Cochin Quality

[Ajmen08]

I'm the bantam Cochin queen.

That being said, I agree with Amer. She's definitely very nice. Bonus points for proper feet feathering.

How about these 2 other girls? Would love your opinion on them as well . I just have the one picture of the splash right now and then several of the blue. Their feathers are a little rougher than the one I posted earlier but I think that is because of the conditions they were in. Not terrible but not ideal either.
Thanks so much for your thoughts.

 

[Painted Calls]

Better pic of the splash would help. That blue has a very flat cushion. I'm not a fan. Your first blue girl is the best looking of the 3.

 

[Ajmen08]

Better pic of the splash would help. That blue has a very flat cushion. I'm not a fan. Your first blue girl is the best looking of the 3.

Ok. Thank you. What is the best position to take a picture of them for you to see? And is their cushion the fluffy part above their tail on their back?

 

[Painted Calls]

Ok. Thank you. What is the best position to take a picture of them for you to see? And is their cushion the fluffy part above their tail on their back?

Just like the pics of the blues would be great. She looked like she was in the process of walking and had her head down.

The rounded part of their tail on top is the cushion.

@Amer, you go to way more shows than I do. Am I missing anything obvious?

 

[Amer]

Also what would we be feeling for in depth of body and I’ll try to check

How about these 2 other girls? Would love your opinion on them as well . I just have the one picture of the splash right now and then several of the blue. Their feathers are a little rougher than the one I posted earlier but I think that is because of the conditions they were in. Not terrible but not ideal either.
Thanks so much for your thoughts.

The splash isn’t as good. Less developed overall. The blue is nice. Nice color, nice deep breast just by looking at it. Overo is right about the cushion.


To compare the blues, I wish I could hold them, but you can. The breast needs to be deep, check the heart girth. Depth is important, hens need room for their organs for digestion and laying eggs. She needs a wide back, all the way down. And up in front of the breast I want there to be muscle. Once you realize how to find it, you’ll be surprised by the difference some birds have. Even in a Leghorn I want good fleshing, but on Cochins it’s even more important. That said, they’re still more feathers than a musclebound birds.
On birds already laying, check the pubic width. The layers of the biggest, most well shaped, most eggs have the widest pubic width, the space between the pubic bones. They’re also less likely to get reproductive diseases, imo. Ever since a pullet of mine died of prolapse with her first egg, I have selected for pubic width.
Also, width of skull. Nice wide skulls, full in front. I don’t know if it affects their intelligence in the slightest, but it sure looks better, and it means the rest of the bird will be wide too.
These things don’t just apply to Cochins.
Judges and breeders handle the biggest Jersey Giant to the tiniest Serama, and a lot of the things I mentioned are universal.

 

[Ajmen08]

The splash isn’t as good. Less developed overall. The blue is nice. Nice color, nice deep breast just by looking at it. Overo is right about the cushion.


To compare the blues, I wish I could hold them, but you can. The breast needs to be deep, check the heart girth. Depth is important, hens need room for their organs for digestion and laying eggs. She needs a wide back, all the way down. And up in front of the breast I want there to be muscle. Once you realize how to find it, you’ll be surprised by the difference some birds have. Even in a Leghorn I want good fleshing, but on Cochins it’s even more important. That said, they’re still more feathers than a musclebound birds.
On birds already laying, check the pubic width. The layers of the biggest, most well shaped, most eggs have the widest pubic width, the space between the pubic bones. They’re also less likely to get reproductive diseases, imo. Ever since a pullet of mine died of prolapse with her first egg, I have selected for pubic width.
Also, width of skull. Nice wide skulls, full in front. I don’t know if it affects their intelligence in the slightest, but it sure looks better, and it means the rest of the bird will be wide too.
These things don’t just apply to Cochins.
Judges and breeders handle the biggest Jersey Giant to the tiniest Serama, and a lot of the things I mentioned are universal.

Thank you so very much for your reply and all the information. Would you please post a picture of one of your hens so I can see what a really high quality one looks like . I’d really love to see.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Here are some pics from the Cochins International Club. The pic of the blue doesn't show her type very well so I included a picture of the black as well as it's easier to see. Type-wise, that's what you want your birds to strive for. Splash are not APA recognized to my understanding. Here's a link to their standard as well:
https://www.cochinsint.com/large-female.html

 

[Amer]

Thank you so very much for your reply and all the information. Would you please post a picture of one of your hens so I can see what a really high quality one looks like . I’d really love to see.

Here are some pics from the Cochins International Club. The pic of the blue doesn't show her type very well so I included a picture of the black as well as it's easier to see. Type-wise, that's what you want your birds to strive for. Splash are not APA recognized to my understanding. Here's a link to their standard as well:
https://www.cochinsint.com/large-female.html

View attachment 2836332
View attachment 2836333

This
I don't own Cochins. I'd like to be a judge someday though.