Birds of a Feather

Rare Silver Dorkings, five hens and one rooster. We got them from Sterling Meadows Hatchery.

The Dorking is one of the oldest British breeds, descended from stock brought to Britain by the Ancient Romans. The Dorking is listed as vunerable on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. It is a very rare breed, listed as threatened on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) priority list. This means that there are fewer than 1,000 breeding birds in the US, with seven or fewer primary breeding flocks It is a globally endangered.

I was actually planning on getting some silkies this year, but Keith fell in love with the Dorkings. Dorkings were developed in Victorian times mainly as a table bird, having delicate white flesh with a long body and short legs. They are a docile breed but they do like to range.

Dorkings make good mothers and lay moderate numbers of good-sized tinted white eggs. Chicks can be sexed at hatch. Colors available are Silver Grey, Dark, Red, White and Cuckoo and features common to all of them are five toes and white legs. They are a classic dual purpose bird - they lay well, and are wonderful meat birds in addition to being a beautiful addition to your yard.

The five toe thing is funky, as it is an extra digit that is doubled up with another toe, not a equally spaced toe. They are really cute chicks, lots of visual texture, and very chatty. They are not as inquisitive as the Blue Black Splash Orphinton hen that we also picked up at Sterling Meadows, but more on her later.