The Dorking and I
Part One
I have had chickens nearly all of my life. I got my first batch of chicks when I was 8, and by the time I was 12 years old, I had added ducks, geese, turkeys, and pigeons added into that equation. Except for the occasional flock of black sex-links, or white broilers, these were always purebred fowl and aside for my time in college, I always was rearing chicks and other babies. In 2015, my husband and I moved to the farm where we now live and I was finally able to get back into breeding chickens. This is when I fell in love with Dorkings.
I have always been enamored with both American and English history, and when I first discovered Dorkings I had been researching some of what I thought were “old” breeds like the Sussex and the Orpington. Of course I had heard of Dorkings, but had never really encountered them except for one or two at a show. “Old” breeds were given a new meaning to me from then on. Along with the Old English Game, the Dorking is the oldest Western breed of domestic chicken, and from the Roman occupation of Britain 2000 years ago until the middle of the 19th century, she was the zenith of poultry development.
The Dorking's reputation for carcass quality and exceptional flesh characteristics grabbed my attention and because I work with many chefs, I wanted a semi commercial outlet for dressed heritage poultry that I could be proud of. As a kid, our meat chickens were always white broilers so I knew I wanted a heritage breed meat chicken with out question. After I butchered my first Dorking, I was hooked. Dorkings are also good layers, especially in the winter, but I wanted a really good standard bred layer as well. I discovered the Minorca, but that's a chicken for another article.
In the early British shows, entries were often limited to Dorkings, Games and A.O.V. The old timers often said back then there were only two breeds of chicken in bonnie England. Two breeds, but MANY varieties. The American Poultry Association came into being at about the time the old reliable Dorking was being overshadowed by the new and the novel, namely composite breeds and those of Asiatic origin. Because of the Asiatic craze, the Dorking was additionally hindered in this country by an emerging bias in favor of yellow skin and legs. In a show hall or on range, well bred Dorking of excellent type will still command the attention of any poulterer who knows something of history.
My first Dorkings were Coloreds, simply because I liked the way they looked. I think what you like to look at is the single most important factor when settling on a breed of animal. You must enjoy what you see when you go into your chicken house each day, if not you will most certainly fail them. I got my box of Colored Dorkings from Sand Hill and with in two years I was hatching a few hundred a year. My line of Coloreds throw both Silver Grey and Red in addition to the normal Dark Red, Dark Grey, and Colored.
It was in the autumn of 2017 that I met Craig Russell and we became fairly instant friends. Talking about Dorkings of course, along with all poultry and most other animals as well, we would often be on the phone for hours. Craig sold me a pair of Whites at the Ohio National in Columbus that year. I eventually got better Reds and Silvers from exhibition breeders and farmers and Cuckoos from two other fanciers.
Craig, in addition to being a dear friend, has been an absolutely invaluable resource and mentor to me. He is always willing to talk and share his knowledge of Dorkings. Without Craig, I would not know much of what I do about Dorkings and their history. Craig frequently shares stories of his mentors and many other Dorking guys. Many of Craig's tales come from breeders and farmers such as Bruce Lentz, John Norris, Dale Rice, Henry Miller and many more. Craig knew these men when some of them were older than he is now. These stories and tales give us a view of what the “old timers” were doing with chickens well over a century ago.
