Cochin Thread!!!

[lilcrow]

Quote:
I'm sorry to say that I agree with Ivy, the type on your first hen is much better than the hen from the pair, also the roo is not very typy either. The glaring problem I see with the female of the pair is her lack of cushion. She has more of an actual tail than the soft, round, full cushion that is characteristic of the Cochins. As far as color is concerned, it's almost impossible to make a good evaluation of color due to the problems you were having with the camera. See if you can retake them on a clear day. There is only one type of Partridge. I think what the breeder may have been referring to is the color of the hackles on the hens. The most desirable color is a deep mahogany red, however there are a LOT of hens that have varying shades and unfortunately it seems that the most common color found is gold, even to the extent of being VERY bright gold. This is not what we are hoping for and breeding for. All hen should have clear penciling on the body feathers and the cushion, however this is also not always the case. Sometimes the feather pattern is mossy or muddled looking. I would stay with your first hen and continue to look for more Partridges, and as far as breeding is concerned, I personally wouldn't breed the pair......sorry.
Nancy

 

[lilcrow]

Quote:
I don't know about getting rid of them, but they are definitely not bantams if they weight 7 lbs. There is a thread here on BYC that is specifically for LF Cochins, you might want to check in there.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Quote:
I don't know about getting rid of them, but they are definitely not bantams if they weight 7 lbs. There is a thread here on BYC that is specifically for LF Cochins, you might want to check in there.

Thank you!

 

[geweldig23]

Quote:
I don't know about getting rid of them, but they are definitely not bantams if they weight 7 lbs. There is a thread here on BYC that is specifically for LF Cochins, you might want to check in there.

Thank you!

They are definitely standards. The reason they are so small is because of the variety. Both gold laced and silver laced large fowl cochins are much smaller than the standard calls for. They also lack the type that it calls for. You can buy some very nice ones from breeders such as Roland Doerr (spelling for his last name?) and I'm not sure if Tom Roebuck breeds them or not. Dick Horstman also has some of Rolands stock I believe......maybe.
A lot of work has to go into breeding them for size and type. You would more than likely need to cross to possibly black, or a very nice partridge(since it is golden based) but I'm not a genetics expert.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Quote:
I don't know about getting rid of them, but they are definitely not bantams if they weight 7 lbs. There is a thread here on BYC that is specifically for LF Cochins, you might want to check in there.

My question is how old are they? Size can be an issue with some varieties of Standard Cochins. I would not get rid of them until you find birds that you like better.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Quote:
Thank you!

They are definitely standards. The reason they are so small is because of the variety. Both gold laced and silver laced large fowl cochins are much smaller than the standard calls for. They also lack the type that it calls for. You can buy some very nice ones from breeders such as Roland Doerr (spelling for his last name?) and I'm not sure if Tom Roebuck breeds them or not. Dick Horstman also has some of Rolands stock I believe......maybe.
A lot of work has to go into breeding them for size and type. You would more than likely need to cross to possibly black, or a very nice partridge(since it is golden based) but I'm not a genetics expert.

Humm, I actually have a black cross with my gold roo. I was going to sell the hens but might try breeding back to the roo a few generations and see what I get. I have 2 and they are big--funny pattern on the feathers though... I can always find them a home as layers later if I do not like the results.

Thank you!

 

[just2rosey]

Quote:
I'm sorry to say that I agree with Ivy, the type on your first hen is much better than the hen from the pair, also the roo is not very typy either. The glaring problem I see with the female of the pair is her lack of cushion. She has more of an actual tail than the soft, round, full cushion that is characteristic of the Cochins. As far as color is concerned, it's almost impossible to make a good evaluation of color due to the problems you were having with the camera. See if you can retake them on a clear day. There is only one type of Partridge. I think what the breeder may have been referring to is the color of the hackles on the hens. The most desirable color is a deep mahogany red, however there are a LOT of hens that have varying shades and unfortunately it seems that the most common color found is gold, even to the extent of being VERY bright gold. This is not what we are hoping for and breeding for. All hen should have clear penciling on the body feathers and the cushion, however this is also not always the case. Sometimes the feather pattern is mossy or muddled looking. I would stay with your first hen and continue to look for more Partridges, and as far as breeding is concerned, I personally wouldn't breed the pair......sorry.
Nancy

Thank you Nancy. That is all great information, and what you said about the partridge colors supported what I was thinking. My better pullet is more red, she is our favorite chicken on the place. I will try to get better individual pics of the chicks later on. My chick changed and improved a lot as she matured, I hope the second pullet will do the same. When Chippy was younger she had a barred pattern not the pretty partridge she has now, and she didn't seem to have much cushion then. Then she really blossomed as she matured, her hackles also got darker as she matured. I will hope for the best, I didn't pay much for them, and my daughter is thrilled with them. So we will hope for the best. I should have asked for exact ages, My guess is 12-14 weeks based on development. The roo is a little older than the pullet, but is still very immature, I don't think he is crowing yet.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Quote:
I don't know about getting rid of them, but they are definitely not bantams if they weight 7 lbs. There is a thread here on BYC that is specifically for LF Cochins, you might want to check in there.

My question is how old are they? Size can be an issue with some varieties of Standard Cochins. I would not get rid of them until you find birds that you like better.

I love the lacing on these gold lace I have and will probably keep them and try working on the size for now. My three main hens are a little over one year, but I have kept 2 other girls with beautiful lacing from this years hatch. I also kept two this season from a hatch with either my black hen or a buff I use to have--or one from both as they are marked different and both very pretty but their patterns are not laced. I will have to see what DH says as he trys to keep my chicken flock under control.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

A good friend picked up some birds for me at the Bloomington show yesterday. I got a Mottled of outstanding type for my Columbian project(he has too much white on wings to show). Also a very nice 4 month old Buff Columbian cockeral, and a pair of very nice young Partridge. I will try to take pictures tomorrow when its not raining.

 

[mjgigax]

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Pleas show us! I am especially thinking about my bantam pargridges and want to see good ones. I think my girls have nice lacing but ....?