Cochin Bantams and Frizzle Cochin Bantams!!

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Can they be bred naturally?

Dog houses work too. You mentioned you had silkies you can count on them going broody and your cochins. Not so much the ameraucanas, they hardly ever go broody. I would start researching incubating, because it will be difficult to only rely on broodies. They may want to hatch at undesirable times or not when you want them to. If you want everything to be "natural" then i guess don't hatch. Although you cold hatch and put them with a hen to care for them. There is not way to make it 100% "natural" though. It is controlled breeding regardless. If you were to let them all go in a woods, they would fend for there selves, as they would have no one to rely on. You would ameraucanas breeding cochins and cochins breeding ameraucanas. They don't care if they are the same breed. So there are some aspects of it that are going to be controlled.

 

[jajeanpierre]

If you want everything to be "natural" then i guess don't hatch. Although you cold hatch and put them with a hen to care for them. There is not way to make it 100% "natural" though. It is controlled breeding regardless.

By natural, I meant without artificial insemination. They have too much fluff on their butts to breed naturally. If I pluck feathers around the vents of the birds, how good is the fertility rate? How long after "breeding season" before they are back in show condition?

I've read lots of books, but books aren't the same as personal experience. Thanks.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

By natural, I meant without artificial insemination. They have too much fluff on their butts to breed naturally. If I pluck feathers around the vents of the birds, how good is the fertility rate? How long after "breeding season" before they are back in show condition?

I've read lots of books, but books aren't the same as personal experience. Thanks.

I would pluck the feathers I would just trim them. When you want to get them into condition then I would pluck them, so they grow back better. Trimming is easier and less pain for the bird. Depends if your rooster is good at fertilizing. Some breeds like leghorn, don't need trimming but you could still have terrible fertility rates. It just depends. I would give them 2 months to get back into show condition. I have no experience breeding cochins though.

 

[mindylee]

I just trim really close and only around the vents. I let everyone do their own thing and I have a awesome fertility rate.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

By natural, I meant without artificial insemination. They have too much fluff on their butts to breed naturally. If I pluck feathers around the vents of the birds, how good is the fertility rate? How long after "breeding season" before they are back in show condition?

I've read lots of books, but books aren't the same as personal experience. Thanks.

I find AI is the best way to breed birds that you want to show. Predicting how or when a bird will come back from plucking is not a sure thing.

If you are planning on plucking this is what I do. When you pluck you have to pluck high/above the vent on the hens and below the vent on the males or you don't get fertile eggs. When I choose to pluck I place my hand on the back of the hen to see if feathers will block the vent area. If they do I pluck some more. It is a lot of feathers on a real SQ hen which is why I AI the best. On the male I place my hand under him like he would be when he was breeding and pluck until no feathers block the area. that give between 6-8 weeks of fertility. If you want the easy way just clip feathers and they won't grow back until they molt. Really ugly birds for a long time when I do that.

I only pluck or trim birds I have no intention of showing.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I find AI is the best way to breed birds that you want to show. Predicting how or when a bird will come back from plucking is not a sure thing.

If you are planning on plucking this is what I do. When you pluck you have to pluck high/above the vent on the hens and below the vent on the males or you don't get fertile eggs. When I choose to pluck I place my hand on the back of the hen to see if feathers will block the vent area. If they do I pluck some more. It is a lot of feathers on a real SQ hen which is why I AI the best. On the male I place my hand under him like he would be when he was breeding and pluck until no feathers block the area. that give between 6-8 weeks of fertility. If you want the easy way just clip feathers and they won't grow back until they molt. Really ugly birds for a long time when I do that.

I only pluck or trim birds I have no intention of showing.

Thanks.

 

[ESofVA]

I've been looking everywhere for fizzles. Any breed/color except the Polish & Serama ones (they aren't cold hardy).
Would prefer a started pullet (to be aquired now) but will take chicks or even fertile eggs (to be aquired in April/may).
Im in NJ & can pickup locally or I will pay for shipping.
Please pm me with what you have available & price.
All the hatcheries I have looked at are sold out for 2014 already or don't have any avail till August.

If you are not concerned about chicks being hatchery quality, check Ideal Hatchery. I ordered white Frizzled Cochins and mine are due to arrive Feb 7th. I ordered hatchery quality because I couldn't find white frizzles anywhere else. My 2 month old chicks that I was planning to keep to start a small bantam Cochin group were purchased as eggs. Nicer than hatchery but not SQ. I lost them all in our garage fire and am having to start over. So, I also ordered some others of different colors and not frizzles, too. Will keep only the best and sell the rest as PQ . I really need to find a couple of nice quality chicks though. I have not been able to do that yet for lack of purchasing resources and expense.
The only color not available right now (I called 3 days ago to add the other chicks) to ship on the same date as my frizzles were the mottled ones.
Good luck!!!

 

[jajeanpierre]

If you are not concerned about chicks being hatchery quality, check Ideal Hatchery. I ordered white Frizzled Cochins and mine are due to arrive Feb 7th. I ordered hatchery quality because I couldn't find white frizzles anywhere else. My 2 month old chicks that I was planning to keep to start a small bantam Cochin group were purchased as eggs. Nicer than hatchery but not SQ. I lost them all in our garage fire and am having to start over. So, I also ordered some others of different colors and not frizzles, too. Will keep only the best and sell the rest as PQ . I really need to find a couple of nice quality chicks though. I have not been able to do that yet for lack of purchasing resources and expense.
The only color not available right now (I called 3 days ago to add the other chicks) to ship on the same date as my frizzles were the mottled ones.
Good luck!!!

I would NOT recommend you buy a hatchery frizzle. Ideal mentions that there will be three types of feathers: normal, frizzled and extremely frizzled. Per Ideal's web site, one quarter will not be frizzled. The only way you can get extremely frizzled and 1/4 smooth is to be breeding frizzled to frizzled. A normal breeding of frizzle to smooth produces 50% frizzle, 50% smooth and NO extremely frizzled birds.

Go back in the photos and have a look at my pathetic double-copy frizzle pullet who lives in my kitchen because she is too fragile to live with other birds or cope with cold. I also have a double-copy frizzle cockerel in my (parrot) bird room because he can't cope with the cold, either. By the way, I live in south central Texas, not the north east.

I wouldn't wish a double copy frizzle on anyone.

Buy from a respectable breeder.

 

[ESofVA]

Quote: .My frazzled chicks will be euthanized. don't have a problem with that, I feel it is more humane. Yes... I would never breed so as to get frazzled chicks. I don't want frazzled chicks. BUT...finding chicks from a reputable breeder is easier said than done! I looked everywhere for some and Ideal is the only place I could find them. I advertised for them to no avail. Buying from reputable breeders is generally too expensive for people ho just want pets. That is why I plan to raise better than hatchery chicks. I never expect what I have to be show quality. I don't and won't show. I will find a very good roo to improve what I have, of a color that I can use. You can't buy just 1 roo chick. Buying one roo and having it shipped is generally toooo expensive for a backyard person. So...I have plans to buy eggs from someone that raises nice bantam Cochins and hopefully hatch a roo. That will also be a guess..you never know what you will get. If I could buy a few nice chicks, I would. IF I could find someone to sell them to me, and due to state laws they must come from a NPIP certified flock.
OK...so I have found someone...I am waiting for costs. Like I have said, we lost so much and have so much interior damage to our garage to the fire this past week...paying $30.00 + shipping for 6 eggs is not what is reasonable for me. I have spent most of today looking online for lamps for a new brooder. I have to fix a new brooder NOW as I have 2 hatchling bantam blue salmon Faverolles chicks that need a place other than my incubator that still has eggs incubating for 2 other types of chickens in it.
Sorry, I am not b****g, I am upset at our losses inc my chicks, and just to say that buying from other than hatcheries for pet birds just isn't feasible for most people for different reasons.
BTW check your insurance...under our policy you cannot file a claim for animals lost in a fire!

 

[ESofVA]

BTW...do you have hatching eggs of good quality birds, inc frizzles, that are a reasonable price for people just wanting a nice quality pet, for sale?
and...I am not trying to argue, I really am not.

There are a few pics of our garage on my facebook and it doesn't look Tooooo bad in those...but...you can't see all of the fishing lures that are melted, guns that have burned, fishing rods that snap if they are even slightly bent. Things inside of metal cabinets melted or otherwise damaged, electrical wires in the attic melted, hubby's Christmas present new kayak melted in two...on and on. The Fire Chief told us if it had not had wallboard on the inside, the whole thing would have gone up in flames.