Dorking chickens: The perfect dual-purpose breed for your homestead
Dorking chickens: docile, delightful, and delicious—that is, if you have the heart to eat one.
If you’re looking for the perfect dual-purpose breed for your homestead, you’ll definitely want to consider the Dorking chicken. Not only will they provide eggs and meat for your family, but these birds have a sweet and docile temperament. Dorking flocks are peaceful and calm, and Dorkings are wonderful with children.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Dorking chickens to make sure they are right for you and your family, including:
What Dorking chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns
Dorking broodiness (do these birds want to hatch their eggs or not?)
Dorking meat (how much do they provide and what does it taste like?)
Climate considerations for Dorking chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Dorking temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Dorking chicken facts
Category: Pet, eggs & meat
Origin: England
Egg-laying ability: Moderate-good
Broodiness: High
Meat production: Good-exceptional
Cold tolerance: Poor-good (depends on comb size)
Heat tolerance: Moderate
Predator evasion: Good
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Moderate
Temperament: Docile
Aggression toward flock members: Low
Noise level: Moderate
Origin of Dorking chickens
“Dorkings are the classic breed, historically the Five-Toed Fowl of England, the meat bird of the English-speaking world.”
Dorking chickens are an ancient breed. Although they are named after the English town of Dorking in Surrey, they are believed to have come to England from Ancient Rome.
Some historians think they were carried to England by the Roman invaders under Julius Caesar in the 1st century. Other historians think they may have arrived later, under the Norman conquest of 1066.
The breed likely came to America with the first English settlers in places such as Plymouth and Jamestown.
The English developed the Dorking into a fine table bird, which was once incredibly popular. However, the breed eventually became endangered, and now has a conservation status of “Watch.”
What do Dorking Chickens look like?
Dorking feather colors and patterns
The Dorking comes in both regular and bantam (i.e., miniature) sizes. There are 5 recognized varieties (i.e., recognized by the American Poultry Association or the American Bantam Association).
Below is a table showing the 5 varieties and their characteristics:
| Dorking variety | Description | Comb type | Beak color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colored | A mixture of straw, black, and/or salmon, gray, and brown colors | Single or rose comb | Dark horn |
| Cuckoo | Grayish-white barred with irregular light and dark bars | Single or rose comb | Pinkish-white streaked with horn |
| Red | Red, reddish-brown, black, and/or creamy white and gold colors | Single or rose comb | Pinkish-white streaked with horn |
| Silver Gray | White, silver, and black colors | Single comb | Pinkish-white streaked with horn |
| White | White | Single or rose comb | Pinkish-white |
You’ll also find Dorkings in varieties that aren’t officially recognized, such as Black, Clay, Crele, Dark Birchen Gray, Light Gray, and Speckled.
The Silver Gray variety is one of the most common varieties found in the U.S. Below is a video of Silver Gray hens and a rooster. Notice how low their bodies are to the ground—this is a defining feature of the breed.
What is notable about the Dorking chicken’s appearance?
Most notably, the Dorking is a very large chicken with a massive appearance. They have a fifth toe, which is fairly unusual in the chicken world (most breeds have 4 toes).
Dorkings also have medium- to large- single or rose combs, large wattles, reddish-bay eyes, red earlobes, and pinkish-white shanks and feet.
They have long backs and stand on short legs close to the ground.
How big do Dorking chickens get?
Developed as a table bird, Dorking chickens are one of the larger breeds.
Roosters: 9 lbs
Hens: 7 lbs
Bantam roosters: 36 oz
Bantam hens: 32 o
What do Dorking chicks look like?
Dorking chicks vary in appearance, depending on which variety they are.
Below, you can see a video of one of the most common varieties, the Silver Gray Dorking.
Dorking chicken growth
Dorking chickens are slower growing than hybrid broiler breeds. They take a minimum of 6 or 7 months to be large enough to butcher.
This is one reason they are now so rare. With the advent of fast-growing broilers, Dorkings no longer have commercial value. However, they are excellent for the small farmer or homesteader who doesn’t mind waiting longer for maturation.
Are you getting Dorking chicks?
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Dorking chickens and egg laying
Egg color: White
Egg size: Medium-large
Age of lay: 6 months
Eggs/week: 2-4
Eggs/year: 150-180
Although Dorking chickens aren’t prolific egg layers, they are excellent egg layers for a meat breed. Most meat breeds are poor layers.
American strains of Dorking hens are also surprisingly decent winter layers. British and European strains, however, may only lay in spring and summer.
Dorking eggs are a lightly tinted creamy white, rather than a chalk white, color. This is unusual, considering they have red earlobes. Most chicken breeds with red earlobes lay brown eggs.
Broodiness: Do Dorking hens want to hatch their eggs?
Dorking hens are a broody breed, meaning they do like to sit on their eggs and raise their babies. This is, of course, wonderful if you want to breed your Dorkings. However, it can be irritating for the backyard keeper.
Dorking hens do make excellent mothers, and many will care for chicks of other hens if needed.
Below, you can see a video titled, “Broody Dorking hen adopts two-day old Dorking chicks.”
The video description reads that the hen “has been the best broody hen, nice and docile to use and never pecks our hands when we want to see the chicks. She took these Dorking chicks right away after they hatched in the incubator here, during the day, and has been keeping them warm on these cold nights and days. Consider me impressed.”
Meat Production of Dorking Chickens
Dorking chicken meat is famous for its good flavor. Perhaps the Livestock Conservancy describes Dorking chicken meat best:
“As a table fowl, the Dorking chicken has few peers and no superlatives. The flesh is tender and delicate. The chickens are well fleshed in the choicest sections: breast, merrythought (wishbone area), and wings.”
Dorking chickens take at least 6 to 7 months to fully mature and have a market weight of 6-8 pounds.
Dorking chickens: A fairly hardy breed
How do Dorking chickens do in the heat and the cold?
Dorking chickens are not a good breed for very hot climates. They can tolerate some heat as long as they have plenty of shade and lots of cold water, but they will not thrive in a hot climate.
Dorking roosters are not very cold hardy because their large combs and wattles are prone to frostbite. This is particularly true of the single comb variety. The rose comb variety fares a little better.
Below is a video of three Dorking roosters. You can really see in this video just how large their combs are.
Dorking hens, on the other hand, do much better in the cold, but if you live in a cold climate, be sure you are getting a strain with smaller combs. Some strains of Dorking hens, such as the strain from Texas shown in the YouTube video below, have combs that are so large they flop over. These combs are also susceptible to frostbite.
Dorking hens with smaller single combs or rose combs are hardy in very cold climates.
If you get Dorking chickens and they have larger combs than you like, be sure to put a Sweeter Heater over their roosting bars. I actually use these heaters in all my coops for all my chickens in the winter, whether their combs are large or not. They definitely appreciate it.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here.
Dorking chickens also tend to get dirtier than other breeds, simply because their legs are so short and their bodies are so close to the ground. Keep this in mind if you live in a particular muddy environment. Dorkings may not be your best choice.
Dorking chickens: Free range or confinement?
“Dorkings are good foragers but don’t tend to scratch much, making them an ideal choice in a backyard setting.”
Dorking chickens do well both free ranging and in a confined run, but they prefer to free range. And you do want to make sure they have enough space for exercise, both for their happiness and their health. Dorking chickens can become overweight if kept in too small of a space.
Dorking chickens are fairly good at evading predators. They tend to forage close to their homes rather than to roam, and they are capable of flying a little, which can be the difference between life and death in some situations. They are also a large breed and so their size may deter some would-be predators, particularly most birds of prey.
Dorking chickens do love to free range and are excellent foragers. They also don’t tend to scratch as much as most other breeds, so they will likely do much less damage to your backyard.
Below is a video showing Silver Gray Dorking chickens happily free ranging.
Keep in mind that Dorkings are a large breed, and so they will need larger pop holes, larger nesting boxes, and lower roosting bars than most other breeds. They also will need a little more space on the roosting bars than many other breeds.
Dorking chicken temperament: Just what kind of birds are they?
Docile, dear, delightful.
Dorking chickens are real sweethearts. They are easily tamed, enjoy being handled, and like to follow their keepers around.
Below is a video of Dorking hen, Dorcas, snuggling with her keeper. Her keeper says that Dorcas likes to follow her around like a little dog, wants to be picked up, and likes to be rocked to sleep.
How are Dorking chickens around children?
Due to their placid, trusting, and loving natures, Dorking chickens tend to do really well with young children.
One chicken keeper said of her Dorking flock, “I have them on my educational farm and am able to bring out any of my birds and let 30 children take turns petting them from wattles to tail with the patience of Job.”
Another keeper said of her flock around children, “All but the rooster don’t mind being held.”
How well do Dorking chickens get along with other chickens?
Dorking chickens are peaceful to the core and are not usually aggressive towards other chickens at all.
However, because they are so sweet and docile, they can be picked on some by other birds. Thankfully, they are a large breed, so they are much less likely to be seriously injured or killed than some of the small breeds of docile chickens.
Are Dorking roosters aggressive to people?
Dorking roosters tend to be placid and even-tempered, just like the hens. However, any breed of chicken will have some aggressive roosters.
Dorking chickens: Are they noisy?
Dorking chickens are about as noisy as your average breed. Some say they cluck quietly but contentedly while free ranging.
Dorking roosters, like roosters of all breeds, do like to crow.
Below, you can see a young Red Dorking rooster practicing his first crows.
Dorking chicken health problems and life expectancy
As a large meat breed, Dorking chickens can be prone to obesity if they don’t have enough space to exercise.
Dorkings are also more susceptible to respiratory infections than many other breeds.
And your Dorkings may need you to occasionally trim the toenail on their unusual fifth toe. The fifth toe grows in an upward direction, and so the birds don’t walk on it like they do their other toes. This means the nail on that fifth toe never gets worn down, and thus will likely require trimming.
You can expect your Dorking chickens to live an average chicken lifespan of 5-8 years if well taken care of.
Breeds you may want instead of Dorkings
Another dual-purpose, English chicken that is very similar to the Dorking but much more common is the Sussex. This breed makes an excellent homestead bird. The dual-purpose English Orpington and the American Plymouth Rock are also great options.
To learn more, check out these articles:
Orpington chickens: Giant backyard layers the whole family will love
Buff Orpington chickens: The loveable, versatile egg-laying giants
Barred Rock chickens: America’s favorite backyard egg layer
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Dorking sources
Bassom, Frances. Mini Encyclopedia: Chicken Breeds and Care. Dorking: Interpet Publishing, 2011.
Damerow, Gail. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2017.
Damerow, Gail. The Chicken Health Handbook. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2015.
Ekarius, Carol. Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2007.
Verhoef, Esther and Rijs, Aad. The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. Lisse: Rebo Publishers, 2005.