One of the best meat breeds of chickens is Dorking. These chickens were able to gain great popularity among domestic farmers, as they have increased stamina, and also quickly gain the desired weight.
The hens of the Dorking breed were bred by English farmers as a result of the crossing of aboriginal individuals with those birds that were brought to Britain by the Romans in the beginning of the 1st century AD
This breed of chickens was first mentioned. Roman Scientist Columella during the reign of Julius Caesar.
In his work, he described the Dorking breed as a bird with a large and somewhat square body, with a large head and a small crest.
In the UK, this breed of chickens first appeared in 1845 at a farm exhibition near Dorking. Only in 1874, American specialists were able to officially recognize the existence of the Dorking breed.
During the crossing, the breeders wanted to create a breed in the future that could quickly gain body weight. In addition, this breed should easily endure the unpleasant English climate, known for high humidity.
For these purposes, aboriginal birds were taken, more resistant to weather conditions in the UK. It is their genes that help modern Dorking to easily survive in all conditions. As for the chickens imported from the Roman Empire, they could quickly gain weight, but, unfortunately, they did not take root well in an uncomfortable climate.
After several generations, the British still managed to create the perfect breed of chickens, which later became known as Dorking - after the town of the same name.
Breed description Dorking
For Dorking, with bright plumage, characterized by the following exterior signs:
- Large head with a wide and massive forehead;
- Thin leaf-like or rose-like comb in both roosters and chickens;
- A small beak, having a slight extension at its base, and a curved tip;
- The ear lobes are bright red with a slight pearly shade near the auditory foramen;
- Short red earrings;
- Massive and short neck;
- Wide chest;
- The back of the bird tapers slightly towards the base of the tail;
- Square and wide body;
- White or light pink metatarsus with five even fingers.
Color options
Breeders brought several options for the colors of this breed. The most common are white, silvery-white, variegated blue, Japanese, golden and striped individuals.
White birds have perfectly clean white plumage. Wherein not even the slightest deviation in the color of the breed is allowed.
As a rule, white chickens have a smaller size due to the fact that not so much gaining weight. As for reproductive qualities, they are also lower. However, white Dorking differ harmonious physique and high quality meat.
Silver Gray Dorking Roosters have silvery white feathers on the neck and back. Their wings are of the same color, but a black stripe runs across them, having a slight greenish tint. The chest, lower torso and tail are completely black.
Chickens of this color are characterized by silver-gray wings and the same mane with black stripes, which turn into silver-gray plumage on the back of the bird. The tail of the chickens has a dark gray color on the outside of the feathers and completely black on the inside.
Motley Dorking have almost even variegated color. Moreover, this color of feathers and have chickens, and roosters. The shape of the comb in such Dorking pinkish.
Japanese Dorking, derived by Asian specialists, have a yellow color. However, there are black feathers on the chest, lower leg and tail of roosters. Chickens are gray in color.
Roosters Golden Dorking possess a black chest, shin and tail. Red feathers are clearly visible on the neck, back and lower back. Golden Dorking chickens do not have red feathers. Instead, light gray feathers with black spots cover the back.
Striped Dorkings characterized by red plumage with white spots that are absent on the black legs and chest. On these parts of the body, birds have a whitish crappie.
Features
The main goal of each breeder chickens - maximum meat productivity. This is what distinguishes the Dorking breed.
Chickens of this breed have a very massive body that can easily withstand a large weight of muscles. In addition, Dorkings are known for their high quality meat, which has a pleasant and delicate taste.
Also, chickens of Dorking breed have good endurance, which allows them to easily tolerate any climate. It is for this reason that Dorkings are often turned on by farmers who live in adverse weather conditions.
Many farmers are pleased with the rapid growth of chickens, which significantly increases the overall productivity of meat. However, this is only possible with good nutrition of the young.
Content and cultivation
Immediately I must say that novice farmers should not start Dorking. This breed of chickens is very demanding to the conditions of detention, and also needs careful care. Otherwise, all birds may die or will gain mass too slowly.
First of all, the farmer must pay attention to the state of the parent flock - this term refers to the aggregate of adult chickens and roosters. All eggs that have been laid by chickens are selected for incubation.
During the selection of eggs need to pay attention to the state of adult chickens. Of course, that the weak and sick birds will not be able to give a hardy and large offspring. That is why all the sick and weak Dorking need to be removed from the herd.
The room where chickens live must be well ventilated. If the room is tightly closed, chickens can get sick with various infectious diseases that affect the state of clutch. Also the cause of the disease in Dorking can be wet litter, so it needs to be changed regularly.
A special role in the content of Dorking plays proper nutrition of adults and young animals. It must be balanced, otherwise the lack of any element will affect the health of the bird.
During the laying of eggs, Dorkings need to be given food rich in vitamins and trace elements that strengthen the egg shell. Eggs with a harder shell hatch easier and are not crushed with chickens.
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From time to time the parent flock needs to be vaccinated. 5 weeks prior to laying eggs vaccination against bird encephalitis is carried out. This disease can cause the death of the entire herd, so these vaccines should be taken seriously. It is also recommended to take an analysis of salmonella pullorum and get a bronchitis inoculation.
If the Dorking chicken gets sick, it should not be given antibiotics, because it will affect the health of the chickens. It must be isolated so that it does not infect healthy individuals.
Care for the young
The farmer must pay attention to the condition of the chickens.
The weakest, the sickest and the smallest need to be rejected right away so that in the future they will not spoil the new generation of Dorking. This is especially true for chicks with short down, crooked legs, crossed beak, pale color.
For the proper growth of each chicken it is necessary to observe the correct temperature conditions in the hen house. If chicks are hot, then they move away from the heat source, if it is cold, then vice versa. If the temperature in the hen house is optimal, the youngsters quietly squeak, calmly feed and try to look at each other.
To check the condition of the chicken, you can use an ordinary thermometer. It is inserted inside the cloaca for a couple of minutes. In a healthy state, the chicken's body temperature is 40 degrees, but as it gets older, this figure changes.
Many farmers know that Dorking chickens are very sensitive to changes in humidity in a chicken coop. That it can cause their death, so in the room where the young live, you need to hang a hygrometer, which determines the humidity of the air. You can also constantly inspect litter: it should always be dry and clean.
For the adult bird
Each poultry farmer must prepare youngsters for puberty in advance. This process begins with the 105th day of the chicken's life.
The future layer must have a good weight, otherwise its productivity will drop significantly. Even a weight loss of 5% can negatively affect the number of eggs laid per year.
The same applies to overweight. Larger chickens begin to run faster, which leads to depletion of the body Dorking. Because of the possible lack of weight or its redundancy, poultry farmers regularly weigh Dorkings to understand how quickly body weight is gained.
The ideal parent flock is the herd where the males and hens simultaneously reach puberty. After that, young Dorking unite in one room. At the same time, the roosters are the first to be transferred to a new chicken coop, as they very slowly get used to changing the situation.
Moreover, Dorking roosters can lose weight, so the amount of feed should be increased by 10 g per individual. If all instructions are followed, the owner will receive a high-quality parent flock with high performance.
Specifications
The live weight of Dorking roosters is from 3.5 to 4.5 kg, and the hens from 2.5 to 3.5 kg. On average, each chicken of this breed can carry from 120 to 140 eggs per year. At the same time, the average weight of each egg that has an ideally white shell never exceeds 66 g.
Chicken hens, as a rule, do a good job., as they have a well-developed maternal instinct. That is why chickens significantly increase survival.
But the farmer needs to be attentive to the conditions of chickens, because they do not tolerate high humidity. Increased mortality among young stock can worsen the total annual productivity of meat and eggs of the owner of the parent flock.
Where to buy in Russia?
- The large poultry farm LLC "Hatchery". It is located in the city of Chekhov, Moscow Region. All chickens undergo additional veterinary control and vaccination. For more detailed information about the chicken farm, visit inkubatoriy.ru or call +7 (495) 229-89-35.
- LTD "Corundum"is breeding Dorking chickens in the city of Orenburg. This farm delivers poultry to Kazakhstan and Russia. You can read about prices and purchase conditions in detail at //inkubator56.ru/ or by calling +7 (353) 299-14-02.
Analogs
Breeding chickens are easier to keep. Cochinquin. They are ideal for beginner farmers, as they are quite unpretentious in food and content.
Chickens of this breed tolerate frosts well and do not require a long walk on the site, so they are well suited for owners of small personal plots. As for the quality of meat that can be obtained by growing Cochinquins, it is not inferior to Dorking meat.
Cellar waterproofing is necessary for those who are going to use it for the purpose of storing food.But in order to make a waterproofing of the foundation with your own hands, you will need a few other tools. And what exactly is written here.
Another analog Dorking can be called breed Brama. It is larger, more durable, and yet unpretentious.
Hens of this breed are excellent laying hens, therefore problems with growing young stock should not arise. The quality of meat in chicken Brama is high, it has a soft and pleasant taste.
Conclusion
Chickens breed Dorking is a good option for an experienced and confident poultry breeder. Proper maintenance and care of this breed of chickens allow the farmer to get high-quality meat, bringing a large profit.
