Can you identify cochins from regular-tailed breeds as chicks?

[AOrchard]

Hello!

I am hatching out some Cochin crosses. I am loving the mystery of figuring out the chicks! I have been dabbling in chicken genetics and chick ID. One thing I could not find is - when does the rump of Cochin chicks become obviously different than the rump of normal chicks? Can you tell whether a chick has a Cochin rump without waiting for them to feather out? I am hoping to learn strategies and ages to tell them apart in general, rather than ID'ing a specific set of chicks.

Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

What do you consider different about the rump of a cochin? I've never seen one in person, but when I look at photos online, they don't look particularly different to me.

 

[featheredplanets]

When I had Pekins/Cochin bantams, their tails looked the same as the other chicks until they were adults and had all their adult feathers. Their tails stay pointy for a while.

 

[AOrchard]

@featheredplanets Ok that makes sense, thanks!

@NatJ Here's some stock hatchery photos of D'uccle bantams vs Cochin bantams, and some of my own flock (Cochin rooster, non-cochin hens). The cochins tails aren't pointy, they sort of turn into little poufs. I did look on Google and you're right, a lot of photos they do have more of a pointy tail. Maybe a bantam or bloodline thing? Not sure. Mine doesn't though, his tail is very much a pouf.

 

[NatJ]

Oh, I think I see what you're talking about.

I knew some chickens have the tall pointy tails and others didn't, but I didn't think of them as being peculiar to cochins. I've never had cochins, but I know I've had chickens with the lower/wider tails. I've had so many different dual-purpose breeds over the years, all from commercial hatcheries, that I mostly don't remember which ones had what kinds of tails.

 

[Painted Calls]

A Cochin's "cushion" will not become apparent until a while after they've feathered out. It shapes as they mature.

That being said, some do not ever get an ideal cushion. All depends on their breeding. I have one now that did not turn out the way I'd hoped. I will keep her but she will be in the "pet" group.