Cochin Thread!!!

[lilcrow]

Thanks Craig, I thought it was one of our little talks that we had that weekend. We had so many

What fun I had and I know Mandy did too. She's all the time saying she's ruined now because Crossroads was such a wonderful time, there can never be anything that lives up to it.

It was Crossroads. I remember us asking the judge of the Cochins so we could understand the placing of birds. Some birds of good type but of lighter color did not place. The birds pictured above have the type pf color the judge was looking for. Nice birds.
Craig

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

So how would black help out my splash though? If breeding splash to black you get blues not splash right? I think Blue would be the best option and perhaps I can find someone working on blue that is using good quality blacks to improve their blue line that would have a nice blue as result.

There was a little group of us at Crossroads or maybe the National that had a discussion about proper Splash color. We ended up going to the judge and found out that the proper color is pretty much what you have - light blue with dark blue splotching. If you breed your splash birds to each other you will get an almost white bird with light blue splotching. These birds would not do well at the shows, however you could use them to breed to black and would get mostly the appropriate color. You might want to breed what you have to a nice dark blue bird, but they are harder to find than the black. That is why I first suggested using a Black, it is easier to find a really good Black than a really good Blue.
I think it's interesting that you got a group of Splash that are relatively uniform in color. Generally, Splash is a by product of breeding for Blue, and Blue is hard to control as far as the depth of the shade. The desired color in Blue is a Navy Blue bird, but you see A LOT of light blue birds. I have two of my own and one of them was RB at the National.

 

[lilcrow]

I suggested Black because they will help to keep the color deep and clear. If you breed splash to blue repeatedly, your splash birds will be more washed out. It's really a balancing act and I think you will find that you need the Black at some point in your program to enrich your color, and improve type, but of course you should do as you feel compelled to do.

So how would black help out my splash though? If breeding splash to black you get blues not splash right? I think Blue would be the best option and perhaps I can find someone working on blue that is using good quality blacks to improve their blue line that would have a nice blue as result.

 

[cochinman2005]

So how would black help out my splash though? If breeding splash to black you get blues not splash right? I think Blue would be the best option and perhaps I can find someone working on blue that is using good quality blacks to improve their blue line that would have a nice blue as result.

Couple things, and please understand that this is constructive criticism, and in the end just my opinion, for what that's worth.
1. The type on your the Splash birds in your photos is average. Most of the birds in the photo appear to be narrow/pinched, and the cockerel definitely is. Assuming they are all related, then they are all possessing this trait. Additionally, their balance isn't right. You can see in the photos that especially the male stands up too tall. Proper balance in a Cochin male is having the eye level with the top of the cushion. The other thing I noted in a couple of the photos is that the lobes on the females appear to have some white in them. That is not something you want to have in your line if your goal is to have a good string of Splash Cochins for show purposes. White in the lobes is color foreign to the breed.
2. The color on the females is pretty nice. Keep that as your goal and you'll be fine.
3. You could find a Blue to use and as long as you find a top notch Blue, then that would be a good way to go. However, top notch Blacks are easier to come by, and if you went that route I'd locate a pair and breed both Splash male x Black female, and Black male x Splash female for some genetic diversity. Granted this produces no splash in the f1 generation, but you'll have some nice Blues to work with in the f2 and beyond years.
For your consideration. Most of the people that I know that show splash in other breeds, don't specifically raise Splash in that breed. They breed Blues, and then get the splash as a product of the Blue breeding. Splash x Splash will dilute to the point of a washed out white as has been noted by others in their previous responses. Also, your number one priority, if you are breeding with the show hall in mind should be type. Type first, color second. If you don't have Cochin type, then it's just a splash colored chicken.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Thanks..... that gives me something to go off of. Can I ask what you mean by pinched though? I'm just trying to learn as much as I possibly can. So I guess I get what you mean about the black now because I looked at a lot of pics keeping the eye level with cusion in mind and the black deffinately looked the best. I have a while to figure out what my next move is with these guys and I got them at a great price, so I deffinately didn't expect them to be top quality just something that I could work with and not hatchery stock.

So any other tips about type that you could give?

 

[cochinman2005]

Pinched is basically another way of saying they are narrow. In Cochins when someone says they are pinched it means they are narrow in the saddle to tail area. If you look at them from above, it looks like somone pinched them together right in front of where the tail starts just behind the wings.

best Advice I can give you is start with the best birds you can locate and can afford and go from there.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Thanks....

 

[mjgigax]

Interesting discussion!
I am trying the new way to post pictures.
Here is a Black Mottled roo that I got to improve the type of my Mille Fleur project birds. This Blue Mottled pullet came with him. I hadn't planned on getting any blues but she is so pretty and sweet. She has has been laying small eggs for about a week now.

 

[posey]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh she is very pretty! I like, I like

 

[cochin123]

Interesting discussion!
I am trying the new way to post pictures.
Here is a Black Mottled roo that I got to improve the type of my Mille Fleur project birds. This Blue Mottled pullet came with him. I hadn't planned on getting any blues but she is so pretty and sweet. She has has been laying small eggs for about a week now.

who did those come from =0