Cochin Thread!!!

[tiki244]

ONE of my cockerels has reddish bay eyes! He is the best one as far as eye color. (only one that comes close to reddish bay) He's got quite the comb eh? I really like the shape of some of my other cockerels much better. :/ I hatched 2 white chicks from a white pair I got recently which I thought were pretty good. However I don't think they are that good show wise. One of the babies is developing black type lacing on the wings. And I have now noticed that the legs are short on the babies. They would be wonderful legs for Japanese chabos. They are a very sweet pair(personality wise) so I am going to have to keep them for pets.

 

[tiki244]

I am just wondering if breeding two lines together has caused some problems for me. The beaks are darker and the eyes are darker than they used to be on my earlier cochins. I heard somebody else say they had bred two lines together(of some other breed) and gotten some undesirable results. Can't really be a theory.... but ........just wondering.....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, : Then, if I were to add a new male to the current cochins am wondering if this would cause problems with too many lines? Or is this ok to do?

 

[Ashdoes]

If anyone has trouble separating egg yolks and whites, this is great!  Even if you don't understand Chinese!

[SIZE=12pt][SIZE=13.5pt][COLOR=0000FF]http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/cooking/1160651.html[/COLOR][/SIZE][/SIZE]

This is awesome! The longest part of baking is when you have to separate a dozen eggs.
Thank you!

 

[Bo Garrett]

I saw the discussion on the webbed toes and yes, it is a disqualification in both the ABA and APA Standards. It tends to have a low incidence of heritability but is genetic and can be traced along family lines. I would definitely not breed birds with a serious defect or DQ as the likelihood of producing more of the same increases if you continue to use such birds in your breeding rotations. The good thing about this defect is that it is manifested at hatching and can be culled for at that point, meaning that you waste no feed raising a cull bird.

Bo

 

[Bo Garrett]

I don't worry about eye color until they are at least laying and probably longer. It seems to take that long for it to change and knock on wood if your breeders are good it seems to not be a problem. If you are limited on space like I am you have to pick your best typed birds that are what you think is close on color and just let them grow out. Don't cull for petty things until they are mature unless you see a major DQ. That is the only thing I cull for early, split wing, deformities, etc. I'm sure I've had to sell some birds that I probably would have rather not and would probably be farther along if I could keep more, but I am on a quarter acre here in town and can only keep about 50 birds tops in the summer. I have to knock that down to about 20-25 in the winter even with my new building. Just my opinion and hopefully some helpful advice for others that are limited on space

I have observed over the years that most chicks are hatched with blue eyes and within a few weeks they begin to change color. In cochins I look for the chicks to change eye color from blue to a nice shade of green, this usually happens when they are getting a good coverage of feathers (six to eight weeks). The eyes will stay green for quite some time then as they reach maturity the eyes will begin to change to the nice reddish bay required by the standard. It has been my observation that eyes that don't change from blue to green will not have the reddish bay eye coloring at maturity but will in most instances stay blue eyed or a very light eye color which detracts from the appearance of the bird. Again, this is my observation and may not relate to what others have observed, but all my green eyed large and bantam birds now have reddish bay eyes. I do agree that culling for minor 1/2 point defects too early could cause one to miss out on an otherwise very good bird. Crooked toes, spit wing, side sprigs and wry tail can be culled for at a fairly young age but things such as eye color require patience. Remember, if the bird doesn't have the cochin type; all the perfect color, combs, eye color in the world will never get him/her to champion row.

Bo

 

[jnmerwin]

Can anyone tell me what this buff colored chick is going to turn out to be? They were all born on the same day and he is twice the size of everyone else. He is getting dark red/buff feathers on his body and gray/blue in the wings. The roo is a brown red and the hens are a mixed bag of black, white, blue, blue slash, partridge and buff. I am positive it's a rooster by the way he is acting.

 

[varanisblack]

Well Wondering your thoughts on these guys now that they are older!
Capone and Goldie are from solid black Cochin parents and the breeders can't belive the coloration I have described to them so with luck i will bring the camera to show how the babies are growing out

Our questions are #1 what would cause this coloration out of standard black birds, "what genetic surprises do you suspect they hold??" " what can I expect out of these guys in the future??
I have 1 more solid black cockerell and I am getting 2 more pullets hopefully today that are straight black "so far

" they are younger chicks but my fingers are crossed for maybe another with some surprise coloration!!

#2 what coloration would you call these two?


Any way here is Capone "so named due to a bald spot that never feathered over"



Goldie our pretty little girl and Marys favorite!!



So far that I know these are the only two colored from their black bantom Cochins that they know of but i am keeping hopes up for the other three we will raise up!

 

[allmychickens]

IM SO EXITED IM GETTING A GEORGEUOS BLUE ROO!!!!!!!

 

[Funky Feathers]

I have a very nice (show potential?) Blue Mottled pair for sale (bantams):

 

[allmychickens]

IM SO EXITED IM GETTING A GEORGEUOS BLUE ROO!!!!!!!