bigbertha Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Dear all, My lovely hubby bought my lilac eglu for my birthday last Feb, all went well with my two FAB chickens "Marg and Pru" in and out of the run as they free ranged. We then had a fox attack just after new year and sadly lost Marg. As pru was lonely (and very cold) i decided a new chicken was needed. As I am a newby to chicken owning I popped off to the only farm I know and asked what chickens they had for sale (thinking I would get a nice ginger ranger as before). I came home with a very large silver grey dorking, comlete with 5 toes. She is beautiful, very large and getting more friendly BUT I was told she is about 2 yrs old and had been wormed (and thats all I know) Pru was vaccinated against almost everything (as she came from omlet), should I get Talulah done ?? When do Dorkings start to lay eggs?? Pru crouches down when I pick her up but the Dorking doesnt - is this because she is not ready to lay or she just doesnt want to be picked up !!!! I have read that Dorkings eat a lot, this doesnt seem to be the case - any thoughts ?? Sorry for all the questions but I really am very new to all this and didnt realise how much there was to lear....BUT what great fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Don't know much about Dorkings, but they are purebred as opposed to hybrid (like the Omlet hens) and I'm afraid that purebreds mainly stop laying during the winter. I think this is almost certainly your problem. However, the Dorkings are very beautiful and supposed to be good layers for the rest of the year, so I'm sure she will be worth the wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 How exciting for you - welcome to the forum! You don't need to get Talulah vaccinated - its done by commercial hatcheries when chicks are very young. Most pure breeds aren't vaccinated - its not particularly viable for small backyard flocks (I think vaccines are sold in amounts to do 1000 birds!) Most importantly, as she is 2 she is not at risk to things which pose a danger to youngsters. Regarding her laying, you'll find that pure breeds lay less than hybrids, and I expect she's just not ready yet because the days aren't warm enough/long enough. She should start up sometime in the Spring. Enjoy your time with her. There are lots of friendly people on here to ask if you have any more questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMitch Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 My two dorkings started laying last week after their winter break. They are very good layers, I probably get 5 eggs a week from each. They are very friendly birds and follow me around everywhere . They're very good foragers but need to be kept active as they can get quite fat. Mine also get bored if I have to keep them in the run for any reason and start pulling feathers off the other chickens. I have never had any problems with mine though I believe they can be prone to respitory problems but as long as you keep their house nice and clean they should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I am on a waiting list for a Dorking so very they are white egg layers, very big and apparently only lay in spring & summer - depending on the breeder the number of eggs given varies from 120 - 180 per year. They also only fully mature at 2 yrs old and 7 is about the average life. The Dorking club only costs £5 a year to join, but I think I will wait until I actually get one! Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
