Dwarf or Just Stunted? Bantam Cochin Chick (Pics & Video), Breeder Input Desired, Plz

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speckledhen

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
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18 Years
Feb 3, 2007
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Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
Had a broody D'Anver hen hatch a lone Delawegger chick and bought two chicks (stuck with what the feedstore had in their weekly shipment) as companions to that chick. Got two overpriced bantam Cochins, a blue and a black, from (insert BIG name hatchery here), I never expect anything, of course, after having several failure to thrive chicks and/or deformed chicks out of this hatchery, so not really surprised. The black appears to have vulture hocks, a Cochin no-no, if I recall. The blue one, at 3 weeks old, has not grown or feathered in one tiny bit, not at all. It looks like a newly hatched and flufffed out chick still. To my surprise, it eats and drinks and does not seem to be going downhill (expected it to die about two weeks of age, but nope). After my experience with one form of dwarfism in my Delaware lines, I'm beginning to think this chick may have another form of dwarfism.

Breeders who have experience with this, please comment on the pictures and short video. The blue one is Mouse, appropriately named, I think. Not sure but I think it's male. Both Cochins would have hatched about February 25-26, then shipped to store from hatchery.

http://s673.beta.photobucket.com/user/Mtnviewpoultry/media/Video Clips/DSCN7834_zps51b0d63f.mp4.html



 
Cynthia, your Mouse appears to be male and appears to be Bantam. The Black appears LF.
As you know, males feather in slower than females. And Mouse may be Blue or Splash....time will tell on that. The baby sure looks healthy and active in the video. Mom is doing a good job keeping her chicks.
 
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Kathryn, the black one I'm pretty sure is a bantam-- you can see the LF Delaware cross chick with both of them in the pic below that I added. They both came from the mixed bantam bin, same shipment, so same age. Mouse hasn't feathered in at all in three weeks. Now, if the black is a LF and a pullet, that would explain some things, but the store has them in a wire covered brooder, not accessible to customers or other brooders, so if that is a LF Cochin, it came mixed up from the hatchery, but I am fairly positive from the size differencial between the Del/EE chick and the others, that the black is a bantam.

I'm 100% positive Mouse is blue from my experience with my BBS Orps, Rocks and Ameraucanas. If he was splash, he'd be silvery white. Thanks for your input! I was surprised that no one had commented in days on this one.
 
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cyn, i have no idea, but I have a friend that is a cochin breeder, she doesnt get on byc daily, but i know she will respond. amy has beautiful cochins, so she should have some idea for you.
 
I do not think it is a dwarf. The digits would show abnormalities. It does look very under developed though. Maybe just a very small chick and though active, this kid may not live a full year, if even a few months. Looks to be a pullet hatched chick. People that hatch from first pullet eggs often get chicks like this and they can not develop well.
Keep it comfortable and happy but I know you won't be surprised if it passes away unexpectedly or starts to go downhill.
 
Sort of what I expected Amy, thank you. I have had dwarfs in the Delaware lines with parrot beaks, crooked toes, mongoloid-ish appearance and they rarely live more than a few months. This doesn't have those traits, but I'd never had a chick this underdeveloped, but seeming to thrive at this age. Had one Sussex that didn't grow, though her wings kept getting larger and larger. She went downhill and died at two weeks old, same darn hatchery. I really didn't want anymore hatchery stock, but fertility was down and I was stuck with a lone hatchling who needed pals and so, here are Mouse and the black one with vulture hocks.
hmm.png
 
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Yes, I guess I did, Amy. I always hope against hope that one will beat the odds, but I knew when he never grew at all, not even a feather, that he'd not make it. At least, in his short life, he had the experience of a wonderfully attentive broody mama and siblings and warmth. I am so sick of this hatchery and their consistently substandard birds. I rarely buy hatchery stock anymore, except as companions to single hatchlings here, and get them from this hatcherybecause this feed store almost always has chicks available and buys from this big name place, but lately, one after the other is defective in some devastating way.
 
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