Dorking Breed Qualities They are primarily and historically a white-skinned meat breed, though they lay a fair few round white eggs. Dorking chickens are an excellent breed for homesteading and sustainable farming with some characteristics that aren’t found in just any chicken. In this post, you’ll learn where you can find the different varieties of Dorking chickens. It’s origin is also USA, where the Cornish strain was crossbred with Plymouth Rocks to produce a large chicken for meat production. IN Britain, the Dorking was prized their ample delicate light flesh and ease of … On this page, we are going to introduce you to this absolutely stunning breed, as well as give you a few ideas on what it is like to be raising this type of chicken. This is a chicken that does need a lot of space to roam about with. That being said, if you have these as a backyard chicken, they are going to make a tremendous meat source. It’s a non-aggressive bird that is great for both kids and other pets, and you’ll find the breasts and wings of the Dorking … Traditionally, the Dorking Chicken was mostly used for meat purposes. It is distinctive having an extra hind toe. Once the principal meat bird that supplied London for decades until it was replaced in the early 20th century by the Sussex breed of chicken. Some historians describe the popularity of the Dorking chicken as “love at first taste.” This is, partly, due to the lower number of breeders that are producing this type of chicken. This breed is well known for excellent meat qualities and winter egg-laying – both sought after qualities. And this is because the meat it produces is of excellent quality. However, if you have a decent specimen, and you live in a fairly large area, there will always be a couple of shows each year to show off your Dorking chickens. Review characteristics, behavior and full breed profile of Dorking chicken below. Although, that toe serves no function at all. They are well known for their versatility as a good breed for both meat and eggs production. Standard Weights Cock: 9 lbs. The Dorking chicken is one of the oldest breeds dating back to ancient rome. Modern commercial poultry growers can’t afford to consider taste, because the vast majority of buyers have repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to pay extra for better flavor in any type of meat. The Dorking chicken eggs are medium to large and they are white or tinted in color. Dorking chickens may grow a little slower than other modern breeds, but this heritage poultry breed produces a highly marketable, gourmet meat. It is just… there. There are concerns whether the Cornish rock is genetically modified to produce large meat but the fact is that the genes are not altered. Dorking chickens are usually asked for by name. As they migrated from Italy, they brought with them livestock, one of these being the Dorking chicken. Stay tuned for the first newsletter in the morning, straight to your inbox. The Dorking (English Class) is a dual-purpose bird traditionally used for the production of white shelled eggs and white-skinned meat. To be honest, it doesn’t matter all that much. Category: Pet, eggs, & meat Origin: England Egg-laying ability: Moderate-good Broodiness: High Meat production: Good-exceptional Cold tolerance: Poor-good (depends on comb size) Heat tolerance: Poor-moderate Predator evasion: Good Foraging ability: Good Enlarge. The Dorking is one of the friendliest, tastiest and oldest of all the breeds of chickens. Of course, you do not have to send it off to shows. Dorking Chickens Make Great Foragers In order for a hen or a rooster to be called a great forager they need to have something more than the regular worm and food finding in the run. These chickens also lay in the deep winter months. We have several breeds of chicken, but our favorite are the Dorkings. It was the principal meat breed supplied to the metropolis until it was displaced by the Sussex in the early part of the twentieth century; it also became popular as an exhibition bird. That is the good old Sussex chicken which, incidentally, comes from exactly the same area that the Dorking comes from. If, however, you want to raise chickens for meat, here are the best meat chickens to consider: Dorking – If you want calm birds, the Dorking is the Heritage chicken for you. Like chickens the Romans had, the Dorking Chicken actually has a fifth toe. If you can get it in one of the more unique colors, then it is going to be an even better breed to own. Dorking chicken facts. It is rare that you will get a ‘bad apple’ with this breed, to be honest. Special Characteristics: Dorking chicken is a quiet breed, educate, breed. Dorking Chicken Eggs. Not only will they provide eggs and meat for your family, but these birds However, they are the dual purpose breeds and can lay 150-180 eggs per year. A matured Dorking roosters weigh about 3.60-6.35 kg and the hens weigh about 3.60-4.55 kg. Dorking chickens are one of the oldest English breeds of chicken, named after the town of Dorking in England. Though they were developed as a meat bird, they function decently as a dual-purpose chicken to those who choose to gather their eggs! Dorking Chicken Eggs are large and white. They are recognized to be quiet, neighborly, and open-minded; extraordinary characteristics, all the same not all that good on the off chance that you have forceful fowls in your group, similar to the Cornish chicken. We have no idea if the fifth toe has ever served a function, we just know that the Dorking Chicken simply doesn’t use it. Dorking Chicken Characteristics. However, those short legs are supporting a rather large body. The Dorking Chicken has a single comb which means that it is not ideal to raise this breed in some of the colder temperatures. However, unluckily for the chicken, commercial chicken farms have found a better breed to work with. It has sometimes been suggested that it derives from five-toed chickens brought to Britain by the Romans in the first century AD, but it is not known whether the Romans brought poultry with them, nor if they found five-toed poultry when they arrived. So, it is a surprise to see that the Dorking Chicken is able to pump out so many eggs each and every year. They are prized for their tasty white meat and a gourmet favourite. If you choose to keep one of these gentle hens as a backyard pet, you can expect around seven years of calm, feathery companionship. This, sadly, has had the impact of making the Dorking incredibly rare. Of flavor characteristics that aren ’ t really going to make a tremendous source... 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