Cochin Thread!!!

[dwegg]

ok guys I wanted to show off my blue mottled girl (Dotty) and her man (Justice)... I really love these two so sweet and gentle...

 

[Reyvaughn]

Oh, Dwegg... I am in love! Both are gorgeous, but Justice has stolen my heart!

 

[mama2my4]

dwegg they are gorgeous!

 

[davony's chicks]

I try to hatch without assisting fertility on my 1st test hatch. I plucked lightly for the 2nd test hatch and have a higher % of fertile eggs but nowhere close to an acceptable level.. Plucked more and have started to AI certain birds. Will do another test run about Sunday. I also find the younger birds tend to be more fertile than the older birds. I had 1 year where I hatched after the spring show and some birds molted around the time I wanted to hatch. Great natural hatch that year. The next year I didn't have a fertile egg out of the 1st 60. I intervened and eventually got plenty of chicks. I only want people to understand what they can do to improve the percentage of fertile eggs if they have trouble. I still have 1 pen that is not giving me fertile eggs. My older Columbian male may need more daylight for a longer period of time or may need to be replaced as a breeder.by a cockerel.

I think the reason mine have been so fertile is because they are still young birds. As they mature I am sure I will have to assist by both trimming and AI.

I am collecting eggs now to set this week so I hope I have good fertility again. I am only getting eggs from my columbians now and they just turned 1 year old.

 

[davony's chicks]

ok guys I wanted to show off my blue mottled girl (Dotty) and her man (Justice)... I really love these two so sweet and gentle...

Justice and Dotty are gorgeous!

 

[dwegg]

Thanks guys...now if I can only get them to give me some babies to hatch

 

[mama2my4]

I went out today with the camera to take some pictures of my 3 month old LF b/b/s and I learned an important lesson. Giving scratch before taking photos will yield only pictures of fluffy butts! Oh well I will try again tomorrow....

 

[StacyTN]

Okay, couple of questions:

Being new, last year when getting my first cochins I did get very young chicks. Being so excited about getting them, I really didn't pay attention to how they feathered out while growing and using this to try and identify sex.

but, not that I am hatching from my flock I was wondering if you can get an idea early on as to the difference in sex by how they feather out. I do know cochins are slightly easier to sex kind of early as in like 4 weeks etc

I currently have 5 ea. of bantam & LF, they are 2 weeks old today.
There is a significant difference in the wing feather growth & now little tail feathers starting to come out.

bantam = (3) short wings, appear to be growing out slower & no little spikes of tail feathers yet
(2) longer wings and little tail feathers popping out
and as fot LF it is the opposite as far as numbers: (3) longer wings etc. & (2) shorter etc.

Am I maybe correct in thinking those that are feathering out sooner could be the girls and the short(slower) feathering boys?

Also, being I'm trying to decide which to keep: Is it safe to say that even at 2 weeks old if the toe feathering is lacking and/or less, not as long etc. that this will carry through as they mature?

 

[StacyTN]

Justice and Dotty are gorgeous!

Love them

 

[lilcrow]

Okay, couple of questions:

Being new, last year when getting my first cochins I did get very young chicks. Being so excited about getting them, I really didn't pay attention to how they feathered out while growing and using this to try and identify sex.

but, not that I am hatching from my flock I was wondering if you can get an idea early on as to the difference in sex by how they feather out. I do know cochins are slightly easier to sex kind of early as in like 4 weeks etc

I currently have 5 ea. of bantam & LF, they are 2 weeks old today.
There is a significant difference in the wing feather growth & now little tail feathers starting to come out.

bantam = (3) short wings, appear to be growing out slower & no little spikes of tail feathers yet
(2) longer wings and little tail feathers popping out
and as fot LF it is the opposite as far as numbers: (3) longer wings etc. & (2) shorter etc.

Am I maybe correct in thinking those that are feathering out sooner could be the girls and the short(slower) feathering boys?

Also, being I'm trying to decide which to keep: Is it safe to say that even at 2 weeks old if the toe feathering is lacking and/or less, not as long etc. that this will carry through as they mature?

Yes and yes, very astute.