Large Fowl Cochin Thread

[Puddin Fluff]

Thanks Puddin!

We are leaving in 5 minutes to go get them.

How's it looking on your hatching????

fingers crossed that they all hatch and that they're all healthy

Good luck. I had a big event yesterday that kept me from hovering over the broody. I did see half a shell in the nest when I closed them in last night so there is at least one under there! I'll bug her a little later today and see I can get a peek.

 

[elaineinspain]

Quote: We've got the chicks!!!

And the cat transporter was perfect size for them - they sat down and peeped softly to each other the whole 90 minute journey! I had food and water waiting for them for when they got home and they immediately ate and drank and fell asleep in a corner of the brooder.
They will have to stay in the brooder for another week - hubby is still putting the finishing touches on the coop outside. I'm sure they'll be ok.

And what about your hatching? how many babies have you found under (adoptive) mama???

p.s. we got 2 LF cochin, and 2 buff orpington. José (the breeder) thinks one cochin could be a roo, because it's so big. But he's 99%sure the others are all pullets. Time will tell...

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Quote:
Yay! Glad the trip went well. If you post some pic, maybe we can check out the genders. By 7 weeks, I would think you should be able to tell. When I opened up this morning, I saw two little faces poking out, on Lemon Blue and one black and yellow bantam. Not sure what the bantam color will become. I am headed down shortly to pester mama so I can clean out egg shells and see if there are any still in the process.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

EIGHT! Fluffy butted cochin babies!

Two eggs still under mama. I'll leave them for another 24 hours but they had no signs of life.

 

[elaineinspain]

oh Wow! That's wonderful! Let's hope that the 2 remaining un hatched are just a little slow...

Here's mine that I collected today. 2 buff orpingtons and 2 cochins. The man said the 2 orps are pullets, and he isn't sure about the cochins, but is more sure with one being a female, than the other. In the first photo, that's the cochin he is not sure about , so could be a roo. (he's much bigger than the other cochins of the same age) In the 2nd photo the orp whose face you can see and the little cochin looking at the camera we think is a pullet, and in the last picture it's the second orp who the man says is a pullet too. What do you reckon?.



The orpingtons are more feathered out than the cochins. The cochins even have naked patches below their tails, between their legs and on the abdomen. The man told me it's because they are growing so fast the new adult feathers are coming in slower than they are growing. I hope this is normal!
They are all eating well, and drinking well. And even tried dust bathing in the wood shavings! The man gave me some bottles of water with vitamins in for them. And he gave us some feed that they are used to.

If I give them treats, mealy worms, veggies or fruit, do I have to give them some earth or something to help them digest it? I've read a lot about chicken grit, but have no idea what it is.

EIGHT! Fluffy butted cochin babies!

Two eggs still under mama. I'll leave them for another 24 hours but they had no signs of life.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Yes you need some kind of grit. Some people use a course sand for babies and later crushed oyster shells for laying age birds. Any kind of tiny rocks work. That would be what they would scratch up in nature and eat. The oyster shells help provide extra calcium for the egg shell production. I am not sure if you would find it their but you could ask where you get your feed.

I won't say for sure but if they are 7 weeks, I think ey are all pullets. Usually by 7 weeks you would have a redder comb and some wattles if they were a male.

Congrats. They look nice.

 

[elaineinspain]

Yes you need some kind of grit. Some people use a course sand for babies and later crushed oyster shells for laying age birds. Any kind of tiny rocks work. That would be what they would scratch up in nature and eat. The oyster shells help provide extra calcium for the egg shell production. I am not sure if you would find it their but you could ask where you get your feed.

I won't say for sure but if they are 7 weeks, I think ey are all pullets. Usually by 7 weeks you would have a redder comb and some wattles if they were a male.

Congrats. They look nice.

All pullets??? Wow! That's brilliant if you're right! Although one male cochin I think would be nice....
Do you think that if I pull the grass and veggies out by the roots and give them that complete with earth, that would be enough? I read in another blog about raising chickens naturally that they do that. I'm sure in a DIY store I can find some coarse sand, but I'd have to wait till next weekend, so my hubby can drive me there. I have some fine sand that I use in the garden to amend my clay soil, but I think it might be too fine to be any use...

 

[Puddin Fluff]

All pullets??? Wow! That's brilliant if you're right! Although one male cochin I think would be nice....
Do you think that if I pull the grass and veggies out by the roots and give them that complete with earth, that would be enough? I read in another blog about raising chickens naturally that they do that. I'm sure in a DIY store I can find some coarse sand, but I'd have to wait till next weekend, so my hubby can drive me there. I have some fine sand that I use in the garden to amend my clay soil, but I think it might be too fine to be any use...

You could probably go outside and scrape up some soil from the area that they are going to be kept in and most likely there will be some stones in it that would do for a while. Many people will put a pan of soil in the brooder for them to dust bathe in, eat, and it gives them exposure to the stuff that they will be living with before they get out there. In nature they would just be digging up any small rocks that were small enough to swallow and fit in their crop. It really doesn't have to be a specific kind. Throw some of the fine sand in with it as well. It won't hurt.

About the male cochin, I know what you mean. I purposefully have sold off all my boys in anticipation of at least one of these chicks being a male. Right now I have 11 girls, and now the 8 chicks. I miss the crowing. On the up side, you can always go back and, most likely, purchase a roo for little of nothing. Everyone wants the girls more than the boys, generally.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

@elaineinspain

These are Salmon Favorelles at 7 weeks. The top one is female and the bottom one is male. See how much redder his comb and face is compared to hers? Most, not all, but most breeds, you can sex between 4-7 weeks if they are properly developing. The few cochins I have had before I was able to sex them by that age. I had on cochin boy who I knew at hatch was going to be a boy. He already had a comb sticking up! That was the first one I had ever seen on a hatchling and sure enough he turned out to be a boy.

 

[elaineinspain]

You could probably go outside and scrape up some soil from the area that they are going to be kept in and most likely there will be some stones in it that would do for a while. Many people will put a pan of soil in the brooder for them to dust bathe in, eat, and it gives them exposure to the stuff that they will be living with before they get out there. In nature they would just be digging up any small rocks that were small enough to swallow and fit in their crop. It really doesn't have to be a specific kind. Throw some of the fine sand in with it as well. It won't hurt.

About the male cochin, I know what you mean. I purposefully have sold off all my boys in anticipation of at least one of these chicks being a male. Right now I have 11 girls, and now the 8 chicks. I miss the crowing. On the up side, you can always go back and, most likely, purchase a roo for little of nothing. Everyone wants the girls more than the boys, generally.

Thank you for the tip with the soil. It's raining at the moment (rare for here - but it's good for the plants!) but when it dries off I'll collect some earth from the garden and mix it with the sand. I'll try and get some that looks gritty. I thought of just putting it in a shoe box lid in their brooder for them to do what they like with - bathe, eat whatever.
I also gave them a bowl with some fermented feed in. (I fermented some chick starter) They seem very suspicious of it. Maybe it takes a while for them to get used to different things. It's been a big up heavel for them anyway just with leaving the breeder and coming here.

And thanks for the photos of the faverolles. Yes, it's quite easy to see the difference between roos and pullets when you know what you're looking for... And unless mine are late developers they do all look like pullets, their combs are still yellow more than pink. And I don't see any wattles either.

And congratulations on your 8 new babies! .

They all look so sweet. How long will the adoptive mama take care of them for? 6 weeks? more? Do they get accepted easily by the rest of the flock? Or does mama have mediating to do???