Cochin breeding, genetics, and showing - Page 2

My Giant Naked neck Lemon Cochin Hen....

MrsChickendad,Thank you! the judge really liked the cochins. He also liked my dark blue BLRW.She came in second out of probably fifteen hens in the barn. Then my bantam salmon faverolle  came in third out of around twenty. He said that she would have placed better but she was in what he called rough condition( missing two tail feathers).However he did not like the Wheaten hen. She got eighth out of probably fifteen also.

Charles was good for showmanship. It was a really tough class this year. Everyone had alot of knowledge. I got sixth place out of probably twenty people in my class. I need to work on eye contact. I am trying to get over the fact that I am shy.l am thinking about becoming a member of the APA so I can get to do shows for points and go to more shows.



My question to all of you smart people on the cochin thread is are the APA showmanship classes exactly like the ones in 4H? What do the judges look for?

Ah, just the thread I was hoping to find.

First off, I know little of Cochins, and I am new to poultry breeding in general. I wont be breeding to standard of show right off the bat, unless I get good and have the desire to continue.

That said:

This weekend I picked up a pair of Blue Cochins, a roo and and hen. As you guys likely already know, this time of year its hard to find anything but roosters out there. The guy had 3 Cochin roosters, a Blue, Buff, and a Black. The only hen was Blue, so I took the Blue roo as well. He also talked me into taking the Buff roo as well for free. I understand Blue genetics from Marans, so is Blue in Cochins the same?

What would I likely get from crossing the Buff roo with the Blue Hen? Anything worthwhile, or just multicolored balls of fluff, pretty as they may be?

Any major defects to look for that are especially hard to breed out? For the price, I won't be complaining, even if all I get is a broody hen and roos I can show off to friends. If there is some decent genetics to work with, I'll be more than willing to practice and learn with these 3, and who knows, maybe get into showing.

As for Cochin broodiness, how often should I expect it? Don't get me wrong, I want that. I'll let her set as many eggs as she wants, to a point. I've also got a breeding pair of Marans and hope to find a girls for my Gold Polish I got.

Any other advice for a newbie with Cochins? I'll post picks after they get accustomed to their new home and get some good pics.

I have had LF Cochins that go both ways on broody nature, I had 1 particular line the hens would lay 3 eggs and set till hatched, I have another line in another variety that has never been broody on me.
for the LF they can cover a large number of eggs rather surprising what they can do.

As for advice would be the same as with any other breed, keep it small and focused until you know for certian they are something you want to continue with. take this time to get familiar with the standard and resonable expectations of teh breed. Don't overlaod your self it is easy to do.

Hello, I would also stick to breeding the same variety until you come up with a line of birds that you like. As a someone new to cochins I think that you should know that cochins are sensitive to the heat.All of the standard cochins I have had are prone to heat stroke. Also if you want to show cochins the cochins that you decide to show need to go in a cage. If they are not caged they will ruin their  feathers especially if they are white. Dirty cochins are also in my experience incredibly hard to get clean.

If you get bantam cochins it is also not a good idea to let them free range in your yard. Once I had this buff bantam cochin named Sally. One day Sally was enjoying her free time in my back yard like she had normally done every day I had owned her. I was right behind her when this gigantic red tailed hawk swooped down and broke her neck. After a moment of astonishment my mom and I decided to grab sally and burry her. Thats when the hawk grabbed her for the second time and I never saw her again.

Cochins will soon become your favorite breed of chicken because of there sweet, personable nature. They are still my favorite breed of chicken after keeping and showing chickens for eight years. I hope that you have fun with your new cochins.

Not Naked Neck Cochins...

idk how hot we're talking about here but mine do fine in the 90's with access to shade and dirt. they pant but they seem to be ok. they like to dig in the dirt to cool off

I'm in Arkansas right now. we got to go in the shop in TX to fix the air on the truck and then we'll try to head back home. You can always email me and congrats on the chicks