Hey Patty, Gator, Mike and other mille cochin enthusiasts

[Krys109uk]

Intresting to see the progress of your chicks Twinlights. Thanks. Chick 4 looks a handsome little chap.

 

[amazondoc]

I've definitely lost my mind, but I think you're a lot farther over the edge than I am!

Yikes, I just counted up for the first time -- I've hatched 207 chicks since December, not counting 16 quail that hatched yesterday. But of course, that was a lot of different breeds! In the mf bantam cochins, I've hatched 30-something of my own, plus 7 from other breeders, plus some still in the bator.

 

[behrable]

i hatched over 300 cochin bantams . think the guys in the white coats are on there way for me ...lol sold off about 100 young chicks mostly roos but still have around 200. in 8 different colors .

 

[JOSHSBANTAMS]

Now that I'm looking at my records (up until it got to crazy to keep track) I think I'm pushing more like 260ish since the first of the year. It’s no wonder why my wife is so mad...... unfortunately for her I just bought a GQF Pro cabinet incubator ) So now I'm in big trouble.

 

[tfpets]

You're all nuts. (Just kidding) I kept it realistic. I Shut down the incubators. Ha, I cheated, and just went to get an entire ready made flock of Araucana's from someone else...I only hope to continue his efforts half as well....

Now if the Mille Cochins will keep up this well! Eggs under the broody, and young ones coming up developing well....on the path slowly but surely...I just cant do the numbers you all are speaking of...and I want to keep them all! How do you do it?? Such devotion!! I admire it so much! I will try to post pics...they are nice, not to my credit, but thanks to Lynne and Tate!

Tina

 

[Msbear]

Quote:
OMG!! I guess Im just a really small operation here in Msbearland

I've hatch a dozen rosecombs, and a dozen cochins (mille and columbian) I have 25 mille eggs in the bator from my F2's!!! Im hoping they're fertile. I cracked one and couldn't really tell... Usually, there is an obvious ring.. these were large white spots with a very very faint ring.

eta: Oh, and I've been sneaking eggs under my father's welsummer broodies

He lives about a half hour from me and I go there to get eating eggs. When I see a broody, Im like Yeah!!! free incubation and grow out!!! hahahahhah

 

[JOSHSBANTAMS]

Ya, I went a bit over board. I set every egg my Millies laid except a handful that I sent to Hippichick. I wanted to make sure I had a bunch to choose from this fall and next spring.
I don't think I'll go quite as nuts next spring but who knows, I did get a bigger incubator though so I'll probably be in worse situation this time next year. =o)

 

[onthespot]

Quote:
All I can say is cull, cull, cull!!! I'm not saying kill them, just weed it down to the very best of the best and dont breed more than you can get rid of, whatever that means to each individual person... There is a fine point where all of a sudding they just eat you out of house and home and suddenly there is not enough places to put them and you run a circle all day filling feeders and waterers and go crazy, and you look at the two or three bators full and sort of wish you could delay the next hatch about a week or so... Been there...

All I can say is learn to recognize the best of the best early on. Things like Feet Feathers will not change. If you wouldn't want a certain look in your lead flock roo, don't tolerate it in your lowest ranked pullet either. With the numbers you are breeding and the quality you are starting with, there should be a VERY NICE core group of the top ten percent of your chicks and to be honest I would just cull it down to those top twenty and unload the rest on eggbid, craigslist, kijijji.com, wherever you can advertise for free. No point wasting a single dollar growing out something you will not be using later on. Even if you are made of money, which most of us are not, it is just better to have a tighter, brighter, smaller flock.

 

[Msbear]

Excellent point, Patty.

BTW, I wanted to add you to my collection of mille breeders. Im starting a page documenting our progress https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=10091-mille-fleur-cochin-progress and would like to show off all of our accomplishments.

If you'd like to contribute, I'd like some pics of your initial breeders, and all generations there after. Also, if you could write a bried editorial about the progress and any expectations you have or suprises you've had

I am super busy right now so don't worry about getting it to me right away... just putting it out there

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
One of the problems with breeding mille fleurs is that you just can't tell how their markings are going to come out until they're mature!