Cochin Thread!!!

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Clare - you should know the rules by now - you must post pics and share your new lovlies!!!

At least tell us what you got!!

 

[dak]

Quote:
Clare - you should know the rules by now - you must post pics and share your new lovlies!!!

At least tell us what you got!!

I will, but it will probably be next week as I am leaving tomorrow for 4 dog shows in Tucson, and I have lots to do. They are Black LF. You see there are these cochins that are NOT bantams. They do exist!

 

[dak]

Ok now in all seriousness, I have an AI question. One of my new GLC is laying, and the Cockerel is attempting to breed her. So I have been AIing her 2-3 times a week. He is easy to collect, but I'm not getting any fertile eggs. Could there simply be not enough swimmers yet? And is it likely age issues or the season. I haven't gotten an exact age from the breeder, but I'm guessing he's at least 6 mos old.

 

[thecochincoop]

Quote:
I have found that some cockerels are late bloomers. It may be a few more weeks before he has good fertility. Fertility does decrease with the season but it may just be that he needs some more age on him. You shouldn't need to AI more than once a week. It will last around 10 days.

 

[dak]

Quote:
I have found that some cockerels are late bloomers. It may be a few more weeks before he has good fertility. Fertility does decrease with the season but it may just be that he needs some more age on him. You shouldn't need to AI more than once a week. It will last around 10 days.

I'm trying to build up numbers. I'll probably take some to work and check numbers with the microscope. I can usually eyeball a dog collection and know if I have good numbers, but unsure about poultry.

 

[cochinman2005]

Quote:
If I understand your post correctly, the male is in with the females? 2 approaches you can take.

1. Pluck both the male and the females if you want to leave them together. Pluck the male directly around and below the vent and the females around and above the vent. Quite possible they aren't matching up.
2. Separate the male from the females. It may be that since he's in with the females, he's wasting his efforts trying to natural breed. Is his semen clear or milky?

If he's trying to breed the pullets, he's most likely sexually mature enough to be successful. When I start breeding I AI twice a week. While CCoop may do it every 10 days, I don't feel that's often enough to guard against possible gaps in fertility. I AI to take the guess work out of it.

 

[dak]

Quote:
If I understand your post correctly, the male is in with the females? 2 approaches you can take.

1. Pluck both the male and the females if you want to leave them together. Pluck the male directly around and below the vent and the females around and above the vent. Quite possible they aren't matching up.
2. Separate the male from the females. It may be that since he's in with the females, he's wasting his efforts trying to natural breed. Is his semen clear or milky?

If he's trying to breed the pullets, he's most likely sexually mature enough to be successful. When I start breeding I AI twice a week. While CCoop may do it every 10 days, I don't feel that's often enough to guard against possible gaps in fertility. I AI to take the guess work out of it.

I don't mind AIing, but I can see where he may be wasting his effort. His semen is in between clear and milky. Not opaque, not transparent, sort of translucent. I didn't really want chicks this time of year, but then you hear stories about losing a valuble animal before getting any progeny. I'll probably pluck and AI.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

If you pluck, how long does it generally take for feathers to grow back so that the bird is in decent show condition? And what about trimming vs. plucking?

 

[thecochincoop]

Quote:
feathers take 6-8 weeks to grow in and primaries and tail feathers take longer. trimming they wont grow back until molt and plucking will grow back sooner.

 

[JenEric Farms]

I thought trimming was not deemed desirable for showing?