I'm not saying cochins are forever off my list. If it were not for the egg eating I could adore those girls.
Honestly it is not their fault, I got them and their sisters at almost 2 years old. They lived all their lives up until that point in a raised coop that while long, was only 2 feet in height. They never learned to roost. They were never allowed to free range. They could not be, their owner had a even worse time with predators then I do. He dealt with coyotes, bobcats, coons and weasels. If a chicken free ranged it was lucky to last 2 days. They were loved pets hence the reason they were kept up. He wanted better for them though that was why he gave them to me. They arrived in rough shape though. Confinement and boredom led to feather picking and their poor heads and necks were bald. I already had a aversion to naked necks in general, they reinforced my stance that I will never seek to own them.
I worked with them, got them to trust me and enjoy being handled. Well, Gryffyn is still Grouchy Gryffyn and will bite me every chance she gets. Their feathers grew in after they got freedom and stopped pecking each other. I tried for months to teach them to roost, it could not be done. They still sleep on top of each other on the ground like a pile of chicks. From the day they started eating eggs I have threatened to turn them into chicken and dumplings. They have gotten better this year, but, given the opportunity will still do it. They also have not been turned into dumplings and they wont. I have threatened to sell them, I wont. They were Grandma's and Rosie's hens. I'm stuck with them. I complain about them as much as I complained about old Momma Hen. They are 5 now, almost 6. They will live forever like she did to torture me.
When they are gone I will not immediately run out to replace them. I will do that with my Marans, I love them as much as I love the silkies. In time will I get more, possibly. I think I might try for the bantam ones next time. I could also get the large fowl and raise them myself from babies. I mean, those 2 do have good qualities and I can see why they are a loved chicken breed. They do extremely well in the winter when it gets bitterly cold. They tolerate the heat and are smart and steal Dirt's fan during the hottest part of the days in the summertime.
Fresh out of their molts, if I ignore the egg eating they are stunning ladies. Big, beautiful, and those feathered feet. They check all those boxes that I love. Then they eat a egg and I curse them.
. Some may be half chicken but I’m not sure about that!
