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Cochin

Cochins came from China in the 19th Century. They were recognized by the APA in 1874. They were...
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Ornamental
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Frequent
Climate Tolerance
Cold
Egg Productivity
Low
Egg Size
Medium
Egg Color
Light Brown
Breed Temperament
Friendly,Easily handled,Calm,Bears confinement well,Quiet,Docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
White, Blue, Black, Buff, Red, Partridge and various other newer colors, Splash
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
Asiatic
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The Cochin is one of the most popular breeds of chicken with the hobbyist in the world today. The main reason for the breed's popularity is it's exceptional temperament. Cochins are renowned for having for extremely kind and quiet dispositions. They are easily tamed and very friendly, making them one of the most popular pet breeds for children. Mature birds also do not roam much and do not fly well at all, making them easier than most breeds to confine.

The breed originated in China and was exported to Britain and America in the mid 19th century, and are one of the breeds responsible for starting “hen fever” – the national obsession for poultry that struck America and England at that time. As the breed was developing in China, particular attention was paid to the large size of the bird and it is one of the largest breeds, with roosters weighing 11 lbs and hens 9lbs. Another notable feature is the bird's plentiful feathering, that covers not only the body but its legs and feet, making an already large bird appear even larger. It comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns, with many more being developed by hobbyists. They come in both standard and bantam sizes and frizzle feathered Cochins are also extremely popular.

Cochins are an extremely broody breed, are great mothers, and are often used as foster mothers for other breeds, or even turkeys and ducks. They are very cold hardy and considered a good winter layer. While the hens are good layers of large light brown eggs when they are laying, their tendency to go broody multiple times a year cuts down their total egg production. It is also used as a slow growing meat bird, and was considered one of the best breeds for making capons.

It was recognized by the APA in 1874 and is on The Livestock Conservancy's Watch list.

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Cochin eggs

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Cochin chick

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Cochin juveniles

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Cochin hen

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Cochin rooster

For more on the Cochin breed and their owners' and breeders' experiences, please see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-cochin.977805/
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Latest reviews

Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies
Great Breed
Pros: Very pretty
Nice Brown eggs
Super nice
Cons: Less eggs
Large bird; needs more food
I love cochins! They look super cute and are very sweet chickens. They seem like they are fat, but it's mostly just fluff.
I love the review, it's very well written!
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Reactions: Jenbirdee and Amer
PippinTheChicken
Friendly pets
Pros: Friendly, very cute, cuddly
Cons: Slow to mature
I have a little bantam frizzle cochin. She's absolutely adorable and friendly!
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Amer
Pros: Sweet, gentle, great pets, lap chickens
Cons: Fragile, few eggs, infertility, high maintenance, pushovers
We had a pair of the sweetest exhibition quality bantam Cochins. They were beloved pets, but our intention for breeding them was never realized since the pullet never laid any eggs. Not long after we got her, she died for no apparent reason. Romeo the male (one of my sweetest roosters ever, definitely a bit of a lap chicken) disappeared unexpectedly. This breed really doesn’t work in a free range situation unless you don’t care about getting their feet dirty. They are a higher maintenance chicken.
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Kglassmo
Kglassmo
So sorry to hear of your loss. We have 4 Cochin hens (2 lavender, 1 buff, 1 white) all over 3 yrs old. One of my lavenders never laid well, she was bred for style over functionality but worth it! She’s super cuddly! Other 3 lay regularly, every other day. in hot weather they struggle- they’re more tolerant of cold climates. They’re not meant to free range, as they’re very trusting; not great at defending themselves. They like to be close to home, their flock/people. Our Cochins are pets and hop into laps whenever able. I love them; my children adore them. Buff variety gets broody often which can be pro or con, depending on your goals. Cochins make excellent mothers. My oldest show hen lived to be 11; laid eggs until age 6, only a few times/wk. We have a Polish roo who looks over them and their variety of sisters. We never let them all free range unless someone is with them- too many predators. Good luck to you if you try Cochins again! They are a beautiful, kind breed!
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Comments

Tanichca
So far I'm only on my first hatch from them, and the babies are a week old and starting to feather. I'd guess they'd be like any other chicken- fully feathered by six weeks.
 
trac
Pro: Great bird to use as a foster mother, very cold hardy bird and temperament that is so gentle. Can mess with her, even though she has chicks.
Con: So so on laying. Chicks can get caught in all that thick feathers and get dragged around with mother not realizing what's happening.
Our cochin is an older bird, but she is a wonderful mama. She and another hen sat on one clutch of eggs, hatched three chicks and are fostering nine other chicks.
She even takes all of them when the other hen wants to do her own thing.
 
shadygardener
We have a Cochin hen that went broody this summer. But I didn't realize she wasn't getting off the nest until she had some chicks, and I took her egg every day, finally leaving her with an empty nest. When we realized she was going to stay on the nest, we put eggs from the other hens under her. She hatched one and had it down on the ground teaching it to scratch around. It lasted a few days and for some reason died. She looked for it for a couple of days and then got back on the nest. We had left the remaining eggs there in case another wanted to hatch. (We don't know much about all this still, even after having chickens for years...) Anyway, after a couple of days of looking for that chick to come back, she got back on that nest and commenced to setting on the remaining eggs. After several days, one hatched! She stayed there. A couple of days later another hatched. She's had them out in the yard every day now for several weeks. She is such a good mother. We are very proud of her. Her name is Fluffy.
 
SherrKa
I have a Partridge rooster and he is as docile and sweet and the hens. I have two Partridge hens and four white cochin hens and while I love their temperament and the look of them, I have only gotten five or six eggs in the last year since they started laying.I wish there was something I could do to get them to lay more. I am feeding organic feed and it is too expensive to feed to hens that want lay.
 
birdnerd
i love my cochin she was really sweet and she was a okay layer and we even got eggs all through winter and we trained her to sit in my lap. :)
 
BantamFan4Life
ClucksandPeeps: Yeah, I just said that because I live in a very wet climate with lots of mud and when my Cochins get in that there feathered legs get muddy and tattered.:-/
Studio2770: Yeah, I wish mine were that way :/
birdnerd: Yeah :)
 
roverdew
They are the warmest of all of mine with the fluffy feathers on their legs as well. In the summer they like to lay in the dirt in the shade... no issues with NC weather.
 
joycespell
these little girls are sooo sweet. When i got my first one i took her every where with me in a small pet carrier as a chick. She grew up to sit in my lap on car rides and stayed in a special hut on the porch. Sadly, she passed away about a year ago but we will always remember her.:)
 
2
Sorry your girl is gone. When ours was a tiny chick, we would let her take naps on our tummies under our t-shirts. As an adult she loves to snuggle in my arms on a cold day, and if I dare to put her back downshe stands in front of me and won't budge, staring up at me as if she's offended. lol
 
Nutcup
We have 2 Cochin pullets, one of them is outside with the 2 Americanas, and Pecker is inside being nursed. She is so sweet I mostly really enjoy the time I spend with her. Her sister Big Nellie doesn't care to be held much.
 

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Category
Chicken Breeds
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Reviews
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Rating
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