Cochin Question (and flock renewal question.)

[Smartie_Pants]

I am NOT happy with my flock. They are the flightiest, jumpiest, bunch I've ever seen. If they even sense that you are near they go zooming off. I want friendly chickens. I have tried buying chicks and raising them, and I have tried buying adults. Most are not pulling their weight right now.

Here is what I currently have:

3 Golden Comet Hens
1 Barred Rock Hen
2 EE Hens
1 Hatchery Quality BO
1 Silkie Hen
1 Jersey Giant Hen
2 Cuckoo Maran Pullets
1 Cornish X Hen (NOT on purpose!)
1 Partridge Rock Hen

2 Ancona Roos
1 BR Roo
1 EE Roo


What I would like to do is get rid of:

1 Barred Rock Hen
1 Jersey Giant Hen
1 Cornish X Hen (nature will probably take care of this one soon.)
1 Ancona Roo
1 Hatchery Quality BO
1 EE Hen
1 Silkie Hen


and buy the following breeds as chicks:

3 EE Hens
3 Cochin Hens
2 Partridge Silkie Hens
2 Barred Rock Hens.



My only issue is, I handle them and they still turn out crazy and wild. I want something that is going to be calm and won't jump a mile high every time a hand comes toward it. I've read Cochins are very good in this sense.

My question about them is, are they really that people friendly? How often do they lay? How big are the eggs? Does ideal carry the breeds I listed and do they have an assortment of colors to choose from? Or do you just pick "silkie" or "chochin" and they send you what they want?

How do I make sure I can friendly up my chicks?

 

[silkieluver_07]

Ideal has many options for cochin colors. You can pick whichever color you want, or get the assortment of colors.

I have noticed that the silkies I got from Ideal are very flighty. I would look for a breeder with some nice quality stock to buy from. All my other silkies are lap chickens and come when their names are called.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Thanks. I may shop around for my silkies then. They aren't a must but I love the partridge color. Is there a partridge cochin of the same look by any choice.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Nope.

There is a partridge, but it doesn't look as pretty. The colors I would be interested in are Splash, Barred, Mottled, Silver Laced, Blue, or Buff.

 

[SGM]

My friendliest birds are my OEGB and Cochins. Treats are the way to an animals heart. So if you give treats often they'll think you're a treat dispencer. LOL

 

[magikchick]

I love my cochins, I have standard and bantam. I also have a few silkies.

Cochins are not great egg layers, my bantams lay better then the standard tho. When I walk out of the house they all come running to me and eat out of my hand. I don't have any that run away and they are lovley to look at.

 

[jossanne]

I have noticed that even my hand-raised babies go through a flighty stage when I move them out to the coop, and then again when I start letting them free-range. As they grow up, they get much more friendly. They follow me around, come running when I go outside, and don't fly like a bunch of ninnies when they hear the door open.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have some standard Cochins that are flighty and others that I step on at every turn. Some are more personable but on the whole they are nice birds. My bantam Cochins lay much better than my standards but the standards are hatchery birds and the bantams are from a show flock.
My Jersey Giants are not personable but I don't care. They are under my feet sometimes and will knock me down for a treat but they aren't lovey like my Black Stars and Barred and Partridge Rocks.
The EE are a bit standoffish except for the one my DD carried around a good bit. She's a pain about wanting attention.
All I can say is be careful what you wish for. I just know one day I am going to hurt one of the chickens or they are going to hurt me by tripping me up.

 

[SunAngel]

I got 2 Blue Cochins and 2 Gold Laced Cochins from Ideal in September and they are sweet fluffybutts. (pics are on my standards page)

I love my White and Buff Cochin tons, they are not flighty at all and lay medium size tan eggs almost every day.

I am really considering switching most of my standard flock to Cochins and EEs/ Ameraucanas.

 

[Kanchii]

The trick is hand feeding them when they're young. When you can, take out their food dish for an hour then offer them some food on your open palm. Move it around a bit so they're not scared of a moving hand. THen when they're a couple weeks old, give them small meal worms to eat out of your fingers. It's worked great for me.