Cochin Thread!!!

[AndyCap]

People who have bred cochins???

I think you should say people who have cross bred cochins and silkies......

I get really sad when I see this thread heading into a discussion of non-cochin birds

Hey joanie_maine, while i do agree that cross breeding is a big no no, i must point out here that a lot of the colours in cochins have come from cross breeding at some point.

Something like columbian restrictor would probably have been bred into cochins, as would patterning gene. I highly doubt that these genes spontaneously appeared in so many different breeds, someone actively bred them in from other crosses.

Really, really not trying to be otherwise, i have the greatest respect for people like you who breed and raise quality birds and keep some of the less popular varieties going, if it wasnt for a dedicated few all we would have would be black and white.

Not saying it is right, just saying i am grateful for the varieties we have now.

Back on topic

 

[AndyCap]

I think [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]moomoodiddy is referring to the double dose effect of the barring gene, making the males who carry two copies lighter. As far as i know two copies dilutes both eumelanin and pheomelanin leading to a lighter male carrying two copies.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The best barring needs slow feathering, like the plymouth rock. (i have heard people also saying a single copy of Co helps, not sure about that though)[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Cuckoo then, as a phenotype, would be barring with fast feathering, Barred would be barring with slow feathering.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]i suppose crossing out to black would sex link the offspring, and given that the male would carry one copy would have darker/ more distinct barring then a male carrying two copies.[/FONT]

 

[insanity]

Hi, these are my cochin chicks.I was hoping you could help sex them.

Pullet?

Roo?

Pullet?

The silked and frizzle feathers are throwing me off but those are my guesses.
Thanks

 

[Urchin]

I finally integrated my last brooder chicks into the coop -- three cochins and two silkies, all just over two months old. Yay! No more chickens in the garage! The cochins are all excited over the roost, although the rooster Tails needs to learn he can't romance the ladies on it (he's pretty convinced that he's a full-fledged roo rather than just a juvenile). He and Penguin were sitting on it while I was changing water in there one day. He thought it would be a good idea to jump on her right then and there. It surprised the heck out of her, she jumped up a perch and he dropped to the floor like a stone. Of course he can't let on that he did something so foolish, so out the coop he strutted like he meant to do that.

Tails



Penguin



Tux. This pic is about two weeks old and she's grown into those wing feathers. We used to call her Helicopter Chick.

 

[AndyCap]

Hi, these are my cochin chicks.I was hoping you could help sex them.

Pullet?

Roo?

Pullet?

The silked and frizzle feathers are throwing me off but those are my guesses.
Thanks

How old are they?

 

[joanie_maine]

Quote:
http://www.cochinsint.com/education.html

 

[K Epp]

Updated Pictures of my sweet little Lulla Belle... 4mths old LF. What do you think. How does she stack up against the Standard? ...and one just for fun.

 

[ki4got]

I think [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]moomoodiddy is referring to the double dose effect of the barring gene, making the males who carry two copies lighter. As far as i know two copies dilutes both eumelanin and pheomelanin leading to a lighter male carrying two copies.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The best barring needs slow feathering, like the plymouth rock. (i have heard people also saying a single copy of Co helps, not sure about that though)[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Cuckoo then, as a phenotype, would be barring with fast feathering, Barred would be barring with slow feathering.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]i suppose crossing out to black would sex link the offspring, and given that the male would carry one copy would have darker/ more distinct barring then a male carrying two copies.[/FONT]

actually the reason it's lighter in cuckoo than barred is because typically the barred birds have the slow feathering gene, while cuckoo doesn't. that's among any breeds with either barred or cuckoo...

the reason for that is, with the slow feathering gene, the mechanism that turns the black/white on/off when building the feathers isn't an instant thing. so on the faster growing feather, you have shades ranging from nearly true black to very pale grey (not really white), where the slow feathering gene allows for a much cleaner definition between the 2 colors, rather than the 'bleeding' of colors in the cuckoo.

if you wanted a good BARRED bird, I think it would involve outcrossing to the laced varieties that DO have it. (the slow feathering gene that is)

 

[SanderB]

Hi, these are my cochin chicks.I was hoping you could help sex them.

Pullet?

Roo?

Pullet?

The silked and frizzle feathers are throwing me off but those are my guesses.
Thanks

All roosters

 

[AndyCap]

actually the reason it's lighter in cuckoo than barred is because typically the barred birds have the slow feathering gene, while cuckoo doesn't. that's among any breeds with either barred or cuckoo...

the reason for that is, with the slow feathering gene, the mechanism that turns the black/white on/off when building the feathers isn't an instant thing. so on the faster growing feather, you have shades ranging from nearly true black to very pale grey (not really white), where the slow feathering gene allows for a much cleaner definition between the 2 colors, rather than the 'bleeding' of colors in the cuckoo.

if you wanted a good BARRED bird, I think it would involve outcrossing to the laced varieties that DO have it. (the slow feathering gene that is)

Fair enough, perhaps by “crossing to black” it was meant crossing to an EE e locus bird, the pattern would probably display better on that locus, and if I am not mistaken the barred rock has that additional benefit. i am not sure which e locus barred or cuckoo cochins are on.

I am trying to find the logic, perhaps unsuccessfully, behind the cross to black.