I currently have Silver Grey Dorking eggs available.
Please visit www.compoundpoultry.weebly.com to see all our birds. I found our original pair locally, and have traced the lineage of my original pair to McMurray and Duane Urch stock as best I can tell.
The good: My stock are are really nice birds from everything I have seen - I have never had trouble with bricking, long legs, round bodies, or incorrect number of toes. ALL of my own set eggs have always hatched with large single combs, 5 toes, nice friendly personalities, decently brick-shaped bodies by 6 weeks, sturdy short legs, and distinct sexual dimorphism by 4 weeks.
The bad (there's always bad, and buyers deserve to know the whole truth): I DO have some trouble with intermittent infertility, occasional partial toe fusing, some white earlobes, and occasional breech hatches (I never allow any bird that needed help to make it out of an egg to join my breeding group). From my research, these are all common Dorking problems that all breeders fight against to some degree. Until I fully conquer more of these faults, I will not be selling culls as anything but pet or breeder quality.
I have younger pullets that should begin laying soon that originated from Dick Horstman stock and plan to replace our flock rooster with my best Horstman cockerel as soon as he matures.
Dorkings are thought to be one of the oldest extant breeds of domestic poultry. Columella wrote about birds that fit the modern description of Dorkings very closely, when Roman armies invaded Britain. They are a great dual-purpose, utilitarian breed that is completely sustainable once a flock is established.
Dorkings have 5 toes, white skin, and very fine textured meat. They have stubby little clean legs, keeping them short despite their large, brick-shaped bodies. I have seen some evidence that Dorkings are less destructive with their digging habits than longer-legged birds. The Silver Grey Dorking is the only variety with a flat, single comb - other varieties have rose combs.
Silver Grey Dorkings are good mothers, lay 5 to 6 round white eggs per week, and mature to about 7 lbs in around 6 months. They do not eat voraciously, so do not grow rapidly, but the extremely high quality of meat produced is worth the wait. They are beautiful, traditional-looking farm fowl, and are very good foragers that keep feed bills low.
Silver Grey Dorkings can be sexed at hatch. Pullets often have a dark "V" on their heads, along with their duckwing (chipmunk) color pattern, and cocks have a lighter head, sometimes with a faint light "V" visible. Side by side, it is sometimes very easy to differentiate boys and girls, the day after hatch.
The single most fantastic quality of Silver Grey Dorkings is their phenomenally user-friendly personalities. I have never kept such calm, intelligent, friendly birds. They are extremely docile. Our young rooster happily sits next to us in the garden, on his own chair, and talks to us much like a parrot. I have never heard such unique, happy noises from any other breed of poultry. He has never once offered harm to any human, but is a very watchful flock protector, quickly sounding the alarm and ushering his girls to safety if he spots a threat. Our young pullet as absolutely gorgeous and very sweet as well.
Silver Grey Dorkings are at the top of my list for anyone wishing to start a small backyard flock, regardless of poultry care experience. They seem very hardy and will quickly win over anyone with an "Eww, chickens are ugly, gross and dangerous" mentality, which unfortunately, is common in these Times of Tyson. They will provide a family with completely sustainable meat, eggs, and entertainment, indefinitely.
Our pair is young and very healthy. They are on 18% NatureWise All Flock, and their water is supplemented with Red Cell, daily.
I am setting their eggs myself, but only have a single small incubator going at any given time, so I have a couple weeks out of each month during which I can collect eggs for others.
I can send you 6+ for $20. Shipping is a flat $15 to the contiguous U.S.
I only have a VERY few hens laying as of now, and they are so interested in brooding when it is hot (our senior Dorking hen is currently insisting that our Muscovy duck hen's ducklings are HERs), so can't send more than this without age affecting the viability of the eggs by the time they reach you.
I DO have a WAITING LIST for the birds' eggs.
THE NEXT AVAILABLE SHIPPING DATE IS SEPTEMBER 16th.
I cannot put you on the OFFICIAL calendar for pickup until I receive your payment. This policy keeps me from holding onto eggs for people who aren't serious about them and letting serious buyers miss out because of it. Telling me you "will" send payment does not guarantee you a ship date - sending prompt payment does.
Please PM me for the PayPal address. As soon as I receive your payment, yours will be the next order scheduled, or I can put you down for shipment on any date you'd like, as long as that spot isn't already taken.
Thanks!
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