Bantam Cochins VS Full Size Cochins ~ Help Please

[CK Chickadilly]

I love the size of bantams because they fit into your arm so nicely. But I can't decide whether or not I should get full sized cochins or bantam cochins. I am getting silkies too. I think the full sized Cochins would be gorgeous!

Question about breeding.....I would want to try breeding the cochins to the silkies. I already have silkie/cochins in a bantam size & they are gorgeous but if I did a full sized cochin bred with a silkie, would that work?

Any opinions on the breeding? Would I use a FS Cochin roo with a Silkie hen or Silkie Roo with a FS Cochin hen.....whew! I am starting to confuse myself!

Or should I stay with Bantam sized Cochins & Silkies together?

Thanks for your help.

 

[mikarod]

I will be undergoing this same thing. I will be AIing bantam silkies to standard hens.

If you're only wanting to do natural breedings, then I think the bantam cochins and bantam silkies would be the best bet. You wouldn't want a standard male over a silkie bantam, because it could injure the hen and a bantam silkie over a standard hen would just not work, or would be less than reliable because of the intense "fluff" that the hens have. Even with bantam birds, you might run into fertility issues. The male may be trying...but the feathers might get into the way.

 

[Teach97]

bantams!!! You get more in less space!!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Trust me, silkie bantam cocks can easily fertilize standard sized hens. (I had a silkisXstandard_brahma hatch out. He was a terror to the other roos, though, and HUGE, so he went to live at a neighbor's house.

If you are worried about the amount of fluff getting in the way, you can trim bottoms, as many breeders of both silkies and cochins do.

 

[sandypaws]

silkie rooster.. wont have a problem breeding fullsize hens.. seen it MANY MANY times...
right now i have many many
d Uccle X SLwy.
d Uccle X EE
d Uccle X RIR
i saw it happen, i saw hens sit on eggs, saw them hatch.. now running around my yard.. that little dUccle rooster has NO problems with the girls...

first off... WHY??? are you crossing them??? what is the reason.. it might help you decide..
but if you love banties,, stick with them...

 

[amazondoc]

I like the bantams. I'm just not into really huge chickens -- and as others have noted, you can fit more in with bantams! Also, bantam cochins have relatively large eggs for bantams, so you get more egg than with, say, my bantam leghorn eggs. And the bantams are just so cute! What's not to love??

 

[CK Chickadilly]

Yeah, I think I will stick with the bantams.....they are so cute & easier to handle. Actually I think the Bantie eggs are tastier than the big girl eggs & the yolks are even oranger (is that a word)

But it would be fun to see those big cochins running around too....maybe sometime in the future.


Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it.

 

[moduckman]

I'm puzzled.

Why cross breed? I understand people like to create unusual chickens, but the real challenge is making a breed better. I'm not trying to say crossing is wrong so do not take this the wrong way.

 

[CK Chickadilly]

Quote:
I guess I was just thinking about it. I have Silkie/Cochin crosses that I got at the auction last summer as chicks & they are very pretty, sweet & fun. I was thinking of trying to make bigger ones, if that makes sense.

Just thinking & trying to figure out what to order.

They are just pets, for fun, & for company.

 

[moduckman]

I'm not putting you down or anything, please don't take it that way. It seems a great majority of the people cross their birds. Please understand that I look at it differently because I show birds. I give my crosses away to avoid feeding them. Exhibitors try hard to keep their breeds as pure as possible. still, it does not matter if it's a purebred or cross, BYC members love their chickens. I have over 100 and am disappointed when ever I lose one. Currently the temp. is below zero and that is really hard on the young birds.