Cochin Thread!!!

[cochinman2005]

Quote:
Please keep in mind that evaluating a bird from photos is not ideal. So generally speaking, I note the following...
1. He's pretty young
2. He appears narrow in overall width (side to side)
3. He stands taller in the front than in the back. Not balanced. Could be the fact he didn't want his picture taken. You want his eye to be level with the top of his cushion. When they are nervous they tend to stand way too tall.
4. He could use more chest. Related to the way he's standing in the photos. So he could either really use more chest or because he's standing so tall, he's losing the fullness of chest you want.
5. He appears to be a little too leggy, again, he's only 8 months old so will still fill out some.
6. I'd like to see more cushion and a little more length to the back.
7. He has a decent head, comb and good eye color.

Thanks! That's what I needed to hear. When he's relaxed and walking around outside, he doesn't carry his head that high, and I've never seen him look as leggy as he does in that one particular picture. It is sure hard to get a good picture of a chicken, isn't it! As he matures, will he get broader in width? I thought a shorter back was better. So he needs to have a little break between his neck and tail? Does a cushion and chest continue to fill out as a bird gets older?

Getting a good picture of a chicken takes a bit of patience. Kids and animals. That's what photographers say are the toughest.

As he matures he'll get broader if its in his genes. If not, what you see is what you'll get. You don't want too short a back. There definitely should be some transition between Hackle and Cushion. Neck straight to cushion makes the birds too short, and length of body is related to productivity. If you keep breeding shorter and shorter backed birds it will negatively impact productivity. True, bantam Cochins won't win any laying contests but a pullet that lays only a dozen eggs a year isn't a bird I want in my breeding program. Conversely, you don't want a tug boat either. That's not a Cochin. They do have specific shape and lines and shouldn't look like blobs which is all too often the case with them.

Cushion and chest will fill out some as they age, but if they are shallow chested as cockerels they won't overcome that fault.

 

[cochinman2005]

Quote:
Couple things.
Obviously I can't see the bottoms of her feet, but I suspect they are white, which is color foreign to breed and a disqualification. You mentioned a Secret color project, so a cross to a variety with yellow pigment will put you in the right direction, but a good number if not all of the f1 generation may have white, off colored or willow legs/feet. You'll need to breed away from the incorrect foot color if breeding toward the standard.

Typical of any Self-Blues that I've seen, she has earlobe issues, which comes from the original cross with a Cochin to make this particular example of Self-Blue Cochins. She's too tight feathered and shows (again typical) a tendency toward stringy tail feathers. All of these things can be overcome with a few years of breeding. The pullet below is a 2009 hatch f2 Self-Blue. She is from a Split X Split breeding and has blue shanks/white feet. When bred last year to a Black male with yellow legs she produced a decent percentage of yellow legged offspring. She also shows the stringy tail feathers but is well improved in the type department after an initial cross to Blacks and then breeding those splits together. This year I am breeding the f3 splits together to produce Self-Blues which will be 4 generations removed from the poor typed birds I started with. Breeding the splits together produces only 25% Self-Blues and the remaining 75% are culls because while 50% are splits and 25% pure Black chicks there is no way to tell the difference because they are all Black. There's another thread that covers the Self-Blue Progress if you are interested.

 

[StevenW.]

They said the cochin bantam chicks could be here by this friday or next friday!

 

[Funky Feathers]

Thanks Tom! Great info. if I decide to start a Lav project. The project I am using her for is not Lav, and the Roo I am using has good yellow feet and decent type.

I am honored to receive a critique from you.

 

[dak]

Quote:
I'm guessing you are either working on a dilute mille fleur pattern.

OR Self blue mottled

OR Self -blue barred

A Self-blue/isabella laced bird is also a possibility, but the odds of getting it right are long

.

 

[Funky Feathers]

Nope, you didn't guess it.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Maybe a Self-Blue/Lavender Mille Fleur? Just keep in mind that the Lav gene dilutes more colors than the Bl gene does.

 

[Funky Feathers]

You still haven't guessed my end goal color.

 

[thecochincoop]

anyone want this roo. you MUST be willing to use him in a red breeding project. I was going too but didnt get the chance. that is my only condition and he's yours, just let me see what kind of babies you get

I can ship him or you can pick him up

 

[Msbear]

Wow. He is really a neat colored bird... how'd you get him?