Cochin Thread!!!

[Inkheart]

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Sorry missed the pics

 

[new chick 203]

I'm new to the whole bantam cochin thing, but I just love my girls and would love to get more.

does anyone have any available in the CT area?

 

[cochinman2005]

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I've tried hatching eggs from Ebay, some luck but not much. I have blues and blacks and splash, what would I put together to produce lavender?
Your roo on your profile pic is beautiful, I fell in love with him at first sight!

You need to start with a Lavender bird and if the quality needs improving, breed to quality black cochins. The young will be black but when you breed them together they will produce some lavender(self blue). Then repeat the whole process until you get the quality you want.

I am working on Self-Blue (Lavender) Cochin Bantams. Currently in the f3 generation, meaning that this year's birds are again Black. Some of the issues you'll run into is finding birds to start with that have yellow feet/legs. Most Self-Blues you find have white feet (bottoms)/blue legs. First cross to Blacks (f1) will result in some with White (feet) and some without. Select for type and ignore the leg color if the better typed bird has white bottomed feet/blue legs. f2 breeding (Split X Split) will result in 25% Self-Blue offspring (cull all the black chicks). Of the Self-Blues, you will again get some with yellow legs and some with White. If possible use the yellow legged birds for breeding. f3 back to Black again, should yield a high percentage of yellow legged chicks. this is where I am and the above is based upon what I've done. The plan for next year is to hatch and grow out around 50 Self-Blue chicks, which means I'll hatch at least 200 of those total, but will cull all black chicks at day 1. If all goes well I am hoping to have something that resembles a fairly nice Self-Blue Cochin for the Crossroads Show in Indianapolis. I started a thread on BYC to share progress. I need to add some updated photos of the f3's because the one's that I did post of the f3's are old and the birds are about fully mature now.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=222829

 

[rnorris1234]

Quote:
I've tried hatching eggs from Ebay, some luck but not much. I have blues and blacks and splash, what would I put together to produce lavender?
Your roo on your profile pic is beautiful, I fell in love with him at first sight!

Thank you for the compliment. I've had the rooster for about 4 months now. I was told by the breeder that he was 3 years old. He is a splash lemon blue. I know that his yellow should be much more golden to be considered great quality, but I'm not in for showing, etc. I just think he's beautiful. I named him Monet, because he reminds me of a work of art (pcitures really don't do him justice.)

I have bought eggs through ebay 3 times (one is still in the bator). I've had 4 out of 10 hatch under a broody, 6 out of 12 hatch in a bator, and there are 9 out of 10 showign good progress in the bator now (some mottled cochins from Jamie Matts line -- can't wait). By all accounts I've heard, 50% hatch rate from shipped eggs is probably about normal. Before you buy, do some research. Check out the sellers birds. If they don't have pictures posted, contact and ask if they can email pictures. If they don't have pictures, I would personally probably buy from someone else, but that's me. If you like what you see and the seller seems reputable, then go ahead and try.

If you don't have the space, the time, or the inclination (I know that I don't) to spend several years in a breeding program and hatching hundreds of eggs, etc. Then I would suggest being patient for a little while and let some of the others do the hard work and then, if they are willing, buy some quality eggs or birds from them. You will pay more, but they've done the years of work for you. But if you have the time and the space, I think that working on a project would be a great deal of fun. But it really needs to be a color/variety that you truly love, because you will be investing a lot of time and effort into them. Good Luck.

I would offer some eggs from my roo, but I'm still waiting. I have a splash hen. (I have 6 chicks from this pairing. They are all spalsh, and I'll have to see what comes from a second generation.) I also have a birchen hen which should put me in the right direction with lemon blues, but she has gone on strike and is not laying at the moment.

I hope that I will be able to get some eggs for Brown Reds or Lemon Blues and keep working on my little project -- small scale.

Robert Norris

 

[DANNY]

I am working on it but its a tough color. I don't really know where to go from here. I have this pullet with no black at all in her and I have a couple of rooster that have a little black in them. What I would like to do is breed this pullet to something with better cochin qualities but what?

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Like This??
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/12082_buff_mottle.jpg

 

[MrsChickendad]

Quote:
Like This??
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/12082_buff_mottle.jpg


This little pullet (about 8 weeks old) is from a pen of MF Cochins. I also got a few black mottles from that pen. I don't know what to do either! Just waiting for them to feather out more.

 

[PhoenixFeatherFarms]

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You can send 'em to me... lol I love love love my buff cockerel and my buff frizzle pullet I got from you at the MI chickenstock! Will hae to get more from you one day.

 

[Layla1223]

Hi, I am new to Cochins (and chickens in general) and I love them! I have a mottled pullet, a red? roo, and 3 Gold Laced ones, they are all bantys and I am in love with them. I also love seeing everyone elses. Thanks for sharing.
I was wondering if we are aloud to talk about selling/trading birds here? Thanks

 

[MrsChickendad]

Quote:
You can send 'em to me... lol I love love love my buff cockerel and my buff frizzle pullet I got from you at the MI chickenstock! Will hae to get more from you one day.

Glad to hear it! I do love my "puppy chickens"!

 

[mjgigax]

Quote:
You need to start with a Lavender bird and if the quality needs improving, breed to quality black cochins. The young will be black but when you breed them together they will produce some lavender(self blue). Then repeat the whole process until you get the quality you want.

I am working on Self-Blue (Lavender) Cochin Bantams. Currently in the f3 generation, meaning that this year's birds are again Black. Some of the issues you'll run into is finding birds to start with that have yellow feet/legs. Most Self-Blues you find have white feet (bottoms)/blue legs. First cross to Blacks (f1) will result in some with White (feet) and some without. Select for type and ignore the leg color if the better typed bird has white bottomed feet/blue legs. f2 breeding (Split X Split) will result in 25% Self-Blue offspring (cull all the black chicks). Of the Self-Blues, you will again get some with yellow legs and some with White. If possible use the yellow legged birds for breeding. f3 back to Black again, should yield a high percentage of yellow legged chicks. this is where I am and the above is based upon what I've done. The plan for next year is to hatch and grow out around 50 Self-Blue chicks, which means I'll hatch at least 200 of those total, but will cull all black chicks at day 1. If all goes well I am hoping to have something that resembles a fairly nice Self-Blue Cochin for the Crossroads Show in Indianapolis. I started a thread on BYC to share progress. I need to add some updated photos of the f3's because the one's that I did post of the f3's are old and the birds are about fully mature now.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=222829

Thank you for the link. And thank you for sharing your information. I want to work on Lavender and I know the importance of type. I'm going to have to be patient with this project. Sounds like it might be harder than Mille Fleur Cochins. I don't have the room for 200 birds. I commend you for your dedication. You are creating some truely beautiful birds.