Cochin Thread!!!

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Lesson for today: Learn from my mistakes and don't repeat them.

Don't know how I can make such a big mistake. I washed the birds I was taking to the Iowa State Fair last week. When I was done I stacked the cages I had used to dry them against the coop. I had never stacked them that high before. A coon climbed the cages and went in a window that is normally too high and small to get in. When my wife opened up the coop Saturday morning she found all but 10 of my birds dead. She filled 3 feed sacks full of dead bantam Cochins. I had loaded the 13 birds entered at the show the night before so I hadn't lost those. I still have 25 fertile eggs in the incubator and some chicks in the brooder that might replace some that were lost. It was my fault and it is driving me nuts. All window are metal grid covered so that will never happen again.
Craig

 

[just2rosey]

Oh, no! I am so sorry. What a heart breaking loss. I hope you have some beautiful babies to replace some of you losses.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

OMG Craig - I am so sorry. This just hasn't been your summer. I just don't know what to say. Another devasting loss.

 

[mrsc1951]

When my little EE bantam went broody, I picked out two one day old chicks from a local breeder since I don't have a roo. One of those babies - now 14 weeks old - is half Cochin. She is huge. At 14 weeks she is already bigger than my year old Australorps and Brahmas. She is very attached to me and prefers that I feed her out of hand. They were hand raised since the bantam kicked them out of the nest. I love her personality and looks and may consider getting more Cochins if this is typical of them. This is my first encounter with them and must say I've been won over after being partial to Australorps for so long. The other baby that I got is an EE and does not have nearly the personality of my half Cochin. Is this a norm for them? She is half Cochin, half SLW and very striking with her large yellow feet and combination of black/green/black and white feathers.

I thought this would have been a good place to get some feedback on the temperament, etc of Cochins since I don't personally know anyone who has any experience with them. Guess this is the wrong thread.

 

[chickee]

Beautiful!

My little group of LF Cochins are now 6 months old and laying!! These pullet eggs are about the size of my bantam cochin eggs.

Even though they are so much larger than my bantam cochins, they are very sedate and the rooster has yet to give me any sign of aggression

 

[chickee]

I am raising my first 2 Cochins and they are are so gentle and cute. They are both bantam roosters. A BYC friend sent me bantam buff Brahma eggs and included a couple of bantam Cochin eggs as a surprise and I am so glad she did! I am in love with them! Now I need to find my boys some girls

So from my limited experience with them and talking with my friend about hers, I would say they have wonderful, calm, gentle personalities and I would definitely recommend them.

I thought this would have been a good place to get some feedback on the temperament, etc of Cochins since I don't personally know anyone who has any experience with them. Guess this is the wrong thread.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

OMG Craig - I am so sorry. This just hasn't been your summer. I just don't know what to say. Another devasting loss.

That is at least 90 and probably over 100 Cochins killed by coons this year. I got back late last night. They always come back so I will eventually trap it or them
.

 

[JosieChick]

Lesson for today: Learn from my mistakes and don't repeat them.

Don't know how I can make such a big mistake. I washed the birds I was taking to the Iowa State Fair last week. When I was done I stacked the cages I had used to dry them against the coop. I had never stacked them that high before. A coon climbed the cages and went in a window that is normally too high and small to get in. When my wife opened up the coop Saturday morning she found all but 10 of my birds dead. She filled 3 feed sacks full of dead bantam Cochins. I had loaded the 13 birds entered at the show the night before so I hadn't lost those. I still have 25 fertile eggs in the incubator and some chicks in the brooder that might replace some that were lost. It was my fault and it is driving me nuts. All window are metal grid covered so that will never happen again.
Craig

Oh no!!!!!!!! The tragedy!!!

That is heartbreaking. I am so sorry.

I thought this would have been a good place to get some feedback on the temperament, etc of Cochins since I don't personally know anyone who has any experience with them. Guess this is the wrong thread.

Cochins are wonderfully sweet, friendly birds. The more you mess with them and handle them the gentler they become. That is why I have a yard full of them, they are addictive little birds and I just love mine to pieces. I would say your experience is the same as many on this thread that have come to love these giant, friendly, fluff balls.

 

[chickee]

That is SO sad!!!

I'm so sorry! My friend just went through loosing a whole coop full of her SQ bantam buff Brahmas to a raccoon. Raccoons are the worst!

Lesson for today: Learn from my mistakes and don't repeat them.

Don't know how I can make such a big mistake. I washed the birds I was taking to the Iowa State Fair last week. When I was done I stacked the cages I had used to dry them against the coop. I had never stacked them that high before. A coon climbed the cages and went in a window that is normally too high and small to get in. When my wife opened up the coop Saturday morning she found all but 10 of my birds dead. She filled 3 feed sacks full of dead bantam Cochins. I had loaded the 13 birds entered at the show the night before so I hadn't lost those. I still have 25 fertile eggs in the incubator and some chicks in the brooder that might replace some that were lost. It was my fault and it is driving me nuts. All window are metal grid covered so that will never happen again.
Craig

 

[aceschix]

My little group of LF Cochins are now 6 months old and laying!! These pullet eggs are about the size of my bantam cochin eggs.

Even though they are so much larger than my bantam cochins, they are very sedate and the rooster has yet to give me any sign of aggression

HEY! Those look familiar!! Yay for Grand chickees!!!

You should not see any signs or aggression. My boys have always been as docile as lap dogs!!

LOVE the lacing on that blue!! The girls I can see have nice cushion too. We are on a roll