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Chicken breed APA Recognized Large

Dorking

Ancient English table breed recognized by five toes, a long broad body, and excellent meat quality.

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Variety gallery

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Primary use

Dual purpose / meat

Eggs

140-190 eggs/year

Egg color

White

Broodiness

Moderate-high

Notable traits

Five toes
Long broad body
White skin
And historic English table-bird quality across several color varieties.

Use in a cross

Use this breed as a sire or dam in the public cross predictor.

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Varieties

Dorking varieties

Variety-specific images keep the library accurate when one breed name covers several different appearances.

Variety image pending

Silver Gray

Color: Silver-gray rooster; softly penciled hen

Best-known Dorking variety with a silver-gray rooster and a softly patterned silver-gray hen.

Traits: Long broad body, five toes, white/pink legs, single comb, and silver-gray dimorphic coloration.

Variety image pending

Colored

Color: Traditional mixed dark pattern

Colored Dorking variety retaining the historic mixed-color expression of the breed.

Traits: Long broad body, five toes, white/pink legs, and traditional old-style Dorking coloration.

Variety image pending

Red

Color: Rich red with darker tail accents

Red Dorking variety with warm red plumage over the breed’s long, broad, five-toed table-bird frame.

Traits: Five toes, long broad body, white/pink legs, single comb, and rich red plumage.

Variety image pending

Dark

Color: Dark brown-black traditional pattern

Dark Dorking variety with darker traditional plumage on the breed’s long, low, five-toed frame.

Traits: Five toes, long broad body, white/pink legs, single comb, and dark old-style plumage.

Variety image pending

White

Color: Clean white

White Dorking variety with clean white plumage over the breed’s long table-bird body.

Traits: Long broad body, five toes, white/pink legs, single comb, and clean white plumage.

Variety image pending

Cuckoo

Color: Gray-black cuckoo barring

Cuckoo Dorking variety with soft gray-black barring over the historic five-toed table body.

Traits: Five toes, long broad body, white/pink legs, single comb, and cuckoo barring.

Quick stat summary

Weights: Hen 7.00 lb | Rooster 9.00 lb

APA status: APA recognized breed

Sexing traits: None noted

Comb type: Single

Egg size: Medium-large

Origin: United Kingdom

Planning notes

Genetics and sexing notes

Auto-sexing: None recorded for purebred chicks.

Sex-linked: None recorded.

Temperament: Quiet and gentle. Friendliness is generally listed as High. Activity level is generally Low-moderate.

Rooster handling: Roosters are often manageable when well handled, but individual selection still matters. Do not keep aggressive males just because they match the breed type.

Reference profile

Breed depth notes

Extra breed details used for identification, breed-library accuracy, cross prediction, and better image prompts.

History and standard notes

History: Ancient English table breed known for five toes, white skin, a long low body, and excellent meat quality. In the RanchOps library, Dorking is tracked as a dual purpose / meat breed with roots tied to United Kingdom. Its white egg profile, body type, and temperament notes help separate it from similar-looking breeds in flock records and cross predictions. For visual identification, focus on Long, low, broad table-bird body with five toes and clean legs. Its carriage is best described as low, substantial, calm, and horizontal.

APA: Recognized breed in selected varieties; five toes and body type are essential identifiers.

Type and structure

Large fowl: Recognized large fowl.
Bantam: Dorking bantams exist in exhibition contexts.
Earlobes: Red
Body type: Long, low, broad table-bird body with five toes and clean legs
Carriage: Low, substantial, calm, and horizontal

Visual identification

Rooster

Roosters should show five toes, low long body, white/pink legs, single or rose comb depending on variety/standard context, and variety-correct plumage.

Hen

Hens should look broad, low, and table-bird-like with five toes and variety-correct patterning.

Chicks

Chick down varies by variety; the fifth toe is an important early physical clue.

Common confusions

Can be confused with Sussex or other English utility breeds; Dorking should have five toes and a lower longer body.

Image guidance

Preserve five toes, low long broad body, white/pink legs, and do not make the bird upright or Mediterranean-like.

Cross predictor notes

Dorking may contribute five-toe influence, white skin, low table body, broodiness, and calm temperament.

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