Self-Blue Cochin Bantams

[ki4got]

and here's another pic. self blue 'take two'... or is it 'seeing double'?

 

[blueskyrain]

I finally got one last week too, I was disappointed in my trio, so far of 21 eggs only 3 have hatched and two of those were very weak and died within 12 hours...........and she said he was fertile.........grrr. How can I post a photo of the ONE? can't seem to get it to accept a pic. you can see him on my facebook page though

 

[ki4got]

I finally got one last week too, I was disappointed in my trio, so far of 21 eggs only 3 have hatched and two of those were very weak and died within 12 hours...........and she said he was fertile.........grrr. How can I post a photo of the ONE? can't seem to get it to accept a pic. you can see him on my facebook page though

is the trio young? pullet eggs sometimes have that going against them...

as for fertility, try trimming the fluff below the cock's vent and above the hen's vent... that might help the fertility issues. it also helps if the roo LIKES his girls. LOL i've got one hen that only likes my bantam oegb and avoids her own roo. but she's a full sized dorking and the pairing just doesn't work well. as such most of her eggs are clear. (then again they free range too)

 

[blueskyrain]

no the hens are a year old and a year and a half old, she told me after I got him that he is 5 years old, and she had photos of her chicks and said they all hatch for her, but not here, my other breeds hatch fine, this will be 3rd strike buying from her, I should know better lol but I will trim them and see if that helps! It can't hurt! THANKS

 

[1muttsfan]

A five year old roo is getting a little on the older side for good fertility, so do everything you can to help him out - trim feathers, feed a high-quality breeder ration (not just a layer one), and double and triple check your incubator and thermometers.

 

[blueskyrain]

Thanks, I have done all of that, as I said my other breeds are hatching fine, I'm just mad at myself because I just believed her when she said he is still fertile -telling me his age later. (I just pulled 7 out of 9 more eggs out that are not fertile to hatch today, lets see if we get two more) LOL - lol - I do have one that looks like a boy, it will all be ok <3

 

[1muttsfan]

Always good to have a backup (or replacement in this case)

 

[ki4got]

well, crossing fingers, i just set 11 more eggs today, 5 from my split girls and 6 from my sb girl, all with a split roo...

i've got 6 more cooking, 1 hatching now... depending on what i get, i may have some self blues available down the road maybe. 8) hoping the conformation is as good as the parent birds... if not better. 8)

i'm in love with the 2 chicks i've got so far... they are so ... lol they're so 'cochin'. how else can you describe it? they're friendly and fearless and the first ones to hop to the edge of the brooder to say hello. and they're just a week old now.

 

[ki4got]

ok well here's an update. 8)

so far this summer my self blue split pen has produced: 5 black, 6 self blue. I thought I had 7 self blue, but 1 was a doppelganger.

the family portrait from the 'blue pen', plus a couple 'adopted' cochins from the mille fleur pen.


the newest self blue addition to the family. looks like he's made of molten silver.


and the doppelganger...


he started drying out and i noticed the chipmunk stripes and un-fuzzy feet... not sure what color he's going to be, but it's an oegb.

 

[blueskyrain]

I do have 3 now, one boy and two too young to tell, might be boy girl! I'm blessed to have 3 out of 50 make it lol really....