Cochin Thread!!!

[Prairie Orca]

Hey guys, I was wondering if my cochin pullet has any faults; I want to show and breed her but, well, you'll see...

I bought her as a white cochin pullet, hatched (I'm told) in late July 2010. I gave her a bath - her non-whiteness and the previous owner said she had a dust bath shortly before going into the box, so both factors lead me to believe she was simply dirty and that a nice wash would bring out her colour again. She came out the same colour.

Her mother was a white cochin, her father a black cochin.

These pictures were taken back in October a day or two after I first got her. Aged approximately three months old:


(Click the thumbnails to view larger images.)

I don't know if she'll become pure white when she moults (whenever that may be), if she's a different colour, or if it's a sign of her genetics. (Reading the last few posts... could she have a 'leaky' gene?)

And her toes are black - I've read they're supposed to be yellow (right?); would this make her ineligible for showing? The soles of her feet are yellow... but I can't get a picture of them.

Not much has changed since these pictures, other than she has grown and has been moved into the coop with the other chickens (she was in quarantine during these pictures).

Thanks for reading!

 

[swheat]

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We could have lots of fun with Dominant white in Cochins - White Laced colors, Red Pyles, etc.

I would really enjoy seeing\\breeding some Red Pyle !!! Just thinking of Red Pyle cochins in my head makes me

 

[bacres]

Im going to say that, that bird is not white but I do not know what color she is.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

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I don't know alot about showing, or genetics but I seriously doubt her color will change to white. It looks like shes leaking some black and very pale red pigmentation? She is pretty though! That color reminds me of a chicken I used to have that.

Also she isn't very cushy in the hind end like the standard calls for, her shapes alittle off. Between her shape and the color of her feet I'd kind of wonder if one of her parents weren't a cochin mix. She looks like theres alittle something else in her genetics ya know what I mean? I know it isn't what you'd hope to hear but I just want to let you know now that she'd be DQ'd off the bat for the wrong skin color of her feet.

Did you know the person you got her from? I'd suggest if you want to get into showing put the money into some youngins from the breeders on here, or go to a show and find a reputable shower/breeder there and ask when they usually sell surplus chicks or some will take names for when they thin their flocks in fall of youngsters to contact and sell to, just a thought.

Good luck!

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

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I don't know either but its a neat color isn't it? Almost like a splash pattern on that bird.

 

[Majestic Lane Poultry]

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He caught my eye too.

 

[cochinman2005]

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Black x White crosses often result in willow (green) legs, which it appears she may have. This is a disqualification for color foreign to the breed. Also, she has vulture hocks, which is also a disqualification.

 

[cochinman2005]

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I think my question was missed....

If they are laying blue/green eggs, they were probably crossed with some sort of Ameraucana, so type and leg color and a bunch of other stuff wouldn't be true to breed characteristics. Also, Cochins per breed characteristics are brown egg layers. the bantams lay a light brown egg.

I am pretty confident they'd be junk as far as type goes.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Quote:
I think my question was missed....

If they are laying blue/green eggs, they were probably crossed with some sort of Ameraucana, so type and leg color and a bunch of other stuff wouldn't be true to breed characteristics. Also, Cochins per breed characteristics are brown egg layers. the bantams lay a light brown egg.

I am pretty confident they'd be junk as far as type goes.

I agree - they're mixes. Might be way far back, but they're still mixes.

I've got three "cochin" pullets that lay blue/green eggs, but I refer to them as "Cochin/EE crosses". At first glance, they LOOK like cochins as far as size, body type and feathering (they don't have the greatest cushions and could use a tad more foot feathering), but its the COMB that is the greatest/most obvious difference - mine have pea combs, which is closely related to the laying of blue eggs - whereas, single combed birds rarely, if ever, lay anything but white or brown/tinted eggs. My three girls were bought at an auction by a friend, so we have no background info on them and they now reside with my bantam EE's.

So, the point I'm trying to make is, you might want to check out the combs on the sellers birds - cochins are supposed to have single combs, but I'd be willing to bet these birds have pea combs, which would be another indication of being a mixed breed (in addition to the blue egg thing).

 

[dak]

Quote:
If they are laying blue/green eggs, they were probably crossed with some sort of Ameraucana, so type and leg color and a bunch of other stuff wouldn't be true to breed characteristics. Also, Cochins per breed characteristics are brown egg layers. the bantams lay a light brown egg.

I am pretty confident they'd be junk as far as type goes.

I agree - they're mixes. Might be way far back, but they're still mixes.

I've got three "cochin" pullets that lay blue/green eggs, but I refer to them as "Cochin/EE crosses". At first glance, they LOOK like cochins as far as size, body type and feathering (they don't have the greatest cushions and could use a tad more foot feathering), but its the COMB that is the greatest/most obvious difference - mine have pea combs, which is closely related to the laying of blue eggs - whereas, single combed birds rarely, if ever, lay anything but white or brown/tinted eggs. My three girls were bought at an auction by a friend, so we have no background info on them and they now reside with my bantam EE's.

So, the point I'm trying to make is, you might want to check out the combs on the sellers birds - cochins are supposed to have single combs, but I'd be willing to bet these birds have pea combs, which would be another indication of being a mixed breed (in addition to the blue egg thing).

I have to disagree with the statement regarding single combed birds not laying blue/green eggs. The Self-blue (lavender variety) of Ameraucanas still, unfortunately, have single combs cropping up on a regular basis. They lay a blue/green egg despite the single comb. Got one in the coop right now.