The Perfect Bird
To be a Millie Fluer, hens and roosters must have a specific base color. Cocks should be a reddish/orange/mahogany. Hens should have a red/dark buff color base. This is one of the biggest issues I see in this color, looking around. Usually hens are a lighter pale buff, when it should be a deeper and darker one. I’ve seen some cull a rooster because it’s base color was “not dark enough”, when it was the perfect deep red I look for in cocks. When hatching chicks, I see that all of them are a good buff color when dry. I want it to stay consistent to let me know that my line is consistent and pure enough to eventually breed to (a long shot, I know).
View attachment 2688730View attachment 2688733
(examples of good color above. Previous photos of Casey and Chase May give a better idea of true color. The lightings are way different in these pictures.)
My main issue in breeding for color is the flowering. My chickens do not have the good black and white mottling as they should. Each feather should have a line or “V” shaped black mark on the end of each feather, with white inside it, at the very end of each feather. I’d say my guys don’t have enough black on them. Around, I see Cochins with way too much black built up on the breast, hackle, and/or saddle feathers. That’s the #1issue. Beyond that, it’s getting a consistently good pattern.
View attachment 2688884
(The cock on the left has good flowering. The hen on the right has good flowering as well, but in a Cochin Bantam, we’d need less black and white so that the base color is still visible. Pic is a screenshot from google images.)
Moving on, we have the biggest issue: type. Though it’s hard to let a beautifully colored bird go, it’s necessary to making up a show quality bird. I’m hoping to improve my type. Cochin Bantams should be round balls with heads. There usually should be a distinction between the back and tail. Cushion must be full, and slightly lower than the head. The chicken itself should be wide from a view above. Here are some good typed birds from Cochinsinternational (I highly recommend looking at their website, online shows, and Education portion of the website).
View attachment 2689286View attachment 2689287
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And a good head on a Cochin Bantam:
(Also from Cochinsinternational)
View attachment 2689290View attachment 2689291
I’m a visual learner, so I hope this also helps you when trying to figure out type. And you can compare color to MF D’uccles that can also help out.
View attachment 2688730View attachment 2688733
(examples of good color above. Previous photos of Casey and Chase May give a better idea of true color. The lightings are way different in these pictures.)
My main issue in breeding for color is the flowering. My chickens do not have the good black and white mottling as they should. Each feather should have a line or “V” shaped black mark on the end of each feather, with white inside it, at the very end of each feather. I’d say my guys don’t have enough black on them. Around, I see Cochins with way too much black built up on the breast, hackle, and/or saddle feathers. That’s the #1issue. Beyond that, it’s getting a consistently good pattern.
View attachment 2688884
(The cock on the left has good flowering. The hen on the right has good flowering as well, but in a Cochin Bantam, we’d need less black and white so that the base color is still visible. Pic is a screenshot from google images.)
Moving on, we have the biggest issue: type. Though it’s hard to let a beautifully colored bird go, it’s necessary to making up a show quality bird. I’m hoping to improve my type. Cochin Bantams should be round balls with heads. There usually should be a distinction between the back and tail. Cushion must be full, and slightly lower than the head. The chicken itself should be wide from a view above. Here are some good typed birds from Cochinsinternational (I highly recommend looking at their website, online shows, and Education portion of the website).
View attachment 2689286View attachment 2689287
View attachment 2689288View attachment 2689289
And a good head on a Cochin Bantam:
(Also from Cochinsinternational)
View attachment 2689290View attachment 2689291
I’m a visual learner, so I hope this also helps you when trying to figure out type. And you can compare color to MF D’uccles that can also help out.
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