Cochin Thread!!!

[chick-among-us]

These are the silver laced I have another one I will try to get pics of soon.

#1

#2I don't like this guy for some reason

#3

 

[chick-among-us]

Hi I have a crop of Cochins growing out and just starting to lay..I think that being said it is time to pull out the culls or ones I believe will end up being culls. Would guys be willing to evaluate my birds if I present picture..I want honest even if it is harsh critiques...I don't want undesirable breeding stock and I am new to these little darlings..mine are all bantam. Nd while I doing pretty well my other breeds this is the first round of Cochins for us...I find e education happens quickly with reading and expert critiquing would y'all mind? There pics of about 8 birds for now.

Absolutely!

That would be awesome thanks!

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

These are the pullets

Mottled seems too upright making deciding type difficult. Nice head. I am going to assume she will get wider with age. One problem with Mottleds is they change pattern every molt getting more and more white as they age.

Buffs are your best birds in my opinion. Send them my way.

Good picture of the bottom bird. Beautiful bird but I can not comment with much knowledge on her. I suggest a Mille Cochin page. Not a true Mille pattern but probably a good start.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

These are cockerels Frik and Frak

Frik


Frak

I am assuming they were uncomfortable standing on cardboard. Neither shows much type. Nice foot feathering and foot color. I don't know what to call the pattern or what to do with it except call them nice yard birds . Bottom bird appears wider everywhere but neither has enough cushion. I hope it fills out more with age.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

These are the silver laced I have another one I will try to get pics of soon.

#1

#2I don't like this guy for some reason

#3

#1 has nice lacing and good eye color. Hard to evaluate type from this angle.

#2 Has nice lacing on breast. TOO much white in the saddle. Worst of the bunch in my opinion

#3Lacing seems not as crisp and uniform. best foot feathering. All need more cushion which may come with age.

 

[Jharper]

I might be getting this boys son tomorrow! Mrs. Jacki says that the son looks a lot better than his dad! He is 5 months old. I'm going to cross him with my black show Cochin bantam so that I can get some birchen females and sell the males, because they would have leakage on them right?

 

[chick-among-us]

These are the silver laced I have another one I will try to get pics of soon. #1 #2I don't like this guy for some reason #3

#1 has nice lacing and good eye color. Hard to evaluate type from this angle. #2 Has nice lacing on breast. TOO much white in the saddle. Worst of the bunch in my opinion #3Lacing seems not as crisp and uniform. best foot feathering. All need more cushion which may come with age.

So would you keep them until they are older to see how they will feather out and I don't like the number two bird as he just isn't as nice looking to me, so I am glad that instinct was correct. So I can take him out of the mix. I was wondering what color Frik and Frak are...at least that assessment was good to.. S when I take pics it is best to get a frontal view and a side view with the bird relaxed as much as possible? The mottle girl just has stood up to look at something she isn't that upright in her carriage at all.. How should I move or position them so type can be established in the photo?

 

[PsycoPeep]

Just keep working at it. Try to get them to walk around and check things out, then they're more relaxed. You should be able to snap off a few pics and choose 1 or 2 of the best to post. Also, don't put them on a slippery surface. Do you have a carpet square, throw rug or folded over towel you can use?

 

[lilcrow]

I might be getting this boys son tomorrow! Mrs. Jacki says that the son looks a lot better than his dad! He is 5 months old. I'm going to cross him with my black show Cochin bantam so that I can get some birchen females and sell the males, because they would have leakage on them right?

I think you're going to be very disappointed with your outcross to Black. You would get very nice type if your girl is truly show quality, but you're not going to get any color. When you mentioned the leakage, I'm not clear on what type of leakage. If you're referring to silver leakage, you should be so lucky; if you're talking gold, that would depend on what and if either one or bother is carrying a gold gene. These look like nice Birchens, have you asked the breeder about Birchen pullets? I think any patterned variety is difficult to breed and come out with good quality and especially show quality birds. From what I can of these two, your cockerel with be very heavily marked and I would want to put him with an undermarked hen. I have bred solid black to my heavily marked Birchens, but they are solid black Birchens, meaning birds that came from Birchen matings, but display no pattern.

 

[AndyCap]

I think you're going to be very disappointed with your outcross to Black. You would get very nice type if your girl is truly show quality, but you're not going to get any color. When you mentioned the leakage, I'm clear on what type of leakage. If you're referring to silver leakage, you should be so lucky; if you're talking gold, that would depend on what and if either one or bother is carrying a gold gene. These look like nice Birchens, have you asked the breeder about Birchen pullets? I think any patterned variety is difficult to breed and come out with good quality and especially show quality birds. From what I can of these two, your cockerel with be very heavily marked and I would want to put him with an undermarked hen. I have bred solid black to my heavily marked Birchens, but they are solid black Birchens, meaning birds that came from Birchen matings, but display no pattern.

Great answer. The birds coming out of a cross to black would not be pure birchen.

Another thing to remember is that they would be split on the e locus. You would have to take the daughter of a cross to black, and back cross her to the birchen father. That would give you 50% birchen offspring. Black can hide a lot though. So the results would be not be 100% predictable.

If possible the best option would be another birchen.