Some Thoughts on Conservation and Preservation

How Can a Breeder or a Farmer Get Established in a Breed or Variety if the Only Option is a Small Handful of Straight Run Chicks?

A thoughtfully assembled breeding program needs at least 25 chicks to begin with (although 50 or 100 are better). With that number, you should have plenty of chicks to select from. How can one expect to make any headway with 5 straight run chicks from a hatchery? Now, I completely understand that this is sometimes the only option for obtaining critically endangered breeds or varieties. A breeder should try and hatch enough chicks of each breed and variety to cull out all but the very best ten or twenty percent. Some years, that may yield only a trio or two. In other years one may have fifteen or twenty keeper birds. The point is, with as broad of a genetic base as practical and possible, one can cull down to a couple trios and a few backups of the best each year. This allows for more rapid progress to be made in that breed or variety.

Can I Improve Stock by Grading Within the Breed?

Yes, despite what many internet “breeders” say. Mixed color flocks of Dorkings have been kept for centuries, and when you have access to flocks of The 5 APA Standard colors (with careful, intentional, selection and culling), you can use them to improve one another and you can use them to eventually get back to some of the old colors like Crele or Golden Grey. Craig Russell has told me stories of flocks consisting of Silver Greys, Reds, and Golden Greys; Reds, Cuckoos, and Creles; Reds, Whites, and Pyles; Slates, Reds, and Splashes; and of course Coloreds, Dark greys, and Dark reds. While many of the old Dorking varieties and strains are very difficult if not impossible to find these days, all is not lost. For example, breeding Red males over Silver Grey females will yield mostly Red daughters, which when bred back to pure Reds, will breed true. This can be done with many combinations of the Standard varieties when one has a grasp of the genetic intricacies involved. Even though the Blacks aren’t standardized (yet) they can easily help Cuckoos, the Whites can be helped by the Silver Greys, and the Coloreds can be aided by Silver Greys and Reds whose males show too much striping in the hackle and saddle. This is yet another reason why the promotion and preservation of all of the Standard Dorkings is so crucial to the survival of this diverse foundational breed.

The Conservation and Preservation of These Old Breeds and Varieties are Dependent on Their Accessibility, Promotion, and Improvement.

Crag Russell helping me evaluate Colored Dorkings

Should I Outcross with Another Breed?

I dare say never... The Dorking is an ancient foundation breed, meaning that it’s history is so old we do not know what all went into it’s creation, therefore outcrossing with another breed should be avoided at all costs. For example, while crossing a Cuckoo Dorking with a Dominique or a Marans may help improve the feather color, you have just ruined the leg color, egg color, clean shanks, type, and meat quality. Now I know, never say never, but because of their long connected history, the Cuckoo Old English Game seems to me to be the obvious choice in this situation, although a Black Dorking would be the best bet. A second option would be to use a mongrel Dorking breed such as the Orpinton, Sussex, or even in special cases the Faverolle (Muffed Dorkings have existed in generations past). Specific traits of the Dorking such as broodiness, flesh & carcass quality, and type are so important, so crucial, that what could be gained by crossing outside the breed (especially ANYTHING with Asiatic blood) will most likely not outweigh the catastrophic loss of the above traits.

A Preservation Program Must Apply Selection Pressure on the Birds to Improve Size, Type, and Utility Traits.

Many people avoid hatcheries because of their reputation for birds lacking standard breed characteristics. A breeder dedicated to the preservation of heritage stock should also be dedicated to the improvement of their stock. A breeder must cull ruthlessly, keeping the best that they can to carry on next year’s breeding pens. Culling birds for standard traits such as size, body type, breed characteristics, and production qualities are the only ways progress can be made. An old friend once told me that a good chicken breeder likes to eat chicken.

What Good is a Conservation Program if Other Breeders or Farmers Cannot Access Stock to Continue That Program on Their Own?

I find it a shame when someone who claims to be a conservation breeder refuses to sell birds to someone starting out. This does nothing to promote the breed, it only limits the breed’s future. When all of the eggs are in only one or two baskets, inevitably those baskets will break. The more flocks of these birds that can be established the better. This provides back up flocks and a broader, more resistant genetic base should one breeder succumb to disease or predation.

Some Breeding Practices

In addition to our Saxony Ducks and Buff Toulouse Geese, I maintain White and Rose Comb Black Minorcas and all 5 of the Dorking varieties that are sanctioned by the American Poultry Association in the Standard of Perfection, along with most of the old and historic colors of Dorkings. Although these old and historic colors such as Black, Golden Cuckoo, and Light Grey are not recognized by the APA, I select for their appropriate Dorking characteristics first and foremost. The old farmers that kept these traditional flocks demanded both utility and beauty. The historic varieties are an important part of not only American and English History, but farming history as a whole. Many of these old varieties have been around for centuries, and they deserve a share of the pen space on the farm of a breeder who cares.

I strive to maintain and improve the Standard traits of our flocks. However, for me, improvement can mean a few different things. For instance, this year, improving the Cuckoo Dorkings may simply mean that I need to hatch a large number of chicks to allow for broader selection next year, while improving the Silver Greys may mean solving major problems like increasing the size up to standard weight, or improving the Reds may mean just trying to fix minor problems like toe placement or comb points. Some of our birds come from excellent, show quality flocks whose utility traits have been neglected for too long. Even when it’s nearly perfect in a show cage, if a bird can’t do what it is meant to do, there is little hope for its future.

All of our breeding pens are assembled to produce pure bred and pure breeding offspring that are as close to the Standard as possible. Some of the Dorking varieties, like Coloreds, Golden Greys, and Slate Reds will always produce off colors, simply due to the genetics involved. This is not something that should be avoided, rather it is a tool to be utilized and celebrated. Many of the old historic varieties throw the Standard versions such as Red, White or Silver Grey, which of course can be shown in their respective classes. For example, you can have a breeding of all pure Colored Dorkings but their offspring will consist of Dark Reds and Dark Greys as well. These two versions are necessary to produce proper colored Coloreds. Whenever possible, I compose breeding pens to produce the most offspring of that color as possible.