Cochins Versus Brahmas. Need some input!

[ThracianHorse]

*emerges from 10-ish years of inactivity on BYC*

Hi there folks!

After years of lurkerdom, I've emerged to get some input from y'all.

Here is the situation... Bought a new house last year, completed a chicken run and coop this year! I'm currently raising about a dozen layers of various breeds - and the unthinkable has happened - I wound up with NO roosters! I've been doing a little bit of research into breeds to consider a rooster from, and I've come down to either a cochin or a brahma. I'm having a tough time deciding, both in breed and color!

Since a family member is ordering a small number of chicks next year from My Pet Chicken I thought I would get in on the order and get the few remaining chickens I would like to see in my flock, rooster included. So, what My Pet Chicken has on their website are my rooster options in terms of brahma vs. cochin.

So, brahma-owners, cochin-owners... what can you tell me about your birds? If you owned both, what breed did you like best, and why? What didn't you like about them? If you had a rooster, what were their personalities like? Tell me all about them!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

brahma vs. cochin.

Meh... neither.

Why are those the only ones you are choosing from? Marans and Ameraucana have been my favorite roosters so far. But much of that will depend on your goals.

I have kept many breeds... Stew Piddasso's come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and breeds. Each bird will be an individual... and I have been attacked by so called friendly breed (hand raised) and respected by other supposed more aggressive breeds (not babied like friends). In other words... it's trial and error regarding attitude, though going with those known to be more amenable is always a good choice.

I would choose Meyer over MPC due to personal experiences and I they have a lot of breeds to choose from and their shipping is VERY reasonable compared to others.

I like the partridge color in Cochin. The Brahama, is just a bigger bird then I wanna support or have mounting my ladies. Can't wait to see some more suggestions/answers!

 

[Chickassan]

Zero experience with brahma roos but the little pullet i'm raising is painfully docile. Last cochin roo I had was sassy, really sassy. He looked very sweet but in fact was a ball of hades on wheels.

 

[ThracianHorse]

Meh... neither.

Why are those the only ones you are choosing from? Marans and Ameraucana have been my favorite roosters so far. But much of that will depend on your goals.

I have kept many breeds... Stew Piddasso's come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and breeds. Each bird will be an individual... and I have been attacked by so called friendly breed (hand raised) and respected by other supposed more aggressive breeds (not babied like friends). In other words... it's trial and error regarding attitude, though going with those known to be more amenable is always a good choice.

I would choose Meyer over MPC due to personal experiences and I they have a lot of breeds to choose from and their shipping is VERY reasonable compared to others.

I like the partridge color in Cochin. The Brahama, is just a bigger bird then I wanna support or have mounting my ladies. Can't wait to see some more suggestions/answers!

The whys are simple. They are breeds I don't have much experience with, and almost everything I have read implied that they trend towards more docile personalities, predictably (That isn't to say they can't be mean. Any rooster can be a mean one). I also love big floofy chickens - my only experience comes from one cochin hen, and a couple of cochin/silkie crosses who have excellent personalities. Where I am, chickens who are more tolerant of a colder climate do better. Marans I know next to nothing about other than they lay copper eggs. I am interested in getting some hens to see what they are like, though! My goals run more towards aesthetics than an actual breeding program - more interested in (multicolored!) eggs and having an interesting spread of breeds in my flock.

I've actually owned Americauna roosters, and I found them to be incredibly unpredictable in terms of personality. Several were what I'd call hyper-aggressive - One actually did mange to spur me badly enough to require a trip to urgent care for some antibiotics and a tetanus booster. One of them never developed a huge comb and wound up being picked on by the hens mercilessly.

Only reason I am going with MPC is because my cousin is sold on them for the sexed bantams, which is what she REALLY wants, and at this point I want few enough birds to not make a whole box of chicks worthwhile - shipping costs from them are extreme, but better when you split it. I ordered this years layers from Meyers and I was over the moon with what I got! I will absolutely be ordering larger orders of chickens from them in the future.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Americauna roosters

My Easter Egger cockerels have been giant jerks... my true Ameraucana, not so much. But I know lines matter and aggression DOES breed forward.

Fluffy chickens are cute!

Sexing bantams... MPC is the only one I know who does that... Out of 32 shipped bantams... 2 survived. Crush the feed extra for the first week and get poultry nutri drench instead of those vitamin/electrolyte packets as it has amino acids that really help. I add homemade electrolyte water with it. USPS was part of the problem with my MPC order... so I don't mean to speak against them.

And it's so cool to have a variety of eye candy on pasture and in the egg basket.

Marans and Speckled Sussex... two of my favorite breeds for personality among the flock. Have you seen these comparison breed charts?

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf

 

[Birds of a Feather]

I've never had a Brahma rooster, but the ones I've seen seem to be quite docile.

 

[ThracianHorse]

My Easter Egger cockerels have been giant jerks... my true Ameraucana, not so much. But I know lines matter and aggression DOES breed forward.

Fluffy chickens are cute!

Sexing bantams... MPC is the only one I know who does that... Out of 32 shipped bantams... 2 survived. Crush the feed extra for the first week and get poultry nutri drench instead of those vitamin/electrolyte packets as it has amino acids that really help. I add homemade electrolyte water with it. USPS was part of the problem with my MPC order... so I don't mean to speak against them.

And it's so cool to have a variety of eye candy on pasture and in the egg basket.

Marans and Speckled Sussex... two of my favorite breeds for personality among the flock. Have you seen these comparison breed charts?

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf

The Livestock Conservancy sheet I was aware of... the sage hen farm one I wasn't - and those personalized notes about the different breeds are exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for the info!

I'm not overly thrilled with MPC, but I have heard mostly good things about their customer service. We'll see, I suppose - we do at least have a pretty good USPS carrier who knows how to handle chick boxes. I'll judge next year when I get my chicks safely, and if they sexed my cousins bantams correctly.

The Sussex I have been eyeballing for some hens! I've only ever known one (In someones flock I would care for when they went out of town), but she was a real definite personality for sure - she'd hold entire conversations with me. Pretty darn likely I might have to sneak one (or six) into the box next year. I am open to suggestions for other breeds to fill the box with. It's just the rooster I would like to be BIG and floofy!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Pretty darn likely I might have to sneak one (or six) into the box next year.

I see you are well aware of chicken math!

I might be a practicing addict/enabler...

 

[ThracianHorse]

I see you are well aware of chicken math!

I might be a practicing addict/enabler...

This conversation just happened, speaking of chicken math...

"We have enough layers"
"But we didn't get a rooster!"
"Oh, okay. Order a rooster next year."
"But if he's raised alone, he'll be lonely!"
"Okay. Get him a buddy."
"Needs to be two buddies otherwise they'll fight when they become teenagers."
"Are you sure? We've got a lot of layers right now. I'm worried about the number of eggs..."
"But we don't have anything laying white eggs! What if we added a leghorn to the mix?"
"Four chicks?"
"Look at these Speckled Sussex! Aren't they pretty? So are these Marans! We don't have copper colored eggs yet!"
"..."
"...what?"
"You're ordering another dozen. Aren't you?"
"Meyers didn't have everything I wanted by the time the meat chick order was ready."
"Fair enough. I think".
"So... uh... meat birds next year?"
"... I can't win."

Never tell the husband of your chickening plans. Unless you want amusing conversations like this. Fortunately, the coop and garden are my personal domains.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Never tell the husband of your chickening plans.

Yes! He knows I have chickens... but we DON'T talk numbers cuz it makes him nervous.

Each year when I add new layers... I sell off a few of the older ones, early enough in the season so the new owners will get several good months of laying before they molt. Part of chicken math is subtraction. That's the hard part for many. BUT... making room for more birds ain't THAT hard.

My husband is trying to get me to move to Washington!