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Poultry
Dorking
2008 Watchlist; Category 3, Vulnerable.
The antiquity of the Dorking is documented as far back as 30 AD when the Roman writer Columella praised a table bird as being square in shape with sturdy short legs and five toes; the same characteristics in the modern Dorking.
Sussex and Surrey have traditionally been the main poultry producing areas for table birds, both for local consumption. The Dorking is a docile breed which means that cockerels could be fattened in large numbers, and these flocks of birds were once a splendid sight in the fields of the southern counties.
The most numerous colour of Dorking is the Silver Grey - a striking combination of pure white hackle and saddle in the cock with black underparts. The hens are a delicate shade of slate grey on the back, finely pencilled with darker markings, a silver hackle striped with black and a salmon breast. Other colours are Red, White Cuckoo and Dark. Combs can be single or rose, depending on the colour variety.