Cochin Thread!!!

[The Sheriff]

I am new to cochins and seeking advice. These all hatched New Year's Eve. If I were to only keep one of these four bantam mille fleur cochins for breeding which should it be? And why Would be nice too.

#1 More white than others

#2 Mix of brown, white and black

#3 Darker than the others:

#4 Mostly buff color:

#5 None of the above. Start over.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Mary, they sure do grow up fast, don't they? I'm assuming these are the same 4 chicklets we saw a month ago? #2 is really talking to me - "Keep Me, Keep Me". Overall, I just like his stance and carriage at this point. It also looks like he has the best chance of developing a nice cushion. And nice chevrons already developing. It's really hard to judge MF patterns on youngsters - so many are "sleepers". But I still believe that type should be your first consideration.
I'm not sure why, but #4 is also talking to me - are you sure you can't keep two?

PS - Are you sure #3 and #4 are roos?

 

[The Sheriff]

Quote:
I don't know if any of them are roos. I was told by the experts here that they were all roos. #2 has been my favorite for coloring sine the beginning but I also like the body shape of #4. Plus he is an absolute hoot to watch. I can keep as many as I like at this point but at some point I want to make room for other breeds. I am going back out to take pics of the barred guys and see if any of those have potential. They are black barred split to buff barred and vice-versa.

Thanks for your input.

Mary

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
I don't know if any of them are roos. I was told by the experts here that they were all roos. #2 has been my favorite for coloring sine the beginning but I also like the body shape of #4. Plus he is an absolute hoot to watch. I can keep as many as I like at this point but at some point I want to make room for other breeds. I am going back out to take pics of the barred guys and see if any of those have potential. They are black barred split to buff barred and vice-versa.

Thanks for your input.

Mary

Another thing I like is they all have nice high wing carriage - really nice on #4. The only reason I was hesitant on #4 is the tail/cushion. I would just watch it closely, plus one pic never does any bird justice. It seems a bit skimpy on volume, thin in width, and not as "waterfall" as I'd like to see. But they are still so young - you will see a huge difference just in the next two months - if you can hold out that long!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Hey guys! I'm looking for a nice, fluffy (typey) buff columbian hen.

 

[Kathryn4629]

I have a quick question for the Cochin experts

I have been looking for some LF (standard ?) cochins locally for awhile, I can't find ANY!?! All I can find is bantam. Why is that? I even had a lady tell me that there was no such thing as a standard cochin.

Any advice on finding some? Why only bantams around?

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Heather, my very first thought was "Get in Line!"

I know Tom and a few others are working very hard to bring them back, but as with most diligent breeders, they don't have enough of them yet at the point that they would consider them saleable to the public. The hen he posted a couple of weeks ago was one of the best I've seen in a long time.

The one thing at this point that I think is important is what breeding program you will be using her in. That could make a big difference in securing one from a good breeder. If you want one for a BC breeding program, you may most probably need to wait. BUT, if you want one to use in a MF breeding program or the like, I think your chances may be better. Hopefully that makes sense - do you need the "genes"?

Conversely, if you want a BC for a BC breeding program, be sure to ask about the parental lineage when you find one. There are a lot out there that look like BC's, but are out of MF breeding programs.

I've been told a BC would be the best for me to improve the lacing in my GL's - I think I'm going to try one more generation with what I have, and then start agressively looking for a BC.

Besides Tom, I know Matt McCammon is also working on them. On our 2011 Breeder's Directory, wildwoodcochins listed BC's.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Hi Kathryn, I think it's great you want LF's! I'm not sure about what is available near you, but you can check out some of the LF breeders in the link below in my sig. Best of Luck!

 

[thecochincoop]

Quote:
we would also need to know what your hens look like that you want to breed to and what is your goal in breeding. better advice could be given if we knew those things. another thing to think about is that something may happen to a roo and it's a good idea to keep a backup if you can

 

[The Sheriff]

That's my problem, I don't have a hen. I got my eggs from Lynne and she only sells me rooster eggs!

I am just interested in having a nice looking trio or two of these birds for my own enjoyment and to maybe sell a hatching egg or two. I have no interest in showing.