Dorking
| Dorking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Category | Egg Colour | Sitter |
| Britain | Softfeather Heavy | Tinted or Brown | Yes |
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
THE COCK
Head - Skull large and broad. Beak stout, well-proportioned, slightly curved. Eyes full. Comb (a) single or (b) rose. (Either kind is allowed in Darks, single only in Reds and Silver Greys, and rose only in Cuckoos and Whites.)
(a) Upright, moderately large, broad at the base, evenly serrated, free from thumb marks or side spikes; (b) moderately broad and square-fronted, narrowing behind to a distinct and slightly upturned leader, the top covered with small coral-like points of even height, free from hollows.
Face smooth. Earlobes moderately developed and hanging about one-third the depth of the wattles. Wattles long and pendent.
Neck rather short, covered with abundant hackle feathers falling well over the back, giving the neck the appearance of being very broad where it joins the body and tapering to the head.
Body massive, long and deep, rectangular shape when viewed sideways, and tightly feathered; broad and well-rounded breast with long and straight keel-bone ; broad and moderately long back with full saddle inclined downwards to the tail ; large wings well tucked up; full and sweeping tail carried well out (a "squirrel" tail being objectionable), with abundant side hangers and broad well-curved sickles.
Legs short and strong. Thighs well developed but almost hidden by the body feathering. Shanks stout and round (square or sinewy bone being very objectionable), free from feathers, the spurs set on the inner side and pointing inwards. Toes (five) round and hard ("spongy" feet to be guarded against), the front toes (three) long, straight, and well spread, the fourth toe distinctly apart from the fifth and inclining towards the ground, the fifth coming away distinctly from the shank and turned up the leg.
Carriage stately with the breast forward.
Weight from 12 lb (5.44kg) to 14 lb (6.4kg)
THE HEN
With the exception of the single comb, which falls over one side of the face, the general characteristics are similar to those of the cock, allowing for the natural sexual differences. Weight 9 lb (4kg) to 10 lb (4.53kg).
COLOUR
Beak white or horn, dark horn permissible in Darks.
Eyes bright red. Comb, Face, Wattles and Earlobes coral red. Legs and Feet (including nails) snow-white, free from red or pink in any part.
THE CUCKOO
Plumage dark grey or blue bands (barring) on light blue-grey ground, the markings uniform, and the colours shading into each other so that no distinct line or separation of the colours is perceptible.
THE DARK (OR COLOURED)
Plumage of the Cock - Hackles (neck and saddle) white or straw more or less striped with black. Back various shades of white, black and white or grey, sometimes mixed with maroon (bronze objectionable). Wing-bows white or white mixed with black or grey. Coverts (or bar) black glossed with green. Secondaries white outer web, black inner. Breast and underparts jet black, white mottling not permissible. Tail black richly glossed, a little white on primary sickles permissible, but white hangers decidedly objectionable.
Plumage of the Hen - Neck-hackle white or pale straw, striped with black or dark grey. Breast salmon red, each feather tipped with dark grey verging to black. Tail nearly black, or rich copper with the outer feathers slightly pencilled. Remainder of plumage nearly black, or approaching a rich dark brown, the shaft showing a dull white, each feather slightly pale on the edges, except on the wings, where the centre of the feather is brown-grey covered with a small rich marking surrounded by a thick lacing of the black, and free from red.
THE RED
Plumage of the Cock - Hackle and Saddle bright glossy red. Back and Wing-bows dark red. Remainder of plumage jet black glossed with green. Plumage of the Hen.—Hackle bright gold heavily striped with black. Tail and Primaries black or very dark brown. Remainder of plumage red-brown, the redder the better, each feather more or less tipped or spangled with black, and having a bright yellow or orange shaft.
THE SILVER-GREY
Plumage of the Cock - Hackle silver-white free from straw tinge or rustiness, a very narrow stripe of grey in the lower feathers being permissible but not desirable. Back and Saddle silver-white, free from striping or yellow tint. Wing Coverts and Bow silver-white, the bar lustrous black with green or blue gloss. Secondaries white on outer web and black on inner web, with a black spot at the end of each feather, the corner of the wing when closed appearing snow-white with a black upper edge. Primaries black with a white edge on outer web. Remainder of plumage jet-black, free from white mottling or grizzling, although in old cocks a slight grizzling of the thighs is not a fatal defect.
Plumage of the Hen - Hackle silver-white, the lower part striped with a narrow line of black. Breast rich robin-red or salmon-red, shading to ash-grey on the thighs. Body silver-grey, finely pencilled with darker grey (the pencilling following the outer line of the feather), free from red or brown tinge or black dapplings. (Note. —The effect may vary from soft dull grey to bright silver-grey, an old-fashioned grey slate best describing the colour.) Tail darker grey, inside feathers black.
THE WHITE
Plumage - Snow-white, free from straw tinge.
SCALE OF POINTS
| Dark | Silver Grey or Red | Cuckoo or White | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 21 | 15 | 15 |
| Type | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Colour | 18 | 24 | 15 |
| Fifth Toe | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Condition | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Feet, Condition of | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 100 | 100 | 100 |
SERIOUS DEFECTS
- Other than five toes;
- Legs other than white or with any sign of feathers;
- Sspurs outside the shank;
- Single comb in Cuckoo or White,
- Rose comb in Red or Silver-Grey;
- Copper coloured hackle in Silver-Grey;
- Any coloured feather in White;
- Very long legs;
- Crooked or much swollen toes;
- Bumble feet;
- Distinct double nails;
- Round back,
- Twisted breast-bone,
- Wry tail,
- Any other deformity.
SOURCES
- The Poultry club standards, containing a complete description of all the recognised varieties of fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys, d. by William W. Broomhead. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009202629