Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

for some good hatching this spring! Do you use an incubator or the broody route, or both? Your blues are pretty dark, if you wouldn't have labeled them I would have mistaken a couple for black, but they are so fluffy I'll let it slide, lolYeah I can't stand a disheveled lawn, hubby wants to mow, so the leaves gotta go. I did the back part of the property a couple weeks ago, filled the run and stashed 1 bag. On to the front today.

I use incubators, but will consider letting some broodies hatch next year if they time their broody spells well. Normally I get a bunch of really stubborn broodies right after I've finished hatching for the year, and I really do prefer the one-on-one availability of brooder babies, but next year I'd like to hatch a lot in order to have a decent number to grow out, so it may finally be their year.

Yes, they are so dark! I've heard of it in Silkies as well, people buying what they think are Black Silkies and then they hatch Splashes out of them because they were actually super dark Blues all along! I don't know why it happens, but I do know it is possible to have a silkied bird with a decent Blue shade, so it's a goal I want to work towards with my birds.

Ah, we're in a wooded area here so not so much of a lawn to tend to or anything. It's mostly a lack of wanting to bust my back bagging them that I haven't gotten any leaves stored back yet, as there are certainly plenty available out there!

Do you plan on ever selling hatching eggs once its locked down a bit more?

I have had some inquiries and do intend to sell eggs next year, once I've made sure that fertility is good in my pens of course. I will not be pricing them to the same amount that I've bought their hatching eggs for, though, primarily because I'm just getting started with them and am not confident that their quality is worth that much just yet, but also because I am not NPIP certified and don't have any immediate plans to certify my flock, at least not in the near future. All cards on the table with that.

I am perfectly happy to connect people with farms that have them and are NPIP certified for those more comfortable with that, though, I just love to see the variety appreciated and gaining more awareness.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

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I am perfectly happy to connect people with farms that have them and are NPIP certified for those more comfortable with that, though, I just love to see the variety appreciated and gaining more awareness.

If you could, I would be quite grateful. I won't be looking seriously for a few years, but I always like having information at the ready should a pen open up

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Of course! I'll shoot you a DM with some links.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Ah, we're in a wooded area here so not so much of a lawn to tend to or anything. It's mostly a lack of wanting to bust my back bagging them that I haven't gotten any leaves stored back yet, as there are certainly plenty available out there!

We're in the country but have a section in the back fenced that we keep looking good and directly in front of our house, it's the pecan trees making all this mess, lol, the oak trees haven't dropped 1 leaf. @junior67 check the fluffy butts! I know you're a cochin nut to

 

[junior67]

They are so cute!!!!

 

[3KillerBs]

No. I'm putting all of my Blue pullets from this year's hatch with a Blue male next year, so here's hoping I finally get my Splash from them.

I'm hoping it skews toward the Splashes for me with these guys next year, though, because I thus far have not had any luck hatching any Splashes at all!

My sympathy. I have hatched ever so many blacks and only 1 splash.

I have no interest in silky feathering, but I am interested in learning about breeding so I'm following.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Haha, I remember you mentioning that somewhere else as well! If I didn't know any better I would think I was hatching from Blue x Black crossings, honestly. Almost equal numbers of Blues and Blacks without a single Splash thus far. I hope whoever out there is having the Splash-heavy hatches to counter-balance us is really appreciating what they have.

 

[junior67]

Haha, I remember you mentioning that somewhere else as well! If I didn't know any better I would think I was hatching from Blue x Black crossings, honestly. Almost equal numbers of Blues and Blacks without a single Splash thus far. I hope whoever out there is having the Splash-heavy hatches to counter-balance us is really appreciating what they have.

I bought standard Cochin eggs from a seller. They were listed as splash. I think she has a splash hen and roo in the pen along with blues. I think those were all splash that hatched. I also got project eggs she has been working on which are Cochin/EE mix that look like Cochin but lay green eggs. I hatched all together so not completely sure which is which besides the frizzles I got and one that was blue with a red neck. But out of 28 total hatched I think 25 we're splash

So saying all that if you can get your hands on a splash to add to the breeding pen then you should get a lot more splash

 

[3KillerBs]

hope whoever out there is having the Splash-heavy hatches to counter-balance us is really appreciating what they have.

Indeed!

So saying all that if you can get your hands on a splash to add to the breeding pen then you should get a lot more splash

I've managed to get one splash. I was hoping it was male because I want a splash as jr. flockmaster but, alas, it's a hen.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Indeed!



I've managed to get one splash. I was hoping it was male because I want a splash as jr. flockmaster but, alas, it's a hen.

Hen is better than nothing. At least she is working in your favor even if no one else wants to