Cochin Thread!!!

[mame1616]

Quote:
Same here!!!

x2

Any old time cochin breeders give their "top 5 rules" for breeding quality cochins?

That'd be a good question to ask at the Ohio National.

Regarding the vulture hocks, my LF hen was marked off for that, but hers were smaller, so you actually had to feel for them. You're only supposed to see fluff. When someone shows you the difference, it will be very obvious. The one time they did grow out enough to see, a judge actually told me to pull them out! When I said that was cheating, he said no it isn't, it's preparing your bird. Well, I hope no one else "prepares" their birds like that - I sure won't.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
Good info, thanks

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
x2

Any old time cochin breeders give their "top 5 rules" for breeding quality cochins?

That'd be a good question to ask at the Ohio National.

Regarding the vulture hocks, my LF hen was marked off for that, but hers were smaller, so you actually had to feel for them. You're only supposed to see fluff. When someone shows you the difference, it will be very obvious. The one time they did grow out enough to see, a judge actually told me to pull them out! When I said that was cheating, he said no it isn't, it's preparing your bird. Well, I hope no one else "prepares" their birds like that - I sure won't.

I was talking to a Cochin Master Breeder a couple of weeks ago about some white feather edges on my cockerel's feet - she also told me to pull them out! She said just be sure you're not pulling out any primaries! It sounds like it's a fairly common practice.

 

[Lolita]

Quote:
BEEEEautiful!!!!

Laurie

Thank you

 

[Sumatra503]

Plucking out miss colored and misplaced feathers is an extremely common practice. I can remember being told to pluck the white hairs on my black rabbits before a show.

At my county Fair for 4-H they always told us to enter our disqualified animals in the cross bred catagory to avoid getting a white ribbon. I always thought this was cheating in a way.

My White Bantam Cochin hen always won. She had a patch of three black feathers that would grow in on her breast. I admitt that I always plucked them out. I never thought of that until now.

 

[mame1616]

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I guess the idea is that you are - if you breed - showing a representation of your lines, and by pulling the feathers out, you are now MISrepresenting your lines. People will look at the birds you have and not realize they are carrying faults. Especially for newbies, I feel this is dishonest. It's hard enough to know the standard and what to watch out for, so if you do stuff like that, it's like you're hiding something. If everyone is "fixing" their birds, how will we ever know what the real ones look like? JMHO.

 

[Sumatra503]

I guess it just depends. I was about 13 when I was showing my cochin hen and was told by the bird's breeder that it was alright if I plucked the feathers. I would never do it now that I am old enough to think it through. I was not advocating the practice, just stating how common it is. I am an hinest shower now. I suppose I should have stated that I was young and clueless when I was showing this bird.

I've found that color faults are extremely common in youth shows and that they tend to be a bit more honest about their birds. On the adult side I have only seen a few birds with serious color faults. It makes me wonder.

I've found that my Sumatra Roo has a bit of birchon that grew in around some scars from a fight. His offspring don't ever have it.

Slight color faults may not be the full representation of a person's lines. It all depends on the birds and their background and heredity. A color fault or DQ should not be what a line is judged on. Even in the most serious lines these faults will come about from time to time. The birds may otherwise have a perfect body type and excellant feathering aside from that one little white feather.

My friend has bred cochins for 40 years. Hers are the most amazing I have seen. Her culls are way better than any of my stock. Last year at a show she had a black cockeral she was selling for 5.00. He had a white feather in his foot feathering. He was a wonderful bird aside from that little white feather. I now have him and his children share his looks, but I have never had a miss marked black from him. Seeing her selling that bird with the white feather still there made me question my entire view of showing. She could have simply plucked that feather and sold him for her usual rate of 30.00.

i've found that any color in a white bird's background will cause the occasional black feather to pop up. The same is true of dark birds with light coring in their background.

I've found that quality is an idea relative to every person.

 

[cochinman2005]

Quote:
I guess the idea is that you are - if you breed - showing a representation of your lines, and by pulling the feathers out, you are now MISrepresenting your lines. People will look at the birds you have and not realize they are carrying faults. Especially for newbies, I feel this is dishonest. It's hard enough to know the standard and what to watch out for, so if you do stuff like that, it's like you're hiding something. If everyone is "fixing" their birds, how will we ever know what the real ones look like? JMHO.

So we teeter on the brink of going down the topic of "faking" rabbit hole, which is fodder for a different thread.

To stay on topic, I'll offer the following. Many of your white birds will have some feathers with black ticking or a spot of Black in them. These are actually birds that are beneficial to a breeding program. Why? Because they are no kidding, white birds, and normally aren't carrying any hidden gold/red genes. And yes the standard practice is to pluck them as part of getting your birds ready for show. Sometimes it's even in the primaries or secondaries, and those aren't really something you want to pull right before a show. you could do it a couple months before to give the feather time to grow back, but it may grow back with the same flaw. I don't consider the smut or black feathers a flaw, but a characteristic of the variety. Just like light undercolor (even white) at the base of the tail is often seen in Black varieties (normally males). Some breeders use that type of bird to improve leg color in the Black varieties. Not much you can do to mask that, and a certain amount is allowable in cock birds, but refer to the standard for the exact description.

I think if you ask most breeders what kind of color flaws they see in their lines, they will gladly share that info with you. Certainly for someone new to the hobby it may not be the first question that comes to mind when looking to purchase some new stock, but I know that I discuss peculiarities with my lines with my fellow breeders all the time. I raise several varieties and focus mainly on Buff, which has more flaws than you can imagine, but I have no problem talking about those flaws. Also, anything I'd consider detrimental to a breeding program from a color perspective is culled, so there is no chance they will wind up in a new fanciers breeding program.

 

[Sumatra503]

My first focus was on the whites. I have always had a love for that variety. Now my focus is on improving the Blue mottleds I have recently aquired. The mottling is non existant and is more resembling a blue that has a few white patches scattered in it. My little pullet has some nice potential, though and may yet have some improved mottling in her.

I am currently in the market for some Black or White hatching eggs. Anyone have any?

 

[NellaBean]

I have a gorgeous blue mottled girl. My black mottleds are actually worse as far coloring (although type is better).

That is an old picture....taken about a month and a half ago. She is very young, so looks completely different now. Need to get new pix!