Varieties:
White
Silver Gray
Colored
Standard Weights
(White): Cock-7-1/2 pounds; hen-6 pounds; cockerel-6-1/2 pounds; pullet-5
pounds.
Standard Weights
(Silver Gray and Colored): Cock-9 pounds; hen-7 pounds; cockerel-8 pounds;
pullet-6 pounds.
Skin Color:
White.
Egg Shell Color:
White.
Use: A good,
general purpose fowl for producing meat and eggs. It was developed for its
especially fine quality meat.
Origin: The
Dorking is believed to have originated in Italy, having been introduced into
Great Britain at an early date by the Romans. Much of its development took
place in England where it gained much acclaim for its table qualities. The
Dorking is one of our oldest breeds of chickens.
Characteristics:
The Dorking has a rectangular body set on very short legs. It is five toed and
has a relatively large comb, thus requiring protection in extremely cold
weather. Dorkings are good layers and are one of the few instances where a bird
with red earlobes lays a white shelled egg. Most Dorking hens will go broody,
make good mothers and are quite docile. Because of their white skin, Dorkings
are not as popular in the U.S. as in Europe.
Content:
Chicken Breeds
and Varieties (A2880), John L. Skinner, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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