Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh, I forgot to add as another note, Ottilie laid an egg yesterday! I have caught a pullet in the nests as well in that coop (I think it was one of the two Blue pullets pictured in the blue coop evaluations, I just don't remember which), so now I have two birds laying out there. One of the pullets I evaluated today was urgently yelling at me to let her go so she could go nest and lay, and Bella in the corner coop is flushing up so hopefully will be laying soon as well. I guess things are starting to kick up here!!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Got the rest of the pullets evaluated today! I... didn't take very good notes today, though. After fighting for two hours with around 15 pullets to pose decently for a picture, I was pretty wiped out. But I did leg band some of them as definite keeps, and noted down others as maybes. A lot of them need more time to fill out, I think, so not all are pictured. Some of the 'maybes' are younger birds that I grabbed and took a picture of before realizing as well.

Once again bear in mind that these pictures don't accurately illustrate their head and cushion height because they all want to hold their heads as high as possible when I put them up on my makeshift table to evaluate them.

We'll go coop by coop as before, starting today with the green banders. Each picture is a different bird.

Here are my keepers at the moment:

View attachment 3753180View attachment 3753181View attachment 3753182

Here are my maybes:

View attachment 3753184View attachment 3753185

This pullet I'm thinking is a cull:

View attachment 3753186

---

Next up are the red banders from the corner coop.

These are my keepers:

View attachment 3753187View attachment 3753188

This pullet sustained an injury to the top of her head a couple weeks ago, so is a sentimental keeper either way, but she is shaping up nicely for her age so likely will be a breeder as well. She's a younger pullet, so has some filling out to do still. Her name is Nora.

View attachment 3753189


These are my maybes. These are all maybes because they are younger and will likely fill out more.

View attachment 3753193View attachment 3753194

This young lady is again a keeper either way because a friend picked her to name, but is a maybe as a breeder because of her age. I think I've posted her before, this is Ivy.

View attachment 3753192


These two I'm pretty sure are both culls:

View attachment 3753196

This is the pullet I posted before with the cull cockerels:

View attachment 3753198

---

Lastly, the pullets with no leg bands.

Duckling is a keep. Look at how well she's filled in!! She's come a long way since her excursion for a swim in the duck pool! She does have a tiny bit of a curve at the back of her comb, but she's pretty solid otherwise.

View attachment 3753199

This pullet I've gone back and forth on keeping. She does have lovely type, despite how she posed for her picture. But she also has that strange tuft on her back, and her cushion is a bit undersized.

View attachment 3753200

This pullet I see some potential in, but couldn't really judge her well today because she's mid-molt.

View attachment 3753215

This pullet I think is not going to be a keeper:

View attachment 3753213


And that's all for now. PHEW!! I'm ready to hit the hay after all that!

The bottom pullet, why is she not a keeper? Is it just her back?

 

[kurby22]

All right, now time for some potential keepers.

I started evaluating pullets today. Just the blue coop so far, and I decided part way through that some of the pullets in there are too young to properly judge, so not all of them are present in these pictures. But, here's what I have so far along with some notes.

Something to keep in mind... Each and every one of them stretched out their necks when I put them up on my makeshift table to evaluate them and would not pose nicely, so don't judge their head and cushion height too harshly based on these pictures. View attachment 3752369

These are the ones that I evaluated before deciding they need a bit more time to fill out:

Younger pullet 1:

View attachment 3752374

What I like about her: Roundness, back, foot color and feathering, height and width of head, width of back, comb is decent
What I don't care for: Wing set low and wings are slipped, tail is a bit iffy, earlobe color, beak a bit straight

---

Younger pullet 2:

View attachment 3752375

What I like about her: Back, chest, wings are not slipped, earlobe color
What I don't care for: Cushion and tail are iffy, head is a bit narrow, foot color is lacking, wing set too low

For both of them, I expect they will improve at least some with a few more weeks of growing.





The rest of these birds I feel are old enough to more thoroughly evaluate.

These I believe are my definite keepers:

Splash pullet 1:

View attachment 3752396

Just to show the type difference between on the table and on the ground, here is the same pullet on the ground. They are all like this n the ground, with heads better set compared to their cushions.

View attachment 3752397

What I like about her: Roundness, broadness, back, wing set, broad head, short and curved beak, foot color, ugh, just everything honestly
What I don't care for: Okay, fine. Her comb is not the greatest, cushion needs to fill out more, and she has some white in her earlobes.

---

Black pullet:

View attachment 3752394

What I like about her: Roundness, broadness, wing set, broad head, back, cushion, fullness of stern, foot color and feathering
What I don't care for: Chest is not as full as I'd like, poor comb serration, earlobe color

---

Blue pullet 1:

View attachment 3752395

What I like about her: Roundness and broadness, back, cushion, broadness of head, fullness of chest and stern, shank coloring and feathering
What I don't care for: comb serration, those darn earlobes, wing set is juuuust a tiny bit low




These last two are 'maybes', not sure if I'll keep them or not:

Splash pullet 2:

View attachment 3752399

What I like about her: decently round and broad, back, wing set, earlobe color, foot color and feathering
What I don't care for: Lacking fullness in the chest and cushion, head is a bit narrower, tail is a bit high, a little bit of slip in the wing

---

Blue pullet 2:

View attachment 3752398

What I like about her: roundness and broadness, broad head, even wing set, foot color and feathering
What I don't care for: Pinched cushion, abrupt transition from back to cushion, lacking fullness in the chest, could use more fullness in the cushion as well, wings are a bit low, wonky comb serration, beak too straight, earlobe color



Hopefully this was not too scattered of a way of posting! If there's anything I may have missed in my evaluations, feel free to mention it!

Earlobe color seems to be the big thing in this coop, but they're pretty solid birds otherwise. Pretty happy with them overall!

I'm going to try to get the pullets from the other two coops and the Gus x Blue girls pullets evaluated tomorrow or Wednesday. Will post with them once I've finished. Hopefully I'll have my breeding groups mostly sorted by March!

That definite keeper splash girl is a beautiful girl!! I’d definitely be excited about her

 

[Turtle1626]

Oh, I forgot to add as another note, Ottilie laid an egg yesterday! I have caught a pullet in the nests as well in that coop (I think it was one of the two Blue pullets pictured in the blue coop evaluations, I just don't remember which), so now I have two birds laying out there. One of the pullets I evaluated today was urgently yelling at me to let her go so she could go nest and lay, and Bella in the corner coop is flushing up so hopefully will be laying soon as well. I guess things are starting to kick up here!!

Are you familiar with silked columbian Cochins?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The bottom pullet, why is she not a keeper? Is it just her back?

There are a few reasons, but yes, her back is a large part of it. Her cushion is pinched and undersized, wings are too low, and chest is a bit shallow as well.

That definite keeper splash girl is a beautiful girl!! I’d definitely be excited about her

I am!! They all went through an awkward phase and I was getting worried that none of my Splashes would shape up after all that time hoping for them, but she's really blossomed. She looks even better in person to me than she does in those pictures! They all do to an extent, really.

Are you familiar with silked columbian Cochins?

Not particularly, no, but I am familiar with the breed in general if you have any questions. Do you have them? I'd love to see pictures!

 

[Turtle1626]

There are a few reasons, but yes, her back is a large part of it. Her cushion is pinched and undersized, wings are too low, and chest is a bit shallow as well.




I am!! They all went through an awkward phase and I was getting worried that none of my Splashes would shape up after all that time hoping for them, but she's really blossomed. She looks even better in person to me than she does in those pictures! They all do to an extent, really.




Not particularly, no, but I am familiar with the breed in general if you have any questions. Do you have them? I'd love to see pictures!

I don’t but my breeder does, Im waiting on the chicks here’s one of her hens Their so gorgeous

 

[kurby22]

I don’t but my breeder does, Im waiting on the chicks here’s one of her hens Their so gorgeous

Oh she is pretty!!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I don’t but my breeder does, Im waiting on the chicks here’s one of her hens Their so gorgeous

Gorgeous! Look at that fluff!! Keep us posted on your babies!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I got two eggs from the blue coop last night!! I guess that confirms that I do have more than one bird laying out there Not too much longer and I'll be able to start setting eggs to check fertility!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Had to do a double-take last night! That was one-two-three-FOUR eggs in the blue coop last night!!

...I hope these egg updates aren't becoming obnoxious at this point. Needless to say, I'm quite excited for hatching season to get here!