History
How the Dorking came about is hard to say. Still it is certain that it is a very old English breed. As early as Roman times, there were descriptions of chickens closely resembling Dorkings. It is remarkable that despite all of the giant breeds originating in Asia, there is no real evidence that the Dorkings – which with their weight of 4 to 5kg (9-11lbs) certainly fall into this category – have Asiatic blood. Being a giant among poultry, this breed was already recognized at the beginning of the nineteenth century, finding it’s way to other countries a couple of decades later. In the nineteenth century, the Dorking was the basis of many different table breeds. Nowadays, people are disinclined to keep these heavy animals.
Appearance
The Dorking is a large, broad and heavy breed. The cocks can weigh 5kg (11
lbs); the hens usually send the scales up to around 4(9lbs). The animals’ build is elongated and their stand is low. The breast is broad and deep. The line of the back is practically horizontal, ending in a tail of medium high carriage. Due to the elongated, straight back and deep breast, the shape is somewhat ‘rectangular’. The tail is fairly long and is carried well spread. The legs are short, and there are five instead of the usual four toes. The legs are pinkish white. The neck is quite short and full-feathered. The head is rather large and usually has a fairly big single comb, tending to lop at the back in laying hens. There are also rose-combed Dorkings, having a rather crude rose comb that is broad in front and tapers off into a spike or leader, projecting almost horizontally backwards. The Dorkingn has red ear-lobes and reddish bay eyes.
Colours And Marking Patterns
The most favorite colour in this breed is silver partridge, but there are also partridge-coloured white, red and cuckoo-coloured Dorkings.
Purpose
Dual
Classification
Heavy / Soft feather / Rare
Origin
Great Britain
Egg Colour
Tinted
Egg Numbers
140 per annum
Feel free to leave comments about your experiences with Dorkings and any changes you think should be made to this post.
