Dorking x IG cross. I currently have 2 IG roosters, but no dorking available locally.

 

[Tracydr]

I've been wanting to get some Dorkings and I'm so glad you posted this! Do you think you may have hatching eggs next year? I'm also interested in the fact that you butchered at only 4 months. What was your dress weight? At what age did the roosters start crowing?

 

[jgervais]

half of the roosters have been putting real effort into perfecting their crow for about 2-3 weeks now. They were all born right around July 14th from Sandhill. I don't think they all crow just do to pecking order. My largest Roo that I plan on keeping for breeding I havent seen crow at all, and for some reason he appears pretty low on pecking order.

i havent weighed any of the dressed chicks yet, but I really should soon. I'm curious too. At 4 months they were not large by any means. They had gotten some size, but yet to put on a lot of weight. It easily fed my husband and I for dinner with enough for a sandwich the next day.

And yes, Im hoping to have eggs/hatchings this next spring. Mostly colored Dorkings.

 

[jaj121159]

First of all, I lived in Muskegon for quite a while and really enjoyed it. My kids both graduated from Reeths Puffer. I'm originally from Big Rapids. Now I'm in Nebraska and really enjoy it, but the Farmers' Markets here don't compare to those in Michigan. For the most part the cities here don't have the facilities like they do in towns like Muskegon or Fremont. Another thing missing from the markets here is the fresh fruit. Sure we have some apples, peaches and some pears, but lack the strawberries, blueberries, and of course cherries that are so prevalent in Michigan. We mostly have vegetables and the best fruit grown here is watermelon and other types of melons.

I have seriously considering getting Dorkings and possibly crossing them with Cornish (IG) not to be confused with the already crossed Cornish X. What hatcheries out there carry Dorkings besides Sandhills? I know Sandhills only sells straight run. What type of hen to roo ratios have you received from Sandhills?

I understand your Dorkings were about 16 weeks old when processed. Did you weigh them? Sounds like they were around 2 pounds maybe? The story on your blog made my mouth water in anticipation.

 

[jgervais]

Just weighed one of the dressed birds, came in at 2.5 lbs. So not huge, but can't wait until theyre around 6 months old. And I did not butcher the largest of my birds, Im saving them for breeding. If I butchered my largest roo I would say he is at least a full pound heavier, maybe even weighing in at 4lbs dressed. Hes pretty big.

McMurray supposedly has some nice Dorkings, but I think they only sell Silver Grey and my silver greys are not as big as my colored's. I got about a 50/50 ratio from sandhill, maybe a few more hens than roo's.

One thing I noticed is they are amazing foragers. They go in places and dig out food none of my laying hens would do. Theyre survivors. I have one lil silver grey hen that roosts in the tree instead of going in the coop. Hoping to break her of that before winter. fun and pretty birds

 

[cluckingnuts]

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Have you eat purebreed Dorking or IG? If yes, how do the taste compare to Dorking x IG cross. I currently have 2 IG roosters, but no dorking available locally.

I find the cross to be better than either parents, having more meat than pure Dorking,(very tasty), and less dense than pure IG.
I have for several years now been breeding the offsping together and selecting different lines, hopefully in a couple more years it will all come together.

 

[Avalon1984]

Maybe we need to do a Muskegon get together sometime in the summer! I know quite a few Muskegon (or close by) BYC’s, it would be great! There is nothing like the berries we have here. Our farm is on an old Blueberry patch because of the ground we have. The bushes haven’t been cultured in a while but the barriers are still sooooo good. Sorry to hijack your thread

 

[triplepurpose]

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What about letting one or two grow out to seven or eight months and doing a nice, slow roast? Traditional roasting age varies from 6 to 12 months...

 

[eggscetera]

How long does it take a Dorking to mature enough to butcher? I'm thinking of crossing Dorking hens with my Freedom Ranger rooster.