Saturday, July 26, 2014

Silver Gray Dorking Chickens For Sale In America

By Sharron Cantu


These birds are an ancient breed that came to England from travelers either trading with locals or when the Romans conquered the country. They are one of the oldest breeds of five toed birds in the world and the English population cultivated this bird for their own use and worked to improve on the breed to suit their needs. Currently silver gray Dorking chickens for sale can be found all over America.

The English jealously guarded this chicken breed even going so far as to prohibit sale of live birds outside the town. Dorking was the only place in England where these birds were raised for a very long time. This came about as an effort to keep the breed pure and to have a corner on the market for them.

The attributes of these birds include their large size of up to nine pounds for a rooster or seven for the hens. They have short sturdy legs and large thighs which make them desirable for the table. The wings and breasts are large and meaty with excellent flavor that is tender and delicate.

The roosters are very showy and strut with head held high and chest out. This is a non-aggressive bird that forages close to home but the roosters will protect the flock of hens if they are in danger. This breed does very well in a small farm with pastures for them to forage and trees to roost in at night.

The hens are excellent layers but have a tendency to lay numerous eggs and sit to brood them. They are good mothers and tend their chicks as well as willingly adopting chicks from other breeds. Hens are not colored as flamboyantly as roosters although the colors are very similar.

There are only about five thousand breeding birds in America and so they are considered to be a rare breed. In order for them to become populous again new breeders are being sought in rural areas. People who wish to participate in a breeding program can purchase day old chicks, pullets and even fertilized eggs to get a start. Fully mature birds can also be purchased from suppliers.

You are also able to purchase these birds for your table. They can be found fresh if there is a rancher in your area and some ranchers distribute them to local butcher shops for sale. Searching online will tell you how near you are to a producer and will also direct you to producers who are set up to ship the frozen birds to you. Freezing the birds can preserve the freshness and flavor of them for weeks at a time.

Regardless of what you want to do with these birds you will find that the producers are able to satisfy your needs. Many sell them in any phase of their lives ranging from the eggs all the way to the roasting pan in your home.




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