Cochin Thread!!!

[Mr. Ree]

Finally got pics of the coop, after being 90% finished, so thought id share.







And Gail, nothing was directed towards you or anything you said.


~Casey

 

[Coopa Cabana]

This double breeding isn't something that has to be done in raising well patterned mottled cochins, is it? I am just starting (eggs arriving in two days) and certainly don't want to be keeping two separate flocks eventually.

No. The theory/practice of double mating pertains primarily to Varieties where the males and females of the same Variety have different color patterns and markings..

 

[Scifisarah]

Wonderful! I am so excited about getting these mottled cochin eggs I was hoping that was the case. Between my 3 and 4 year old kids, Etsy business, gardens and home I'm going to try to keep my cochin breeding as simple as possible right now with just the one color/flock. I did hold onto one Birchen cochin because I love her type and she always follows me around when I am raking like my little buddy. How will the mottled and birchen genetics combine, or do you think I should keep her separate when I am breeding them for hatching eggs?

 

[just2rosey]

Quote: I have to say I agree with you, Casey. It is very inefficient to have to breed two lines, it requires more birds and more space, then you have twice as many culls to re-home or dispose of. I grew up in a farming community and view everything from a the perspective of animals paying for them selves. This just seems irresponsible to purposefully breed so many inferior animals. I also feel it is wrong to place more importance on breed type than productivity. I hear a lot of people complain about how their various show lines don't lay well at all, and I am always shocked by this. I don't care how a chicken looks if it can't do its job. If selecting for a phenotype creates these kind of issues, then I think we are selecting for the wrong characteristics. Could part of the problem be, that in these varieties with two patterns, we have learned to desire the wrong pattern in the males? I started with Partridge, and I love the color pattern, but I have let it go for now and will hopefully get back to it in a few years. I would love to be able to breed them with only one group not two when that time comes.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: the silver laced i hatched from her were very nice. i've got more eggs on order, should be here tomorrow. this will be 3rd batch of eggs from roslyn.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote: I have to say I agree with you, Casey. It is very inefficient to have to breed two lines, it requires more birds and more space, then you have twice as many culls to re-home or dispose of. I grew up in a farming community and view everything from a the perspective of animals paying for them selves. This just seems irresponsible to purposefully breed so many inferior animals. I also feel it is wrong to place more importance on breed type than productivity. I hear a lot of people complain about how their various show lines don't lay well at all, and I am always shocked by this. I don't care how a chicken looks if it can't do its job. If selecting for a phenotype creates these kind of issues, then I think we are selecting for the wrong characteristics. Could part of the problem be, that in these varieties with two patterns, we have learned to desire the wrong pattern in the males? I started with Partridge, and I love the color pattern, but I have let it go for now and will hopefully get back to it in a few years. I would love to be able to breed them with only one group not two when that time comes.

Cochins, in particular Bantams, aren't known as a production breed. They are know more as an Exhibition breed, and selecting for type should be foremost. IMHO

 

[ki4got]

Quote: ok had the date wrong...
http://centralmainebirdfanciers.org/
this coming weekend.

 

[tkay6205]

Finally got pics of the coop, after being 90% finished, so thought id share.







And Gail, nothing was directed towards you or anything you said.


~Casey

Casey, LOVE LOVE LOVE your coop!!! Love that look, did you repurpose that building from something else? Also, I have a question on your fence.....do you find your cochins stay in the shorter fence like that? Right now I have the tall 6' kennel panels but would love to get by with the 4' panels if I could in the future.

 

[wife2abirdman]

I have LF Cochins and I have chicks - they are only three weeks old right now and not ready to go.

I may have a white cockerel, though it's a bit early to tell if it might be splash.

I'll post again when I decide which birds are available and the varieties.


There is a show at the Windsor Fairgrounds (Windsor, ME) on Oct 7th. There will be some decent breeders of poultry there that day

Please do let me know if it is a white roo.

I do plan on going to the show in Windsor I just wasn't sure if I would find what I wanted for sale. I have never been to a poultry show, I have been to a rabbit show is it similar to that?

Also is there a difference between white and dominant white? I am looking for dominant white. It might sound like a dumb question but I am still new to chicken genetics.

 

[lilcrow]

WOW! I didn't mean to ruffle so many feathers (pun intended). You may notice, or not, that I edited that post almost immediately, hoping that I would get it off line before anybody saw it, but alas I was too late. Even if I wanted to get into talking about double breeding, it should have been done over on the genetics, breeding and showing thread. It's a fascinating subject that has it roots in the 40's I believe. Now I could be wrong about the era, I just didn't feel like taking the time to look it up.
SORRY..........again.