The Dorking Breeders thread

[ki4got]

Ok we have a genetics question... hate this lol

I purchased a trio of silver gray dorkings from a semi-local farm about 7.5 weeks ago. They have decent type etc and are still in the quarantine tractor due to them "fitting" that space well and also, due to what I've been hatching from them- whites. I am keeping them away from my other dorkings until I can get a clear and concise reason as to WHHYYYYY their offspring hatches either all white OR all white with singular black feather here and there (think paint silkie as far as the stray black feather here and there).

Sooo here are the facts:

1) They are PHENETICALLY Silver Gray Dorkings- other than being not quite as hefty as my line of SGD's, they are the same- coloring, legs, toes, single combs, etc.

2) The seller says that they have NEVER been with any other birds such as the white dorkings or orps, which she also has- with no intruder cocks entering their pen either.

3) They have been here for 7.5 weeks in a VERY secure quarantine area with no one in or out, which means, to me anyway, that they are also "clean" from any unauthorized breedings which may have occurred BEFORE I brought them home.

4) the chicks hatch with yellow down and rose combs (cute but so NOT what I expected)

Any ideas? Could they be from a White dorking X SGD mating ? - meaning the adults I purchased, NOT the chicks I'm hatching from them .

LOL I'm at a loss

the ONLY way for you to be getting rose comb and recessive white from silver greys is if they are all carriers of both the rose comb and recessive white genes. there is no other way.

now as to WHY you're only getting whites (leakage counts still as a white) that would remain a mystery. theoretically, you should only be getting 25% whites, or 25% rose combs. or... 25% of 25% = 6.25% with both. so basically 6 out of 100 would be white AND rose comb. so, I'd suggest you buy a lotto ticket. LOL

the seller either doesn't know what he's got, or his own birds have been randomly selecting your birds to give only one copy of both mutations.

yes, 7.5 weeks should be long enough to clear out 'oops' breedings.

now the important part tho... how are they for size and type? if they're good, I'd say you have a decent start for a white flock.

 

[draye]

Ok we have a genetics question... hate this lol

I purchased a trio of silver gray dorkings from a semi-local farm about 7.5 weeks ago. They have decent type etc and are still in the quarantine tractor due to them "fitting" that space well and also, due to what I've been hatching from them- whites. I am keeping them away from my other dorkings until I can get a clear and concise reason as to WHHYYYYY their offspring hatches either all white OR all white with singular black feather here and there (think paint silkie as far as the stray black feather here and there).

Sooo here are the facts:

1)   They are PHENOTYPICALLY  Silver Gray Dorkings- other than being not quite as hefty as my line of SGD's, they are the same- coloring, legs, toes, single combs, etc.

2)  The seller says that they have NEVER been with any other birds such as the white dorkings or orps, which she also has- with no intruder cocks entering their pen either.

3) They have been here for 7.5 weeks in a VERY secure quarantine area with no one in or out, which means, to me anyway, that they are also "clean" from any unauthorized breedings which may have occurred BEFORE I brought them home.

4) the chicks hatch with yellow down and rose combs  (cute but so NOT what I expected)

Any ideas?  Could they be from a White dorking X SGD mating ? - meaning the adults I purchased,  NOT the chicks I'm hatching from them .
  LOL I'm at a loss

If you have the room to do a test breeding. I suggest you take either a rooster or 2/3 hens from the group from the white producing group and match them up from the opposite group ( yours).

 

[RhodeRunner]

Ok we have a genetics question... hate this lol

I purchased a trio of silver gray dorkings from a semi-local farm about 7.5 weeks ago. They have decent type etc and are still in the quarantine tractor due to them "fitting" that space well and also, due to what I've been hatching from them- whites. I am keeping them away from my other dorkings until I can get a clear and concise reason as to WHHYYYYY their offspring hatches either all white OR all white with singular black feather here and there (think paint silkie as far as the stray black feather here and there).

Sooo here are the facts:

1) They are PHENOTYPICALLY Silver Gray Dorkings- other than being not quite as hefty as my line of SGD's, they are the same- coloring, legs, toes, single combs, etc.

2) The seller says that they have NEVER been with any other birds such as the white dorkings or orps, which she also has- with no intruder cocks entering their pen either.

3) They have been here for 7.5 weeks in a VERY secure quarantine area with no one in or out, which means, to me anyway, that they are also "clean" from any unauthorized breedings which may have occurred BEFORE I brought them home.

4) the chicks hatch with yellow down and rose combs (cute but so NOT what I expected)

Any ideas? Could they be from a White dorking X SGD mating ? - meaning the adults I purchased, NOT the chicks I'm hatching from them .

LOL I'm at a loss

I agree with what K14got. White chicks are a surprise, but the fact that they all have rosecombs is rather admazing! I have determined that chickens are full of all sorts of genetic surprises/annoyances. I am hatching 25% mottled Red Dorkings this year. Never hatched or saw a mottled Red Dorking before this spring. lol. Chickens

That being said, I would do more hatches. I've hatched chicks from hens that hadn't been exposed to the rooster for 8 weeks. Hopefully, it is a fluke.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

The most amazing piece is the possibility of RC which should be genetically impossible if all of these breeders have single combs.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Keep hatching them. I wouldn't change the pairing yet, see what they turn out to be. This is more than a little interesting.

 

[AFChick]

Thanks for all of the responses guys it is very much appreciated

K14got- Thank you for your quick response, sorry I was slack in responding but I've been out trying to catch up on the other livestock and scrounge together another brooder pen for the chicks- It's ALWAYS something lol I had researched the percentages and still wanted verification that the ones I found were in the ball park (the only math I truly excel at is chicken math and finances lol) They are a little larger than my SGD chicks hatched at the same time, just barely, with an acceptable type for the age. I'll get pics this coming week of them for critique

Draye- Already planning to test breed a couple of the new hens with of my original SGD cocks as soon as I can move a few birds around. BTW, I went back and purchased the remaining 4 hens that were available from the same person- not sure if that's good or bad but I figured "why not"?

RhodeRunner- Tell me about it lol I sat in front of the incubator, at 2:00 am, watching the eggs hatch and thought "wow, I need sleep BADLY"

Mottled reds? now that's interesting and sound LOVELY... must see pics soooon I just finished hatching out the last from my original birds for the season so the incubator will be dedicated solely to the new flock.

YHF- All breeders have single combs so yes it's amazing, (freaked me out really lol) My understanding on rose combs has always been that they are dominant, right? So would the adults be single comb pheno with rose comb geno ? or am I WAY off? Either way, I'm going to continue to hatch as many as they will lay at this time and will try to get pics posted next week when time allows.

​

 

[ki4got]

The most amazing piece is the possibility of RC which should be genetically impossible if all of these breeders have single combs.

Thanks for all of the responses guys it is very much appreciated

K14got- Thank you for your quick response, sorry I was slack in responding but I've been out trying to catch up on the other livestock and scrounge together another brooder pen for the chicks- It's ALWAYS something lol I had researched the percentages and still wanted verification that the ones I found were in the ball park (the only math I truly excel at is chicken math and finances lol) They are a little larger than my SGD chicks hatched at the same time, just barely, with an acceptable type for the age. I'll get pics this coming week of them for critique

Draye- Already planning to test breed a couple of the new hens with of my original SGD cocks as soon as I can move a few birds around. BTW, I went back and purchased the remaining 4 hens that were available from the same person- not sure if that's good or bad but I figured "why not"?

RhodeRunner- Tell me about it lol I sat in front of the incubator, at 2:00 am, watching the eggs hatch and thought "wow, I need sleep BADLY"

Mottled reds? now that's interesting and sound LOVELY... must see pics soooon I just finished hatching out the last from my original birds for the season so the incubator will be dedicated solely to the new flock.

YHF- All breeders have single combs so yes it's amazing, (freaked me out really lol) My understanding on rose combs has always been that they are dominant, right? So would the adults be single comb pheno with rose comb geno ? or am I WAY off? Either way, I'm going to continue to hatch as many as they will lay at this time and will try to get pics posted next week when time allows.

Joe is right, the rose comb is dominant... no way it should appear a single comb and pass on rose. I've had hens store sperm for upwards of 3 weeks (and heard of more), you'd said you had them 7 weeks at the time you posted, wondering if that was how long you'd had them when the eggs were set? thinking if you'd had them 7 weeks when the eggs hatched, then it's POSSIBLE that she had a white get hold of the hens. that seems the only likely way that would happen... but even in that instance, I believe this is recessive white the Dorkings carry, right Joe? so in that case, the sg's still have to carry white.

 

[RhodeRunner]

One of the pullets with the spangling/mottling

A spangled chick (though most hatch just like the other Red chicks)

 

[draye]

One of the pullets with the spangling/mottling A spangled chick (though most hatch just like the other Red chicks)

Love the spangled look. I know it doesn't belong on Dorkings though. Still love it though.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

If you enjoy the Spangled look, consider getting some Spangled Old English Games. They're beautiful and classy and even in more need of love than Dorkings.