Cochin Thread!!!

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Gail
You know I don't hatch late in the year. I think it is the shorted daylight and cooler temps that slow them down and my late hatched birds never truly reached their full potential. I know some say that they hatch year round and have no ill results. I know you and I hold our birds to a higher standard than some. I wonder if warmer and longer light would make a positive difference. Is she getting a lower protein feed than if she was a chick in a brooder? The difference that I see between mama raised chicks and brooder chicks is that my brooder chicks are generally calmer(but not always).

Craig

 

[Coopa Cabana]

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Thanx Craig! She actually has access to more protien than the chicks I raised in the brooder. While in the brooder, I only feed medicated chick starter. In addition to med. chick starter, she has access to everything else in the coop, although with her size, I doubt she's eating the regular pelleted food. But she may be eating some of the scratch I throw in the the mornings, which is my own blend of equal parts BOSS, safflower seed, cracked corn and kitten chow. And she loves kale!

I started adding kitten chow this year, after so many had difficulty coming out of moult last year, and I did in fact lose my beautiful blue hen last year - she moulted something horrible, and never seemed to recover. They all seem to be doing much better this year - not sure if the kitten chow has anything to do with it or not. I opted for kitten chow rather than cat chow, because of the extra growth and development vitamins.

Yea - I hate the fact that I can't handle the chick like I do when they're in the house. They are so much better behaved and mild-mannered when you can handle them from day one. So this one will need a lot of extra attention - I think I can handle that!!

And yes, I know I owe you a bunch of emails! Please don't give up on me - things are going to settle down at home any day now.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Craig, I just re-read the ABA article on feathering. Below is an excerpt. If I'm interpreting this correctly, possibly little BooBoo is actually feathering at a correct rate of speed, and my brooder chicks may have feathered too quickly.

"They should be encouraged to degenerate their own heat, and, to this end, suggest that they will best do so in cold breeders from the start, without any artificial heat. The next test would be to provide artificially heated unites for the first tow or three weeks, and then transfer them to the cold unites. Possibly the second method will be more popular, as so many breeders will be nervous of exposing the quite young chicks to over-rigorous conditions in the first stages, ( this is all weather contingent)

The key to ideal and natural feathering is for the body to grow in priority to the wings. Proper brooding ensures that. Overheated brooding chambers cause the wings to grow first at the expense of the body, more noticeable in light breeds of bantams, which naturally feather more rapidly than those of the heavy breeds.

The least excess of heat, and the non-observance of the rule of allowing them to generate their own heat, and they have tiny bodies and long overgrown wings. The same thing happens when one attempts to brood light and heavy breed chicks together"

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

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Interesting article. Perhaps I need to remove my male chicks early as wings on male tend to be too long and weaker than hens. Would be worth a try along with a perch to force use of the wings.

Craig

 

[thecochincoop]

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Interesting article. Perhaps I need to remove my male chicks early as wings on male tend to be too long and weaker than hens. Would be worth a try along with a perch to force use of the wings.

Craig

just what I was thinking, something to try next year. I have also noticed a difference in my free rangers vs. the cage birds. The wings are always out of shape on the cage birds

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I just wanted to jump in here and let everyone know that my beautiful Mottled Cochins are laying and I have eggs up for auction. I have hatched all I need to and instead of eating these eggs I thought I would share.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

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Amy the Enabler Strikes Again!!

 

[Beth G.]

Wow they are very pretty!!!!

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[WestKnollAmy]

Thank you all! These birds are very typy. I sure enjoy their kids and love to hatch them but I really do not want a brooder room full this winter. I have more chicks now than I wanted to carry through the winter and have a few weeks more of hatching to come.
And I always set eggs when I sell to make sure they are viable. I suppose I could just open them but that seems so wasteful when that could have been THE show winner!

Always the optimist.

And besides, I love them so much. I just parted with 3 of my really nice white bantam girls and hated it but with DH getting laid off I have to let some things go. That just means more hatching next spring, I suppose.

 

[smoothmule]

I have 4 standard Cochin pullets that are 6 months old or close to it. The 2 blues are much nicer looking I think but I was wondering if the tail/cushion will improve as they mature? I'm not all that familiar with the breed but I sure like these pullets and look forward to seeing them mature more. I planned just to have them for eggs and to let them set my Araucana eggs for me but I may look for a good black rooster for them next spring.

Any comments are welcome. I don't mind an honest critique to learn what I might need to have in a rooster to correct any of their faults.