Cochin Thread!!!

[CyndiChick]

And I don't think I knew that about the spot on the head! You guys are great to teach me this stuff

 

[AndyCap]

So all barred Cochin have white spot on top of their heads? I lucked and got a blue barred pullet out of a group of mixed Cochin pullets earlier this spring. Today I was at feed store and they had just got in red, buff, white, and partridge. I saw a black and got it. It has a few white feathers coing in on its wing. Just looked no white spot on its head. Any idea what color it could be? I lucked out and got the girl to give me a partridge.

And I don't think I knew that about the spot on the head! You guys are great to teach me this stuff

Neither of mine had the white spot, i only really saw the barring coming in on the wing primaries at about 2 weeks. They were heterozygous for the barring gene though. Ki4got does the spot only appear when the B alleles are identical?

Here are pics of two self blue cuckoo i culled last year.

 

[AndyCap]

barring is sex linked dominant. so barred hen with solid roo, you'll get solid hens and barred (heterozygous) roosters. barred roo with solid hen, you'll get both barred... if the roo only has 1 copy of the gene his barring won't be as distinct as if he has 2 copies...

so if your roo looks like your hen as far as the definition in the barring, chances are he's heterozygous and you might get some unbarred hens (that don't carry it). but on the flip, you'll get some roos with better barring too. hens either are or aren't there is no heterozygous stage. (they have the X/Y or X/- sex genes, the roos are X/X, only X carries color genetics)

as to using black or blue, that's up to you. either way you'll get half blue half black, essentially, and only barred roos with solid hens. handy for sexing day olds. the barred chicks will have a white spot on their head.

To add a thought, as Ki4got said, because barring is sex linked a female cannot pass it on to here daughters, only her sons. So if you want barred females you will have to add a barred cockerel or rooster.

In this instance i would imagine it would be better for you to use a male that has two copies of the barring gene (homozygous).
the ratios of barred hatched from that would maybe give you a better start.

i found these ratios below in Grant Brereton's "21st Century Poultry Breeding"

A pure rooster (B\B) bred to a black would give you 100% barred offspring.

Breeding a split male(B\b) to a barred female (B\-) should give you 1/4 males of a lighter colour (B\B), 1/4 males that are darker (B\b), 1/4 barred females. and 1/4 solid females.

Finally breeding a spit male (B\b) to a solid female will give you the 50/50 barred/non barred split.

Telling the split males apart from the pure seems to be quite easy, the barring appears differently for a split male(B\b) then a pure male (B\B). Carries of a single copy are better looking as mentioned by Ki4got(think barred rock). The split males will show more black then white in the barring, the pure males will show more white then black, and appear lighter.

 

[joanie_maine]

Buff Bantam Cochin Cock

 

[ChickenFeat]

Buff Bantam Cochin Cock

So Beautiful! (err well, handsome) Is he friendly? I could cuddle with him for hours! (forget lap cats, I prefer lap chickens)

 

[ki4got]

I am wanting to wind up with barred hens and roos but don't have a barred roo atm. So I guess that will be the first order of business when the two hens are ready to breed! Many thanks for clearing this up!!
Also... Is it still considered blue if the hen has a black head and blue body?

no that would be blue... the head is usually darker.

 

[katzbantams]

I absolutely ador cochins!!

I have 2, a black hen - butterscotch (nickname: Butter

my daughter lol) a barred cochin hen - Pennelipie (my other daughter

) Butter was broody, sha had bout 12 eggs, some wernt hers but oh well! lol she hatched one jap(hen) she passed away when she was bout 3 days old. Butter and one of my old English hen(black) : Juno, helped sit on eggs, no other eggs hatched, she has been sitting on the rest for bout a month, I want ot take the eggs away but if it makes her happy then she can sit on them!

 

[K Epp]

Why dont you buy her some chicks? I have a first broody Australorp on the nest now. They should hatch now. I have decided to get her some Cochin chicks if non of those eggs hatch. Nothing like lil Cochin fluffies. Hey and it gives me a reason to get more lol.

 

[katzbantams]

I should give her chicks maybe I will, maybe I'll give her some eggs , I'm not sure yet lol if I have enough room for more chickens lol

 

[K Epp]

This is the two babies I got yesterday.






Here is a shot of the blacks wing. Do you think it will be barred?