Simmons - so sorry to hear about your hen. It's never easy to lose one.

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Don't give up. The coffee will help. The birds need you to make them better.Maybe it's because it's a cold and gray day here today. Maybe it's because I've been spending so much time putting together photos of stunning Cochins for the CI website. As long as I continue to work only with Golden Laced, I feel like my birds will never be up to par with anyone else's. Sometimes I think I should add a second Variety, but that will cut down on the space I need for the GL's.
Think I'll just put on another pot of coffee, pull up my big girl panties, and move on. Or maybe just go back to bed.
if you DO decide to part with any gl, let me know please? i would like 1 pair to work with to start...Maybe it's because it's a cold and gray day here today. Maybe it's because I've been spending so much time putting together photos of stunning Cochins for the CI website. As long as I continue to work only with Golden Laced, I feel like my birds will never be up to par with anyone else's. Sometimes I think I should add a second Variety, but that will cut down on the space I need for the GL's.
Think I'll just put on another pot of coffee, pull up my big girl panties, and move on. Or maybe just go back to bed.
Nancy keep the Birchens. They are about as good as any in the country! Saw that at Sedalia/ Western National. Agree that if I was only breeding to win I would only keep Blacks but I enjoy the challenge of trying to work with patterned birds. I don't need more varieties but I wonder sometimes if we all couldn't/shouldn't work together in a different way to get results. I don't have the answers but wide open to suggestions.Gail, I relate so much to how you're feeling, but I keep telling myself that it will pass. I think back to this time last year and I felt something similar. I think it's the time of year, and being alone doesn't help either. I seem to get into a blue funk every fall and even consider getting rid of ALL of my birds...............but I won't. I feel overwhelmed at the thought of another winter and the work that it takes to care for the birds in the freezing weather.I've got two varieties - the Birchen and Blue/B/S and I think that maybe I should cut back to one variety, but I wouldn't know which one to ditch if I did.
As far as your birds ever coming up to par with others birds, that's not why your doing this, you're doing it for love and to save them from fading into history. I've seen pictures of your beautiful GL and you aren't that far off, they are beautiful and look every bit like good Cochins, without you I fear for the future of the variety.Hang in there girl friend, the sun will come out again. At least you're in Colorado where the sun shines nearly every day. Thank your lucky stars you're not in Ohio, we won't see the sun again until April.