I have 5 18day old chicks. 2ee, 1 welsummer and 2 cochin's. The cochins are slightly smaller but still seem to be mostly baby fluff. They also seem to be the shy ones, Is this the norm? The rest are super curious and out going. Should we spend more time with them? We started taking them outside this week to enjoy the grass but those 2 seem afraid . The welsummer and ee's climb on the nearest person and start diving off but the cochins stand still and look petrified.
My Cochin was like that. She ended up being the least friendly bird in the flock. Try to make them more friendly by giving them treats, and hopefully they'll turn out more friendly than my hen.
We have those three breeds, and yes, the Cochins to develop slower. We have 6 EEs, 6 Wellies, and 3 Giant bue Cochins. 2 of the Cochins are very sweet, love to be scratched. One is aloof. All make sqeaky screen door noises and growl. They do not cackle when laying. All 3 are at the bottom of the pecking order. Welsummers are busy and talk a lot. Not much for petting, but love to peck at anything of intrest - including toes, buttons, etc. Cackle when laying. Middle of the pecking order. EEs are a mixed bag. Some are friendly. Some not. Our dominant hen (since the roosters were sent away) is an EE, she will complain loudly when you gather eggs. 2 of our EEs are just barely above the Cocj=hins in pecking order and love attention. They can be noisy layers. All three breeds have layed well in our wet, dark winter. Cochins lay a medium egg, but the shell is so smooth in texture. I would recommend Cochins (hens) to anyone with kids or living in a urban area where you want happy neighbors.
