I have a chicken coop with 14 Large Fowl Blue/Black/Splash Cochin hens and 1 Black Cochin rooster.
Well over the summer I let them go broody and raise chicks.
I have another coop with a mix of different breeds.
I had a Cochin go broody last May.
When I gathered the Cochin hatching eggs to set under her I accidently grabbed a egg off the counter from the mix breed coop.
When the eggs hatched I realized my mistake because 1 of the chicks was brown.
The mixed breed chick ended up being a Cockerel it was a mix of a Jubilee Orpington rooster X Silver laced Wyandotte Hen.
I decided to let it live with the flock until it got to butcher weight and eat it.
I had another Cochin hen go broody at the beginning of September.
I set Cochin eggs under her and when the eggs hatched 2 of the chicks ended being brown/gray.
My only thought is the Orpington-Wynadotte mix breed rooster must have been fertile at 12 weeks of age?
I'm assuming the chicks will have a rose comb and I can tell they have feathered feet.
Lesson learned get the young cockerels away from my breeder hens ASAP..
One mistake just led to another.. LOL
Well over the summer I let them go broody and raise chicks.
I have another coop with a mix of different breeds.
I had a Cochin go broody last May.
When I gathered the Cochin hatching eggs to set under her I accidently grabbed a egg off the counter from the mix breed coop.
When the eggs hatched I realized my mistake because 1 of the chicks was brown.
The mixed breed chick ended up being a Cockerel it was a mix of a Jubilee Orpington rooster X Silver laced Wyandotte Hen.
I decided to let it live with the flock until it got to butcher weight and eat it.
I had another Cochin hen go broody at the beginning of September.
I set Cochin eggs under her and when the eggs hatched 2 of the chicks ended being brown/gray.
My only thought is the Orpington-Wynadotte mix breed rooster must have been fertile at 12 weeks of age?
I'm assuming the chicks will have a rose comb and I can tell they have feathered feet.
Lesson learned get the young cockerels away from my breeder hens ASAP..
One mistake just led to another.. LOL
