Dorking meat birds

[hunterlj]

Anyone raise dorkings for meat? I currently have 11 red dorkings. I plan on keeping a flock and raising birds every year to eat. My 10 week old cockerel is just under 3lbs and I have 3 more cockerels that are about 8 weeks old. One is just over 2lbs and the other two are closer to 2.5lbs. I hatched some of the eggs myself and bought the other chicks from the same person I got the eggs from so I have two groups. Are these weights about right? I will post some pictures later. If anyone else has input it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[speedy2020]

I raise Dorking before and they taste great, but growth rate slow. They are rare and hard to find new bloodline. If you have good stock, keep this rare breed. As right now, I only raise White American Bresse. The White Bresse taste as good as Dorking, but faster growth rate.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

Anyone raise dorkings for meat? I currently have 11 red dorkings. I plan on keeping a flock and raising birds every year to eat. My 10 week old cockerel is just under 3lbs and I have 3 more cockerels that are about 8 weeks old. One is just over 2lbs and the other two are closer to 2.5lbs. I hatched some of the eggs myself and bought the other chicks from the same person I got the eggs from so I have two groups. Are these weights about right? I will post some pictures later. If anyone else has input it would be greatly appreciated!

I'm also interested in this!

 

[Chickenheadmate]

Also, I've heard that the silver-grey is more meatier than the red. Is this true?

 

[hunterlj]

Also, I've heard that the silver-grey is more meatier than the red. Is this true?

I’m not sure. I’m going to try to weigh my birds relatively regularly and post some pictures too. I would like this to be a good reference for others since I was looking for something like this and couldn’t find it.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

I’m not sure. I’m going to try to weigh my birds relatively regularly and post some pictures too. I would like this to be a good reference for others since I was looking for something like this and couldn’t find it.

Are your birds from a breeder or hatchery?

 

[hunterlj]

Are your birds from a breeder or hatchery?

I got mine from a breeder

 

[hunterlj]

 

[hunterlj]

These are some of my birds. I have to bait them out with a handful of feed sometimes to get pictures. They like to hang out under the back porch during the day when the sun is strong but in the evening when most of the yard is shaded they spread right out to forage. Most of them are around 2.5lbs or more right now.

 

[hunterlj]

Oh and excuse the white one. She’s an Orpington. Kind of the odd one out but my wife loves the Isabel orps