Cochin Thread!!!

[JustMeKimberly]

Hey, Newbie here (Kimberly)

Quick questions. My smooth black banty Cochin roo and my frizzle hen (same clutch of eggs not sure if same father) had babies: 1) will the chicks be weird? Out of five only one survived the local wildlife, and it's frizzle, mostly black with red splotches around it's neck and oddly enough one random white feather in the middle of it's back. Is that a normal color? I will try to get a picture. The baby is a little afraid of me since I accidentally stepped on her foot the other day with my big foot.

 

[lilcrow]

Quote:
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your Buff Mottleds. I'm assuming the black in the hackles is coming from the Columbian, which you had to have to get your lovely mottling. They are just beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them. How do the roosters look? I'm guessing they show much more black...........STILL........VERY beautiful!

You know, there are a couple of people on here that have developed Silver Lace and also Gold Lace Brahmas. The fellow that developed the Silver Laced is currently (and has been for years) working on Blue Laced Red Brahmas. his user name is Big Medicine and he's a good friend of mine. I'm sure if you wanted to pick his brain about how to continue with your variety, he'd be more than happy to help out. He is such a nice person and that is how we became friends, he has taken pity on me many times in the past when I was up against some simple issue that I had no idea of how to proceed. He's even been kind enough to do some of my dirty work for me, like putting down a sick or injured bird when it needed to happen. I can't do it..............it makes me feel like a puss, but I've never been able to bring myself to deliberately kill something, even when it NEEDED to be done. What a chicken I am. ANYWAY, he is very kind and funny, I think you'd enjoy talking with him. I know the genetics for lacing is different from mottling, but there are some similarities and of course genetics are genetics. Sometimes it's a simple matter of the gentle tweaking of a certain allele, or whatever. I've got an entire generation of Partridge that have gone awry, I'm loosing the penciling on the feather pattern.

There are entire areas of the birds (seen best on the pullets) that have become barred, rather than penciled.

I thought initially that I needed to look at pattern genetics, but I found some info that leads me to believe it may be more connected to color. My birds are too light (golden) and they need to be darker, more red or dark brown. This is why I went nuts over Craig's Partridge hen. His birds have the most exquisite feather pattern, crisp and clean, they look perfect to me. Maybe this is a discussion that should be moved over to the genetics thread, if anyone would be interested in talking further about it. I've been wanting to bring up this issue with my birds anyway, so maybe I'll post over there and see if I can get any input.
PLEASE understand I am not trying to say anything negative, obviously you know what you're doing or you wouldn't have come so far with these guys; it's just that I always benefit from talking with folks about any given thing, so naturally I think everyone benefits from the same thing.
I guess I'm feeling a little gun shy since Casey left,

I don't want to offend, but also don't want to hold back info that might be helpful to someone.
Nancy

My daughter is breeding partridge cochins for her 4H project, so I am interested in your mention of partridge genetics. Is there a seperate thread for genetics? I thought this was the thread for discussing genetics related to cochins. We hatched our first chick just this week and have a small second batch of eggs which we set this week. I would love to learn more about Partridge genetics. I did buy a book on poultry genetics, but it doesn't go into the genes themselves. I does describe how feather patterns in the male contribute to feather patterns in the female and how to select to improve penciling. Any partridge related info would be appreciated! Thanks.

Here is the thread I'm referring to: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=557147&p=1
At one point it was going pretty good, but I think some of the folks got scared off/run off by some of the true genetics experts. They can be a bit ruthless in their feedback, but I think they just don't have time or care to couch their comments to make them easier to hear. If we are serious about what we are doing with our birds, we must develop a some what tougher skin, so that we can get the info we need rather than just getting our feelings hurt.
I'd love to revive that thread, I'll go if you do.....

 

[WestKnollAmy]

It is a great thread and I did read through it but I seldom get to make it to all the threads I am actively involved in as well as running the farm and taking care of everything. I try to add to all the threads but often only get to "lurk".

I am one of those that will show photos, seldom ask advice and do what I darn well please since they are my birds and my projects. I learn by reading if I have a problem. I will sometimes wonder if a bird is nice enough to keep and ask about it but since no one can really pick it up and examine it I am really the one that would know best. No one can hurt my feelings about my own birds since they can't really touch them. Photos are very subjective and sometimes misleading.

I love to help others but am already spreading myself too thin. And this is my slow season!

 

[lilcrow]

Say Amy, would you mind telling me the name of the book that was describing the Partridge breeding. Sounds very interesting and right down my alley.

 

[just2rosey]

Lilcrow, I am happy to go over with you and see if we can get that thread going again. I am pretty thick skinned (about the chickens anyway) , I don't get upset that easily. At this point I still have so much to learn, I read everything I can get my hands on, but I am still so far behind the pro's here. In spite of my lack of poultry breeding experience, I have my own ideas and opinions when it comes to my breeding priorities, and if someone else's opinions disagrees with that, I just shrug it off. I am more interested in the productivity of my birds than how they look. I don't see the point in supporting "show quality birds" who rarely lay an egg. I expect at least 4 eggs a week from all my girls. I have to say my cochins have been far more productive than my Ameraucanas so far. I also don't see the point in breeding my cochins to be soooo fluffy that they can't reproduce without my help. So I want type within reason, and prouctivity. I expect most breeders won't agree with my plan, but that's ok. We will only be doing a couple of local shows a year anyway. But I am curious/ concerned about the coloring of my first cochin hatchling, his early color is much lighter that expected. I suspect I have some hidden genes in there, and I am sure someone can help me figure out what they are and what to do next. I will read through that thread and see what I can find out.

Amy, I know what you mean about being to busy to get involved in any more threads. I am back in college, and have children and a job. I pop on here for a few minutes during study breaks during the semester. I don't get to every thread everyday. Classes start again this week, so I am going to be more absent again for a few months.

 

[lilcrow]

I don't THINK that I take issue with anyone's breeding program and their goals. I'm just pleased to find out that someone has a goal. There are far too many people that just throw some chickens together just to see the "pretty mish-mash of colors" that they can get. I realize there are folks that will take issue with that attitude also, that is why I had hopes that the genetics thread would be more active. I think if we are going to produce so many birds, it behoves us to try and get the FACTS about how to get to where we want to be and then put that into practice.
I'll post on the thread soon, within a couple of days about the Partridge issue, and hopefully I'll get some much needed input.
Looking forward to good discussion and sharing.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Hi Nancy, I'm still subscribed to your thread! Please be careful with it - they shut down Craig's thread when the bantering got out of hand.

 

[mjgigax]

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I will follow it because I want to learn but I don't have much to contribute and alot to learn. I am thick skinned too about my birds. They are what they are, good or bad, and I want to get them better. I would like to see Mille Fleur and Self-blues get recognized and help do that if I can.

I have terminology questions-
I have Mille Fleur Cochins that I purchased as chicks in 2010. This past year I raised alot of their offspring during Winter and Spring 2011. Are those called my 1st generations?
Now I have 5 (so far) youngsters, hatched this past Summer, from the Winter and Spring birds. Are these 5 my F2s?
I am going to have to start keeping detailed records and use leg bands!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Yes, mjgigax, you have the right of it.

Record keeping is a lot of fun and great to go back to months or even years down the road. I have numbered bands on mine and have to resort back to it when I get ready to sell or move someone to another pen.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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Unless someone else is Amy on here, it wasn't me that knew about Partridge breeding. I do not have Partridge in any of my breeding birds, as of yet.